Martial Arts Membership Pricing Guide (2025)

You’re losing students because your pricing is confusing.

Not because it’s too expensive. Not because you don’t offer enough value. But because potential students look at your website or registration form and can’t figure out what they’re actually signing up for.

I see this constantly: dojos with “Core”, “Plus”, and “Premium” memberships, but no clear explanation of what each includes. Family plans that require a calculator to understand. Add-ons buried in fine print. No wonder people ghost after asking for pricing.

This guide shows you how to structure pricing that’s simple to explain, easy to automate, and designed to maximize both signups and retention.

What other dojos charge (2025 benchmarks)

Before we get into structure, here’s what successful martial arts schools are charging right now:

Individual memberships

London premium: £100–200/month for unlimited access with additional facilities (gym, open mats, etc.)

Family memberships

Most schools offer additional family members at reduced rates rather than fixed bundles:

Example: First person £75, second person +£30, third person +£30 = £135 total for family of three

Common add-ons

• Grading fees: £10–100 (varies by rank and belt level)
• Private lessons: £50–100/hour
• Equipment packages: £45–125 (pads, gloves, protective gear)
• Annual membership/insurance: £30–40 (covers registration, insurance, gi)

These numbers vary significantly by location (London 50–100% higher), art type (BJJ/MMA typically higher), and facility quality.

The biggest pricing mistake dojos make

Here it is: trying to monetize every single thing.

I've seen schools with:

• Monthly membership fee
• Annual registration fee
• Grading fees
• Equipment fees
• Insurance fees
• Facility maintenance fees
• “Association” fees
• Late payment fees
• Card processing fees

Students don’t care about your cost breakdown. They want to know one number: “How much per month?”

The solution? Bundle most fees into your monthly price and only charge separately for:

1. Gradings (expected, milestone-based)
2. Equipment (tangible, optional)
3. Private lessons (premium, opt-in)

Everything else goes into your monthly rate. Yes, this means your monthly price might be slightly higher than competitors who nickel-and-dime. But it converts better and retains longer because it’s honest and predictable.

Common pricing structures (and when to use each)

1. Attendance tiers (1x, 2x, Unlimited)

Best for: Schools with multiple classes per week and students with varying schedules.

This is the most common structure. You offer the same program at different attendance levels:

Pros:

• Easy to explain
• Natural upgrade path (students can level up as commitment grows)
• Maximizes revenue from engaged students

Cons:

• Requires tracking attendance limits
• Can feel restrictive to students who want flexibility

FightKit implementation:

1. Create one membership (e.g., “Kids Karate”)
2. Add three plans with their pricing
3. Generate a subscription link that shows all three options
4. Student selects during signup, payment is automated

2. Program-based memberships

Best for: Schools teaching multiple arts or age groups with separate curricula.

You price each program separately based on value and instructor expertise:

Students doing multiple programs can combine them in one subscription (more on this below).

Pros:

• Reflects actual value/cost differences
• Allows specialized positioning
• Easy to add new programs without restructuring

Cons:

• Can create confusion if pricing jumps between programs
• Requires clear communication on what’s included

FightKit implementation:

1. Create one membership per program
2. Attach each to its relevant group/rank system
3. Students doing multiple programs get multiple plans on one subscription

3. Family bundles

Best for: Schools with strong family participation (kids programs especially).

Family pricing is usually structured by total students, not adults vs kids:

Note the per-student cost drops significantly. This encourages whole-family signups and improves retention (much harder for a family to quit together).

Pros:

• Strong retention incentive
• Increases lifetime value
• Natural word-of-mouth (families recruit families)

Cons:

• Lower per-student revenue
• Billing can get complex if parents split payments

FightKit implementation:

1. Create family memberships with student limits
2. During signup, attach specific students to each membership
3. If parents split payments, create two subscriptions and assign students to each

How to structure add-ons without annoying students

Add-ons should feel optional and valuable, not nickel-and-diming.

Good add-ons:

• Extra program access: "£30–50/month to add BJJ to your Krav membership"
• Competition team: "£40–70/month for tournament coaching and travel"
• Private lesson packs: "£250–450 for 5 sessions" (prepaid, not recurring)

Bad add-ons:

• Equipment rental fees (just include in base price or sell equipment outright)
• “Facility maintenance fees” (students roll their eyes at this)
• Processing fees for card payments (illegal in some states, always feels sleazy)

In FightKit, add-ons can either be:

1. Additional membership plans added to the same subscription (e.g., BJJ add-on)
2. One-off charges via the “Take payment” feature (e.g., grading fees, equipment)

Keep add-ons simple. If you need more than 2–3 add-ons, you're overcomplicating it.

How to handle annual memberships and discounts

Most dojos offer both monthly and annual options. Annual typically offers 15–20% discount (equivalent to 2–3 months free).

Example:

• Monthly: £90/month = £1,080/year
• Annual: £900/year (saves £180, about 17% discount)

Important: Don’t make annual the default or only option. Data shows monthly converts better at signup, even though annual has better retention. Offer both and let students choose.

In FightKit:

1. Create both monthly and annual plans under the same membership
2. Subscription links can show one or both options
3. Stripe handles the billing frequency automatically

Real-world pricing examples

Here are three successful pricing structures from actual FightKit schools:

Example 1: Kids-focused karate school (Regional UK)

Individual:

• Kids Karate 1x/week: £40/month
• Kids Karate 2x/week: £50/month
• Kids Karate Unlimited: £75/month

Family:

• First child: £40–75/month (based on tier)
• Additional children: +£20/month each

Add-ons:

• Grading: £10–30 (colored belts), £40–60 (black belt levels)
• Equipment package: £45 (gi, belt)
• Annual membership: £40 (insurance, registration)

Example 2: Adult-focused Krav Maga (London)

Individual:

• Bronze (8 classes/month): £100/month
• Silver (12 classes/month): £120/month
• Gold (Unlimited + gym): £150/month

Commitment discount (6 months):

• Bronze: £75/month
• Silver: £90/month
• Gold: £120/month

Add-ons:

• Private lessons: £80–100/hour
• Week pass: £69 for unlimited classes

Example 3: Multi-art school (Regional UK)

Individual programs:

• Kids BJJ (2x/week): £55/month
• Adults BJJ (Unlimited): £85/month
• Muay Thai (Unlimited): £75/month
• MMA (Unlimited): £90/month

Cross-training:

• Any single program: Listed price
• Add second program: +£30–40/month
• Unlimited (all programs): £130/month

Family:

• First person: Full price
• Additional family members: +£25–35/month each (any programs)

Notice how each school structures differently based on their market and teaching model. There’s no “right” answer — just what works for your students and business model.

Three action steps to fix your pricing today

Whether you use FightKit or not, here’s how to improve your pricing immediately:

1. Audit your current pricing for hidden friction

Pull up your website, registration form, or pricing sheet. Show it to someone who’s never seen it before and ask: "What would you pay per month?"

If they can’t answer in 5 seconds, your pricing is too complex. Simplify it.

Common fixes:

• Combine multiple small fees into monthly rate
• Remove confusing tier names (what’s the difference between “Core” and “Plus”?)
• Show total monthly cost upfront, not base price + 5 add-ons

2. Benchmark against your market

Call 3–5 competing schools in your area. Ask about their pricing. You don’t need to undercut them — you just need to know where you sit.

If you're more than 20% higher, make sure your value proposition is crystal clear. If you're more than 20% lower, you're probably leaving money on the table.

3. Test family pricing if you don’t have it

If more than 30% of your students are kids, family pricing is probably your biggest revenue opportunity. Even a simple “Family 2” option can dramatically increase household value.

Start with Family 2 at 25% discount vs two individuals. If it converts well, add Family 3 and Family 4+.

How FightKit handles pricing (built for dojos)

Most gym software treats pricing as an afterthought — you're expected to hack together plans using generic “products” and “subscriptions” that don’t map to how dojos actually work.

FightKit is different. We built explicit structure:

Memberships → what you sell (Adults Unlimited, Family 3, etc.) Plans → billing configurations (monthly, annual, discounted) Subscriptions → what actually charges customers Student memberships → which students are on which memberships

This structure means:

• You can combine multiple programs in one subscription (Krav + BJJ)
• Family memberships track exactly which students are covered
• Upgrading/downgrading is clean (not dozens of orphaned subscriptions)
• Reports actually make sense (revenue by membership, not cryptic product IDs)

Plus, FightKit handles the automation:

• Subscription links for self-service registration
• Automatic Stripe billing (no manual invoices)
• Failed payment handling
• Agreements collected and stored
• Attendance tied to correct membership

Ready to see it in action? Start your free trial and set up your pricing in FightKit — see exactly how your membership structure works with real billing and registration links.

Start your free trial →

Final thought

Your pricing should make it easier for people to train with you, not harder.

If your current setup requires calculators, phone calls, or awkward conversations before someone can sign up — you're losing students before they ever step on the mats.

Keep it simple. Keep it honest. Automate the billing. And get back to teaching.