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Why Most Kids BJJ Programs Fail | Ellee Beckman
Why do most BJJ gyms lose kids?
The kids program that's quietly killing your retention — and the simple shifts that turn it into your biggest growth engine.
Most martial arts schools treat their kids program like a side hustle.
The result? Burned-out coaches, frustrated parents, and kids who quit by 13.
In this episode, Nick Cownie sits down with Ellee Beckman — founder of The Arte of Coaching, former early childhood educator of 13+ years, and head kids coach at Nova Art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — to expose the gap that exists in almost every kids martial arts program in the world.
Ellee combined a decade in early childhood education with five years of BJJ to build a coaching business that's now teaching coaches across the globe how to actually understand kids — not just teach them technique.
This conversation is the blueprint every academy owner with kids classes needs to hear.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE
- Why "technique first" is the wrong approach for under-12s
- How teaching through play multiplies engagement and retention
- The communication mistakes 99% of coaches make with kids
- Why early specialisation destroys long-term students
- The pressure trap that's burning out coaches, kids, and parents
- How Ellee built The Arte of Coaching from a single WhatsApp post
- The content shift that took her from "trying to go viral" to real authority
- Why authenticity beats every algorithm trick
- How BJJ training makes her a sharper business owner
- Her vision for a standardised kids coaching curriculum
🕒 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Intro
01:26 — Ellee's background: 13 years in early childhood education
04:01 — How a Muay Thai voucher (she never used) led to BJJ
07:45 — The "angry octopus" first BJJ class
08:40 — The #1 mistake schools make teaching kids
10:14 — What teacher training brings to martial arts
14:44 — The truth about early specialisation
18:36 — Why 70% of kids drop sport by 13
20:30 — Building The Arte of Coaching from scratch
26:30 — The biggest content mistake (and the fix)
28:46 — Why authenticity beats every viral strategy
32:50 — What she'd do differently starting over
39:39 — A standardised kids coaching curriculum
45:25 — How BJJ makes her a better business owner
49:43 — The one person she'd love to roll with
54:04 — Ellee's #1 message for martial arts entrepreneurs
59:35 — Where to find Ellee
🎯 Most martial arts school owners are one system away from consistent growth. Install the same systems used by real academies around the world:
🤖 Enroll 365™ — https://enroll365.ai
The school that replies first gets the student. Enroll365.ai replies instantly, books the trial in chat, and follows up until the student steps on your mat.
⚙️ Dojo Toolbox CRM™ — https://dojotoolboxcrm.com
The AI-powered operating system for martial arts schools.
🌏 The Dojo Map™ — https://thedojomap.com
Connecting the global martial arts community.
🥋 DOJOCEO™ Mastermind — https://dojoceo.com
Most martial artists open a school. The best operators become DOJOCEOs™.
💬 GET THE TOOLS — COMMENT TO UNLOCK
Find me on Instagram @dojoceo and comment one of the keywords below on any reel to get sent the resource:
👉 Comment STUDENTS — Get a 30-day free trial of Enroll 365™ to stop losing money by automating your trial class bookings.
👉 Comment CEO — Get details on the DOJOCEO™ Mastermind to learn how we turn school owners into millionaires.
👉 Comment MAP — Get your martial arts school listed on the Dojo Map™.
👉 Comment POD — Get the latest DOJO CEO podcast episode sent directly to you.
👇 CONNECT WITH ELLEE BECKMAN
Ellee Beckman is the founder of The Arte of Coaching — a global platform helping martial arts coaches understand how kids actually learn. A former early childhood and primary school teacher with 13+ years of classroom experience, Ellee combines developmental psychology with game-based BJJ instruction at Nova Art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on the Sunshine Coast.
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/thearteofcoaching
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thearteofcoaching
🛒 Store: https://stan.store/thearteofcoaching
⚔️ ABOUT THE SHOW
Most martial artists open a school.
The best operators become DOJOCEOs™.
Hosted by Nick Cownie — founder of Enroll 365™, Dojo Toolbox CRM™, The Dojo Map™, and DOJOCEO™ Mastermind — each episode goes "behind the belt" to break down the business, battles, and breakthroughs behind successful martial arts schools.
👉 FOLLOW NICK
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/dojoceo
View all episodes
By Success Dynamics InstituteWhy do most BJJ gyms lose kids?
The kids program that's quietly killing your retention — and the simple shifts that turn it into your biggest growth engine.
Most martial arts schools treat their kids program like a side hustle.
The result? Burned-out coaches, frustrated parents, and kids who quit by 13.
In this episode, Nick Cownie sits down with Ellee Beckman — founder of The Arte of Coaching, former early childhood educator of 13+ years, and head kids coach at Nova Art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu — to expose the gap that exists in almost every kids martial arts program in the world.
Ellee combined a decade in early childhood education with five years of BJJ to build a coaching business that's now teaching coaches across the globe how to actually understand kids — not just teach them technique.
This conversation is the blueprint every academy owner with kids classes needs to hear.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE
- Why "technique first" is the wrong approach for under-12s
- How teaching through play multiplies engagement and retention
- The communication mistakes 99% of coaches make with kids
- Why early specialisation destroys long-term students
- The pressure trap that's burning out coaches, kids, and parents
- How Ellee built The Arte of Coaching from a single WhatsApp post
- The content shift that took her from "trying to go viral" to real authority
- Why authenticity beats every algorithm trick
- How BJJ training makes her a sharper business owner
- Her vision for a standardised kids coaching curriculum
🕒 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 — Intro
01:26 — Ellee's background: 13 years in early childhood education
04:01 — How a Muay Thai voucher (she never used) led to BJJ
07:45 — The "angry octopus" first BJJ class
08:40 — The #1 mistake schools make teaching kids
10:14 — What teacher training brings to martial arts
14:44 — The truth about early specialisation
18:36 — Why 70% of kids drop sport by 13
20:30 — Building The Arte of Coaching from scratch
26:30 — The biggest content mistake (and the fix)
28:46 — Why authenticity beats every viral strategy
32:50 — What she'd do differently starting over
39:39 — A standardised kids coaching curriculum
45:25 — How BJJ makes her a better business owner
49:43 — The one person she'd love to roll with
54:04 — Ellee's #1 message for martial arts entrepreneurs
59:35 — Where to find Ellee
🎯 Most martial arts school owners are one system away from consistent growth. Install the same systems used by real academies around the world:
🤖 Enroll 365™ — https://enroll365.ai
The school that replies first gets the student. Enroll365.ai replies instantly, books the trial in chat, and follows up until the student steps on your mat.
⚙️ Dojo Toolbox CRM™ — https://dojotoolboxcrm.com
The AI-powered operating system for martial arts schools.
🌏 The Dojo Map™ — https://thedojomap.com
Connecting the global martial arts community.
🥋 DOJOCEO™ Mastermind — https://dojoceo.com
Most martial artists open a school. The best operators become DOJOCEOs™.
💬 GET THE TOOLS — COMMENT TO UNLOCK
Find me on Instagram @dojoceo and comment one of the keywords below on any reel to get sent the resource:
👉 Comment STUDENTS — Get a 30-day free trial of Enroll 365™ to stop losing money by automating your trial class bookings.
👉 Comment CEO — Get details on the DOJOCEO™ Mastermind to learn how we turn school owners into millionaires.
👉 Comment MAP — Get your martial arts school listed on the Dojo Map™.
👉 Comment POD — Get the latest DOJO CEO podcast episode sent directly to you.
👇 CONNECT WITH ELLEE BECKMAN
Ellee Beckman is the founder of The Arte of Coaching — a global platform helping martial arts coaches understand how kids actually learn. A former early childhood and primary school teacher with 13+ years of classroom experience, Ellee combines developmental psychology with game-based BJJ instruction at Nova Art Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on the Sunshine Coast.
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/thearteofcoaching
▶️ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thearteofcoaching
🛒 Store: https://stan.store/thearteofcoaching
⚔️ ABOUT THE SHOW
Most martial artists open a school.
The best operators become DOJOCEOs™.
Hosted by Nick Cownie — founder of Enroll 365™, Dojo Toolbox CRM™, The Dojo Map™, and DOJOCEO™ Mastermind — each episode goes "behind the belt" to break down the business, battles, and breakthroughs behind successful martial arts schools.
👉 FOLLOW NICK
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/dojoceo