Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for martial arts schools.
A checklist built from how martial arts schools work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Student ranks and belt history
- Class timetable and rosters
- Grading eligibility and results
- Waivers, medical notes and injuries
- Fees, family plans and receipts
- Uniform, belt and pad sales
- Tournaments, federation numbers and seminars
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the head instructor
- For assistant instructors
- At the front desk
- For parents and adult students
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Students ready for grading by belt
- Attendance by class, instructor and month
- Waivers missing or due for renewal
- Fees due by family and month
- Uniform and pad stock by size
- Federation licences nearing renewal
- Instructor pay for the month by class taught
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- SMS
- Card and wallet payments
- Accounting export
- Barcode or QR check-in
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Does it support more than one style at a school?
- Who decides if a student may grade?
- Can children be signed into class by a guardian?
- How do belt certificates work?
- Can a student who moves branch keep their history?
- Does it submit entries to the federation?
- Can a fee month be frozen for an injured student?
- Can the uniform counter and the fee desk use the same system?
- What does it cost?
- Can we leave with our records?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Grading eligibility is decided from memory
- Belt history is kept in several places
- Kids’ class safety records are thin
- Uniform and belt sizes run out
- Federation and event entries are chased by hand
Prefer to talk it through? See the martial arts schools page.