With the start of the 2023 school year, Noozhawk has put together our annual ParentNooz After School Activities Guide. Our guide takes the stress out of planning your child’s after school schedule by providing you with all the necessary information when deciding on which after school program is the best fit.
To help give parents more information about after school programs in Santa Barbara County, Noozhawk has conducted a series of interviews with representatives of local programs for this year’s After School Activities Guide.
In this interview, Noozhawk spoke with Jonathan Puu, Manager at Pu’u Muay Thai to learn more about their after school programs here in Santa Barbara.
Pu’u Muay Thai Santa Barbara
Question: What is the mission behind your after school program?
Answer: We like to say we specialize in beginners because everyone starts at square 1 with our programs. Our after school schedule accommodates kids school schedules which is a great benefit for the parents. Our goal & mission is to develop the future leaders of our community through our youth programs which have great benefits for the people that train with us.
Q: When was your program started and what was the inspiration for creating it?
A: In 2019 we began our program here in Santa Barbara after our affiliate program in Ventura was started in 2014. The inspiration was to create an environment that is conductive to learning and personal growth as well as a positive outlet for kids in our communities.
Q: What is the age range for children to take part in your after school activity or program?
A: Our age ranges are from ages 4-6, ages 7-12, and 13-16 which all are taught an age-appropriate curriculum!
Q: Describe a typical day or schedule of your after school activity/program.
A: A typical day for our youth programs depends on which program they are participating in as we have age-specific curriculum that we teach to the students based on their age range.
Ages 4-6 will be a structured 30 minute lesson with a focus on balance, coordination, and listening skills utilizing the martial art of Muay Thai where they will practice with the instructors in a group environment. Classes end with a skill-specific game, where we “gamify” our art for the kids and they always love it! We finish with a topic at the end of class to discuss, that we call our circle time, in which we have a focus topic for them to discuss about characteristics such as discipline, how to focus, self-control, etc.
Ages 7-12 is a structured 45 minute lesson with focus on developing better focus, self-control, and self-discipline through partner & solo drills. Some kids at this age decide to commit long-term to Muay Thai and begin training more than the 45 minutes. Our goal is to keep the kids having fun, engaged, and ready to learn! When kids are having a hard day – we encourage them and their parents to let us know, as teaching kids to overcome and persevere is a big part of what we do. This will help them better prepare for life!
Ages 13-16 is a structured 45 minute lesson with all of the same benefits of our kids program, but taught in a way that is conductive to teenagers! We love working with all kids, but the teens are at a pivotal point where they need guidance and leadership skills to succeed. Our goal is to help develop that through partner drills, solo practice, and group activities. We also have a Jr. Leadership program where they can learn how to work and lead others.
We are very popular for our Independent Study PE program! Many teenagers choose to do another elective at school and come to us for PE after school. It’s a great option!
Q: What is the average program size or class size for your activity? What is your teacher to student ratio?
A: We strive to maintain a 6:1 student (usually 3:1) to teacher ratio in our youth programs! We do this by developing in-house talent and leaders along with our chief instructor and owner, Coach Ryan Ughoc.
Class sizes range from 6-18 kids on typical days.
Q: What is the protocol for bringing on a new employee or teacher? How are employees vetted before joining your program?
A: Employees and instructors, even assistants, are all background checked through the NCSI background check service. This is the same background check service used for many youth organizations as well as the US Olympics.
Anyone who is on the mat as an instructor in training has a strict training course of appropriate instruction on how to keep kids safe, safe spacing, how to speak with the kids, as well as our instructors taking the HeadsUp Concussion Safety Training from the CDC. While the kids aren’t getting hit in the head, it’s important to be able to spot and prevent concussions.
99% of our instructors are developed “in-house” within our instructor training program which is an on-going learning program. We meet weekly to discuss student progress, issues in class, what’s going well, and how we can better support our students.
Q: In what ways is your program educational?
A: Our program is educational in that we teach kids how to interact with other children, be a part of a strong and healthy community while learning lifelong skills!
We do this through the martial art of Muay Thai! We are the only authentic Muay Thai academy in Santa Barbara. Muay Thai is a martial art that originates in Thailand, and we teach many of the principles that kids would learn in Thailand, as well as the martial arts culture of Muay Thai. We educate the kids on how to practice gratitude for being able to practice Muay Thai for FUN & RECREATION, whereas in other places, they might not have that opportunity. Muay Thai is deep in respect for your teachers and your family, and we help to educate the kids on how that can help them be a contributing part of the community.
They’ll also learn a little bit of Thai language as well!
Q: Describe what makes your after school program unique and worthwhile?
A: We are the only authentic Muay Thai academy in Santa Barbara and we have instructors that travel from around the country to visit us to see how we train our youth programs. We’ve worked with some of the best martial artists in the world to develop a great method of teaching children in Muay Thai, in a FUN & SAFE environment.
We have people who visit us from all of the world that are seen as “heroes” in our art and they are able to work with the kids at our academy and help have a positive impact on their lives. This is in the form of high-profile competitors who are positive role-models for our programs.
Q: How do you communicate with parents in case of an emergency?
A: We have a student app for smart phones, text message, phone call and email! We utilize the best in communication technology to communicate with our students and parents.
Q: What is the date range and hours of your after school activity or program?
A: Our schedule is in 5, 8 week curriculum cycles that are on a rotating curriculum, making it a truly year-round program! We have classes beginning at 4pm and going through 8:30pm in the evening Monday-Thursday and have classes on Saturday mornings as well as private lesson availability.
Q: What is the cost/tuition? Are scholarships available?
A: We have a 2 week trial for $39.99 currently and have many different tuition payment options (monthly, 6 month paid in full, 1 year paid in full) and have flexible payment options as well. To get the best quote, come do the trial and talk with us so we can figure out how to help you child begin their martial arts journey. We don’t currently have a scholarship program but would like to open that at some point when we are able to.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers about your after school program that was not mentioned above?
A: Come take the trial, we can customize a program for you!
New research is showing that kids ages 2-8 that train martial arts like Muay Thai have more white brain matter over time. We have seen these benefits but now research is showing that it’s no longer a theory! Movements that are involved in Muay Thai help to develop myelin sheath, which is a layer that forms around nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. Myelin sheath allows electrical impulses to transmit quickly and efficiently along the nerve cells. This helps your child’s brain develop their neurological function.
The benefits of Muay Thai go beyond just being healthy!
Click here to learn more about Pu’u Muay Thai Santa Barbara and their after school programs!