"We've seen significant growth since opening four years ago, necessitating additional support. In 2023, to assist our three full-time instructors, I began recruiting blue belts for the Instructor Certification Program, covering their costs for coaching. This initiative expanded our part-time coaching team from 2 to 14 in just a few months, enhancing our school across multiple aspects.More than improving our student-to-instructor ratio, this move fostered a remarkable increase in dedication, a renewed training desire, and a stronger community among our blue belts. With the advent of 2024 and the introduction of the ICP Integration program, I saw an opportunity to extend these benefits. A coaches meeting led to an unexpected 30 upper belts eager to become certified coaches, allowing us even to include junior and teen grey belts in the foundations program as Junior Coaches.The GBI Integration has been incredibly fruitful, and I'm thankful to Gracie Barra for such a transformative program. It's set to benefit our school and countless students profoundly."
Michael Bruner
Owner and Head Instructor, Gracie Barra Avondale, Arizona.