The Good Gym Guide Podcast • Series 1, Episode 5

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This episode is with Gina and Chris Hopkins from Adaptive Martial Arts. AMA provide martial arts training for all abilities. Rather than coaching in a particular lineage or tradition, they take an innovative mixed approach, drawing from multiple disciplines to best suit the specific people they are working with in their classes.

They give some examples of how they assess a potential training venue as being truly, naturally accessible rather than just tokenistic, and get really specific about  the journey they take new, possibly anxious trainees on, from the moment they make contact with AMA through to becoming a regular class member, and maybe even on to grading and competition.

Gina and Chris spoke about all aspects of their training environment, from regulation and governance, business and finances, considering all stakeholders, marketing, communications, coaching, layout of the space, design of clothing and equipment.... It is clear that they had already put so much thought into every aspect of what they do, and I learned so much from hearing them talk about it.

It was so helpful to hear more direct, formal advice about making sure a venue is accessible. At the co-op gym, we have started talking more seriously about the possibility of having our own permanent space, and we must hold these ideas about the unchangeable aspects of a building at the front of our mind, making sure that it serves all of the people we want to train with as a shell, even before we start making the changes we can to it.

I hadn’t paid much attention to making sure that the venue is on major bus routes and that there is ample parking before. This is probably because I cycle of walk everywhere. It’s a typical example of not thinking about something just because it doesn’t directly affect me, and as a result excluding a bunch of people. It just emphasizes the importance of cooperation, and of having as diverse a range of directors and stakeholders as possible, and having good systems for consultation. This is clearly something that AMA do well, and you can see that in how proudly they display their board of directors on their website.

This leads to talking about what they said about approaches to business. Finding sponsors and grants has enabled their classes to be more affordable and subsidised other forms of access, such as flexible payment systems. It’s also created links with other local small businesses and acts as a form of marketing.

Being incorporated as a Community Interest Company - a CIC - is a solid foundation for their ability to be resilient while being innovative, and it gives an added layer of trust for the user. This is a relatively new form of company, having only been introduced in 2005. On the CIC34 end-of-year report, social enterprises must show that their activities have been for the broader good, that their stakeholders have been properly consulted, and that no one’s been paid in a way that’s not in the interest of the public.

It makes sense to me that gyms and sports clubs, which, at least nominally, have the main purpose of improving the health and wellbeing of their users, should be registered as a CIC or some other form of social enterprise, like a community-benefit society or even a charity. It could be a great symbol of difference