UPDATE LOG
February 8th, 2022
Hi Dojo Family!
It has been 2 years since we started on this Covid-19 journey and we are thankful for your support and flexibility throughout this pandemic. We've come a long way and experienced a lot of change in this time, and now we are starting to realize what the "new normal" for the Dojo will look like.
Sadly, it is impossible to meet everyone's needs, but we have come up with a solution that we believe will give the most people the most options for their personal health and safety. Starting February 14th, ALL classes will be offered indoors, outdoors, and online simultaneously!
Before going into detail on each of these options, let's review a few important things. First of all, your personal safety and health is of paramount importance. Do what you need to do to keep yourself safe and healthy, always. Secondly, it is vital that we look out for others, and respect one another's choices, rights, and freedoms. Santa Barbara Dojo is a place where our community gathers without discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, medical history, beliefs, nor physical ability. All are welcome!
The following options will be made available for every class until such time that students are no longer using them.
Indoor Classes
Masks will be optional as per the allowance in the Santa Barbara County mask mandate in regards to Martial Art based activities. We will continue to keep the garage doors open when weather allows, and continue to run HEPA filters when they are closed. We will ask those with symptoms or exposure to Covid to train from home to be safe, and we will continue to offer masks, hand sanitizing stations, and disinfectant wipes for shared equipment.
Outdoor Classes
Students who choose to do the outdoor option will follow along with a live video and sound from indoors, while enjoying the outdoor shade and clean turf. There will not be a dedicated instructor available outdoors, so keep that in mind. That said, parents are encouraged to assist and join in on the fun if their young child is training outdoors.
LIVE Online Classes
Those training online through Zoom can see class and follow along from the comfort and safety of their homes. If you don't have the latest link, message us and we’ll send it over!
August 6, 2021
Hi Dojo Family,
As many of you have heard, new limitations have been ordered by the Santa Barbara County health officials starting today, August 6th due to a rise nationally in Covid-19 cases. According to the article linked below, all people over the age of 2 in Santa Barbara County are required to wear a mask indoors once again, whether or not they are vaccinated.
We will keep you updated on further developments, but for now:
Everyone will wear a mask while in the Dojo
Any indoor classes will require a mask.
All fitness classes are being held outdoors.
We will be looking into the details of this order as well as updates from the county, and we’ll keep you updated!
Thanks for your understanding and patience!
June 15, 2021
Hi Dojo Family,
Santa Barbara County has done a great job of stopping the spread of Covid-19 and getting active cases under control. Vaccination rates are up, and Santa Barbara officials declared today that life is mostly back to normal! Mask wearing is no longer mandated!
Although there are no more government restrictions on indoor fitness or martial arts classes at this time, we will continue being on the safe side of things.
Classes will continue to be on a reservation-only basis to avoid overcrowding.
We encourage you to wash your hands or use hand-sanitizer when entering the Dojo.
We have installed a touchless water refill station with no shared water fountain.
We have installed a 2nd garage door to increase air flow when the weather permits.
We have installed HEPA air filters that clean up to 99.9% of airborne viruses.
We will continue to offer Zoom classes for the time being.
We have educated our staff on CDC recommendations.
We welcome mask-wearing to anyone who feels more comfortable that way.
Your Health
We trust that you can take care of your own health. That’s why you exercise and live a healthy lifestyle. Listen to the advice of your doctor, and consult legitimate resources when making medical decisions. You are welcome to continue training online, wearing masks, or whatever else you need to do to protect yourself and we are here to support you.
Your Privacy
We will not be asking about your medical history, requiring temperature checks, nor asking you to show proof of a vaccine. If you want to volunteer that information, that is fine. However, we will not be tracking this info, nor sharing your personal medical information with others. Please show the same level of respect for the privacy of other students.
Your Symptoms
Please be aware of your symptoms and avoid coming to the Dojo with any outward symptom or inward feeling of flu. If we notice that you have any flu-like symptoms such as cough, runny nose, fever, etc, we will be asking you to go home. Even if you’ve gotten a vaccine or you know that it’s not Covid, please stay home in such circumstances for the comfort of others.
Your Satisfaction
You are 100% in charge of your health, and we support you in whatever decisions you need to make for yourself. We have tried to make our new rules good for everyone based on the surveys that we’ve sent out. However, it’s impossible to please everyone. If you don’t feel comfortable training with us because of our Covid measures or lack a certain protocol, we will cancel your membership with zero penalty. First, send us an email and give us a chance to address your concerns.
Indoor Classes
We will be moving some classes indoors over the next few weeks. Check the Zen Planner app to see if your class reservations have moved back indoors. You’ll see that it now specifies “Indoor” or “Outdoor” class. A separate email will be going out with more details of non-covid related changes. So look out for that soon.
Please respond with any questions or concerns! We're excited to see you soon!
August 6, 2020
Hi Family,
Great news! We have built out the back parking lot of the Dojo to accommodate all of our classes outdoors.
We will continue doing Saturday classes at Shoreline Park, and we will continue Zooming all classes as well for those that prefer that.
Please check out the attached schedule and note that it does not apply until Monday, 8/10/2020.
Classes are limited so please do not show up with out reserving first. :)
Also, please wear a mask and bring your own water and workout gear (gloves and bands).
Can't wait to see you all back!
July 17, 2020
Hi Dojo Family,
We will be taking our training OUTDOORS. We will be safely providing outdoor Fitness and Martial Arts classes and getting a sweet beachside view. Come join us every Saturday at Shoreline Park for a workout with a view. Bring your hats and water bottles and let's get kicking!
Covid Rules :
Please wear a mask when not able to maintain a distance of 6 feet. You can take it off when training
Please don't come if you're showing symptoms of Covid-19 or been in contact with someone who has tested positive within the last 2 weeks.
Please maintain a 6ft distance from people not of the same household
Bring a hat, shoes, sunscreen or whatever else will help you train comfortably outside!
Times :
Kickboxing 9:15am - 10am
Martial Arts 10:15am - 11:00am
Parking:
Street Parking and Lot Parking next to our location.
1223-1217 Shoreline Dr, Santa Barbara, CA 93109
Dates :
Saturday - 7/18
Saturday - 7/25
Saturday - 8/1
Saturday - 8/8
Saturday - 8/15
June 17th, 2020
In the wake of Covid-19, many gyms and small businesses around town and nationwide have closed, and we are extremely grateful to announce that we are still in business!
A huge thank you goes out to those who kept us going during this hard time. We couldn't have done it without your support and encouragement. Also, a huge thank you goes out to all those Essential Workers on the front line who continued working and kept our hospitals and grocery stores open, etc.
If you cancelled or held your membership, we are excited to have you back once you are ready! We actually have entirely new membership options, smaller class sizes, online class options, and a whole new system for reserving classes in place. We can't wait to show you what we've done, as well as our deals for returning students!
New Safety Measures when you return
No drop-ins or unscheduled trial classes for time being
You will reserve your class ahead of time via our member app
A limit of 13 students will be allowed into each class.
A $10 charge will be charged to any no-shows without 12 hour cancellation via the app.
You’ll check yourself into class via the member app instead of touching an iPad.
Plexiglass is installed at the front desk.
Anti-bacterial stations are being installed throughout the dojo.
Your temperature will be checked at the door.
Anyone with a fever or ANY signs of Covid-19 should train online.
Anyone who has been in contact with someone who might have had Covid-19 symptoms should also train from home for 2 weeks.
All foot traffic will come in the front door and move in only one direction.
After class, you will leave class through the side door.
There will be no hanging out in the Dojo before or after class.
All purchases will be done via our member app and picked up at a scheduled time.
Social distancing of 6 feet will be maintained for everyone.
The front door will be locked until 5 minutes before class.
If you're late for class, you will be locked out (sorry!)
The hallway cubbies are closed, but new cubbies have been installed in the open area.
There is a minimum of 2 people allowed in the change room / bathroom.
You are required to wear a mask until they are on the mat.
The mat is sectioned off into 10'x10' squares for social distancing.
A square may be shared by household members.
There will not be any partner drills or sharing equipment (except with household members.)
The instructors will have their own square and will be permitted to walk the barrier of each square with no contact.
You will wipe down your area after your class with provided anti-bacterial wipes.
There are no Bands to borrow (please bring your own to Power Fit class)
There are no Gloves to borrow
There is no shared water spout (please bring your own water bottle and towel)
Martial Artists are required to put their uniform on before walking into the building.
Any personal belongings left in the cubbies will be thrown out.
The dojo will be closed for 15 minutes after each class for a cleaning of the shared areas.
Doors will remain open and fans will be on for proper ventilation.
We may add more safety measures without notice and we appreciate your flexibility.
FAQ
How do I sign up for a membership to continue?
To join the waiting list for a new membership, please email austin at kickboxers.com.
Who will be teaching the classes?
The instructors are / will be updated in the membership app
Will there still be online classes?
Yes, as noted in the schedule.
How can we access online classes?
Either through http://classes.kickboxers.com or through the Zen Planner member app.
Do I have to wear a mask?
As long as you are in the common areas, you are required to wear a mask. The CDC recommends that you wear a mask even when exercising, but that is not mandatory.
Will instructors wear masks?
Instructors will wear a mask while walking around or greeting students. However, when they are teaching and staying in their assigned square, they will be able to take it off in order to be heard and understood clearly.
How do I start reserving my class?
A guide for this will be coming shortly to current students.
Is there a waiting list for class if it's filled?
Yes through the member app.
May 27th, 2020 Update
Wow - it’s been another month of shutdown. Our online classes continue, and they’re great, but we miss seeing your faces and we can’t wait to reopen!
As many of you know, we are currently in “Phase 2” of Santa Barbara’s reopening strategy. Many businesses are opening their doors but fitness centers are still awaiting Phase 3 where some restrictions will be loosened. Unfortunately, even in Phase 3, gyms are specifically instructed not to allow fitness classes to start again.
When will our city be allowed to start group classes again? What will be the restrictions? How will we continue in the new normal? We don’t know yet, but we do know that we’ll be serving you guys virtually until we know more.
April 20th, 2020 Update
The Stay-At-Home Order has been a challenge for our community and yet it is impressive to see how everyone is working together to get this behind us as quickly as possible. Thank you.
We know many of you have continued to work in your essential services jobs (first responders, city workers and hospital staff etc.) and to you we say a big THANK YOU for helping to keep the rest of us safe.
The Governor's Stay-At-Home Order is set to expire on May 5th, however, all signs indicate that things will not be going back to normal anytime soon.
That being said, we are upgrading our efforts to provide you with the best in-home training available.
We have created 2 different membership sites! One for Martial Artists, and one for Kickboxers.
No more dealing with the clumsy Facebook site! All your links for live classes and all the archived classes will there easy and accessible for you. This is currently for our current students only, but we’ll be launching it to the public soon.
To the resilient few of you who have stuck with us and have kept your membership active throughout this ordeal - a special thanks goes out to you!!! You'll notice a recent email from Master Austin where he gives you a simple link and instructions on how to access your new website(s).
To those who have put your account on hold, we'd love to have you back! Let Master Austin know if he can sign you up! (austin at kickboxers.com).
To those who are under financial strain, please reach out to us! We want to give you this training at no charge because it is vital that you stay healthy and strong.
Thank you all for your continued support. Please let us know how we can best serve you.
March 25th, 2020 Update
It's now been 8 days since we shutdown, and we are missing you all immensely. We cannot wait for permission from the City to open back up and begin providing martial arts and fitness programs to our community again. We have at least another week until the ban is lifted, and we will continue to keep you informed.
Thank you to all of those who have stayed active in your membership. This temporary movement to Online Classes has actually been a wonderful thing. The feedback from you guys has been overwhelmingly positive and we've continued to improve the quality and the delivery system day after day.
If you haven't yet started training from home, we've put together a step-by-step guide for you all at the following address:
https://kickboxers.com/how-to-train-at-home
We are now offering Kickboxing Bags for rent and for sale (used and new). To see all the equipment you can order online head over to our new online shop:
https://kbx.es/home-dojo-store
Every order will be available for pick up with free curb side service. :)
Let us know if you have any questions or concerns!
Stay healthy out there.
March 17th, 2020 Update
If you've been following along in past updates, you'll know that we've been following the CDC's advice and that we've kept up with protocols to keep our facility as safe as possible for our staff and students. Now that Covid-19 has officially reached Santa Barbara however, we feel it's in everyone's interest that we move to an online format exclusively, and that we close our doors from now until April 1st.
Our first priority is everyone's safety and we hope that you are all doing well and keeping yourself and your loved ones healthy. Please keep up to date with the CDC Guidelines.
Our second priority is to bring you AMAZING content and provide the highest value possible, even while you are continuing to train from home. We have started streaming classes online and will continue to improve the quality and delivery of these classes for students in EVERY program. For updates on this, please check out our Facebook page: http://fb.com/santabarbaradojo
If you need to purchase Bands, Gloves, Pads, or Kickboxing Bags to train better at home, we can match any price on Amazon and would appreciate your business. Please text us at 805-963-6233 to make any orders and we'll schedule a time to pick it up.
If you don't want to buy any equipment, we can assure you that you will still find value in our online classes. We're setting up something right now that is going to blow your mind. We're so excited about it!!
Lastly, there is the issue of your monthly or weekly membership fees. Together, we made it through the housing crash, the floods, the fires, and we WILL make it through this as well. If you need to make a change to your program, you can do so online here. Before you do that however, we humbly ask that you read the following letter that we received immediately upon announcing our closure. Thank you all!
LETTER TO ALL STUDENTS
Dear MAFF family members,
My name is Glen Broomberg and I am one of the dads from the MAFF family. My son Sacha has been going to school there since he was 5 (he is now 10) and over the last 5 years we have become avid supporters of Grand Master Dave and Master Mel and Master Austin as well as dear friends of them all. I am writing this mail to you with their kind permission but on my own volition as a parent of a child at their amazing school, as well as a dear friend of theirs.
As I am sure you all are now aware, MAFF has had to close their doors today due to the Coronavirus, a prudent move of theirs but a sad one for all of us that rely on their love and guidance on a weekly basis, in both fitness and of course mental well being too.
The Coronavirus is a scary thing for us all, an invisible flu-like sickness that has us all rather scared (if we are brutally honest with ourselves) and one too which is disrupting all of our lives and which will continue to do so for the foreseeable future...., it has thrown all aspects of our lives into disarray and especially if you have kids it has given us some unique challenges with them "stuck at home".
For business owners like Dave, Mel and Austin it really can have the most devastating consequences and especially so as nobody really truly knows how to map out our life in the next few weeks and months and when it will all become normal again. The Martial Arts Family Fitness center is a central meeting point for so many of us and for those of you who don't have kids in the school it is the outlet for all your positive physical and mental energy with the other classes held there. The lack of classes for the school and the need to physically close doors will seriously impact their business and especially so if we all pause our memberships and hold off payments until they re-open again and it is with this in mind that I am writing to you.
As a dad, a friend and an old karate guy, I am going to ask you all to consider not freezing your payments to the school even while it is closed and to please continue to pay your monthly membership dues. The school is such an integral part of all of our lives and I do worry about the virus forcing it's closure now having a severe impact on its ability to operate ongoing in the future. If we all, as members, continue to pay our dues and support Dave, Mel, Austin and their amazing team then we can be assured that, when this is all over , this stable part of our lives will still be there as strong as ever. As I said, I am writing this to you all as a member of the dojo for we, as a community of it, can continue to enjoy it for years to come if we support it now in these tough times.
Thank you all so much and I wish each and every one of you and all your family members, friends and loved one's....... good health and safe times.
warmest wishes
Glen
March 13th, 2020 Update
We are aware of the latest updates from the CDC and the County of Santa Barbara, and we are continuing to offer classes as normal with all appropriate safety measures in place.
Our community is very conscientious and thoughtful of others, and we're thankful for all of those that have stayed home, even with mild cold or flu like symptoms. Because of that level of respect, we are able to maintain a clean and healthy environment.
For those that would like to continue training from home, we will be streaming classes live starting next week! More information and links will be available on Monday via email. We also have Power Bands, Gloves, and Kickboxing Bags for sale if you'd like to set up a gym in your own home.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this email. We're working diligently to get back to everyone and answer your questions. To make a change in your membership, you can do so online here: www.kickboxers.com/hold-or-cancel
Stay safe out there!
March 11th, 2020 Update
At MAFF, health and safety is our number one priority. It is what we teach and it is what we are committed to holding at the highest standard. With growing concern regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus we must all work together to support each other and our community.
At the Dojo we have already taken steps to ensure the safest environment for our students and instructors including sanitizing all surfaces more frequently and requiring team members to wash their hands before and after classes. We ask that you also participate in keeping the Dojo safe by following guidelines set out by the CDC which include:
Stay home if you are not feeling well
Wash your hands often and for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer
If you're feeling under the weather and are worried about your membership, you can always request a change to your program with at least one week's notice at the following website : www.kickboxers.com/hold-or-cancel
We appreciate your efforts to keep us all healthy and safe.