October 2026 update for parents, students and members.
Keep Building
October 2026 Newsletter
September got everyone back into training. October is about settling into a consistent routine, raising standards, building Review progress and making good use of the additional training opportunities available.
October 2026 Read time: 10 minutes
Action Required
Attendance, Standards and Student Reviews
Please check that each student is assigned to the right number of weekly classes.
We still have a number of students at the higher grades who are not assigned to the minimum number of classes expected for their belt. As students progress, the syllabus becomes broader and more technically demanding. They need more regular contact time to practise, retain corrections and develop the consistency expected at their grade.
This is part of our intention to keep improving standards across ZKS. Moving through the belts should reflect a student’s attendance, effort, understanding and ability to perform their syllabus consistently. The additional weekly training is therefore an important part of their development, rather than simply a requirement to complete before a Review.
Weekly Attendance Expectations
Blue, Purple and Purple Stripe students: two classes each week.
Brown and Brown Stripe students: three classes each week.
All other students: a minimum of one class each week, although we highly recommend two where possible.
Why Frequency Matters
Regular training allows instructors to build skills progressively, correct habits before they become established and see that a student can maintain the required standard over time. It also helps students develop fitness, confidence, discipline and a stronger understanding of their syllabus.
Please check the student’s Class Schedule in the Members Area. If they are below the attendance expected for their belt, please arrange the additional regular class rather than waiting until a Review approaches.
Brown Stripe and the Black Belt Pathway
Brown Stripe is the final stage before Black Belt, so students wishing to be considered for the first Review of this academic year need to be attending three sessions each week from October. Students hoping to be considered for the proposed July 2027 Black Belt grading should maintain that training level and complete all three termly Reviews during this academic year.
Attendance and Review completion do not automatically guarantee a Black Belt invitation. Technical standard, attitude, consistency and overall readiness will all form part of the decision. If three weekly sessions are not manageable this year, that is absolutely fine: the student can continue training and remain at Brown Stripe for longer, then work towards a future Black Belt opportunity when circumstances allow.
Reviews recognise progress; they do not create it.
Student Reviews are progress-led. When a student has trained consistently and reached the required progress, their Review will become available to book in the Members Area. If no Review is showing yet, keep attending the confirmed regular classes—there is no need to request access from the office.
Saturday Adult Taijutsu option for Brown Stripes
Invitation-only Saturday 2:00pm Adult Taijutsu sessions are available at Aylesbury HQ and Nascot, Watford, and can count as one of the three weekly sessions. Anyone under 18 must complete the Teen Training Waiver before an invitation can be arranged.
Share part of your child’s training and the wider ZKS community.
Every week, parents bring their children to ZKS, support their training and encourage them through the challenges that come with learning martial arts. We would also like parents to feel part of the community we are building around them.
Our Parent Open Day at ZKS HQ on Sunday 25 October is an opportunity to step onto the mats with your child, experience some of the training they do each week and have some fun together.
You do not need any martial arts experience. The aim is not to test parents or see how fit you are—it is simply an opportunity to get involved, understand a little more about what your child is learning and become part of the ZKS community.
Please follow the event information or booking confirmation supplied by ZKS and only attend where your place has been confirmed. Contact us through the Members Area in advance if an accessibility or support arrangement is needed.
October’s consistent training builds the progress needed for later Review opportunities.
The first regular Student Review opportunities of this training year are scheduled for Mini Ninjas, Junior MA and Teen MA at ZKS HQ and Nascot Wood Junior School:
Winter ReviewRecommended for White Belt students.
Winter ReviewRecommended for coloured-belt students.
Winter ReviewRecommended for coloured-belt students.
Booking becomes available through the Members Area once the student has reached the required Review progress. If your child’s Review is not showing as available yet, you do not need to do anything—just keep attending their normal classes and building their progress.
This is a short preview; the Help Centre explains the Review pathway in full.
An additional way for eligible students to build consistent weekly training.
Eligible members are currently able to use the additional weekly session under the temporary complimentary offer. Mini Ninjas is now full, with only a couple of Junior MA places remaining. A place is confirmed only when it appears on the student’s Class Schedule.
Little DragonsNot currently running—no students assigned
Mini NinjasClass now full
Junior Martial ArtsOnly a couple of places left
Continuing with Three Weekly Sessions from 1 December
The complimentary additional-training period runs until 1 December 2026. If your child continues with three weekly sessions from 1 December, their membership will automatically move to our £55 per month Elite membership, and their monthly payment will increase accordingly.
You do not need to make this change yourself.
If you do not want your child to continue with three weekly sessions from December, please make the appropriate class change before the complimentary period ends. We are giving parents notice now so that everyone is clear about what will happen when the temporary offer finishes.
A voluntary leadership and coaching opportunity for eligible Teen MA students.
Applications are open to students in Years 8, 9 and 10 who are Purple Belt or above and can make a dependable weekly commitment. Leadership Team duties are in addition to the student’s own regular martial arts training and provide supported experience in communication, responsibility and coaching.
Leadership Team members support younger classes alongside ZKS staff and are never left responsible for children or a class by themselves. Successful applicants will begin after half term.
Applications close at midnight on Sunday 4 October 2026.
The same principles we ask our students to follow remain important throughout martial arts.
Sensei Ben at the National Masters BJJ Championships on 20 September 2026.
On 20 September, I competed at the National Masters BJJ Championships. I won silver in the Masters 4 Heavyweight division and a second silver in the Absolute division, where competitors are not separated by weight. I was one of the lighter competitors in that division, so timing, positioning and efficient technique mattered throughout.
Masters 4 Heavyweight Silver
Absolute Silver
Competition is a personal choice and is not something I expect every member to do. For me, it provides an honest test of the training I continue to put in. Alongside teaching, I maintain my own regular mat time throughout the week. The medals were pleasing, but the more useful lesson was that consistency and sound fundamentals still matter under pressure.
That is exactly what we ask of our students. Children sometimes say that an exercise is “too easy” or that they “already know it”. Knowing a technique and being able to perform it accurately, confidently and consistently are very different things. Advanced martial artists still practise basic movements because repetition improves timing, balance, control and attention to detail.
If something feels familiar, the challenge is to improve its quality: remove unnecessary movement, work both sides, listen for a correction or complete each repetition with greater control. Progress does not always come from learning something new; often it comes from doing something familiar better.
This also connects to our Parent Open Day. By taking part, parents can experience why apparently simple movements demand concentration and why strong foundations are built through regular, purposeful practice.
Standards are built in ordinary training sessions.
Turn up consistently, practise with purpose and keep looking for a better level of quality.
Order Update
Coloured ZKS T-shirts Are Being Printed
Ordering has closed and the completed order is now with the printer.
Thank you to everyone who placed an order for a coloured ZKS T-shirt. Orders closed and the full order was sent for printing on 21 September. The printer will send the completed shirts to us once they are ready.
We expect them to be ready within the next two weeks. As soon as they arrive, we will prepare and send out the individual orders as quickly as possible.
No further action is needed if you have already ordered.
Please allow us time to receive, sort and distribute the shirts. Coloured T-shirts are optional; members may continue to wear the standard white ZKS T-shirt.
Can You Help?
Share Your Experience of ZKS
Parent feedback helps other families understand what training at ZKS is really like.
If your family has had a positive experience, you are welcome to leave an honest Google review. Choose the location you genuinely attend and the button will open its review form directly. Leaving a review is completely optional.
As the weather gets colder, students may arrive wearing a ZKS hoodie over their uniform and may wear it during the initial warm-up where appropriate. It remains an extra layer rather than a replacement for the usual training uniform.
Thank you for the positive start to the training year. Keep turning up consistently, work hard and focus on improving the quality of what you do rather than rushing towards the next belt. Most importantly, enjoy your training.
Kind regards, Sensei Ben Babbington Head Instructor ZKS Martial Arts
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