ATA Martial Arts

What ATA Martial Arts does

Wilkerson's ATA Martial Arts is a privately-held, founder-operated franchise school of the ATA Martial Arts organization, located in Middle Georgia. The company was founded in 1999 by Charles Wilkerson and operates two physical school locations: a headquarters at 4010 Northside Drive, Macon, GA, and a second location at 200 West Clinton Street, Gray, GA, featuring a 2,500 square-foot main training area with 10-foot ceilings and Zebra Mats. The business delivers Songahm Taekwondo instruction through age-segmented programs: ATA Tigers (ages 4-6), Karate for Kids (ages 7-12), Xtreme Martial Arts (XMA), a Leadership Program for advanced juniors/teens, and Teen & Adult programs for ages 13+, supplemented by Family Programs and ATA Fitness.

Instruction is delivered in person by ATA-certified black belt instructors following a 10-rank belt progression from White to Black Belt. The revenue model is built on recurring monthly memberships with month-to-month flexibility, supplemented by limited-time trial offers that bundle a free uniform and semi-private lesson (publicly valued at $200) with a money-back guarantee as the primary acquisition funnel. Family discounts enable free training for additional household members after two enrollments, effectively monetizing whole-household conversion. Marketing relies on website lead capture, Facebook and Google Reviews for social proof, trial-offer conversion mechanics capped at 25 spots per offer, and community word-of-mouth.

The school functions as a franchisee within the broader ATA Martial Arts parent brand, which has operated since 1969 and claims over 1 million students trained and 130,000 active members across 950 licensed schools worldwide. Wilkerson's entity has no external funding, no institutional investors, no disclosed revenue, and is positioned as a lifestyle/legacy local business rather than a venture-backed or PE-target enterprise. Pricing for ongoing membership is not publicly disclosed.

Name

ATA Martial Arts

Legal name

Wilkerson's ATA Martial Arts

Website

https://maconkarateforkids.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Wilkerson's ATA Martial Arts is a privately-held franchise martial arts school operating two locations in Macon and Gray, Georgia, delivering Songahm Taekwondo instruction across age-segmented programs for children, teens, adults, and families on a recurring membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Instruction Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Martial Arts Schools (Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, etc.) (HSADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Kids & Youth Martial Arts Programs (HSADADAG)

Keywords

• Martial arts instruction
• Taekwondo training
• Kids karate classes
• Adult self-defense
• Family fitness programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Macon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Martial Arts Memberships: Monthly membership fees for ongoing martial arts instruction across children's, teen/adult, and family programs. Month-to-month memberships available as well as savings on longer plans.
2. Trial Offer / First-Time Enrollment: Introductory trial offers include a free uniform and semi-private lesson (valued at $200). Limited-time offers with no commitment required.
3. Family Discount Programs: Family pricing where after two enrolled family members, additional household members train free. Income stream from multiple family members per household.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wilkerson's ATA Martial Arts provides in-person Songahm Taekwondo martial arts instruction through age-specific programs at two physical school locations in Macon and Gray, Georgia. Programs include ATA Tigers (ages 4-6), Karate for Kids (7-12), Xtreme Martial Arts, Leadership Program, Teen & Adult Martial Arts, Family Programs, and ATA Fitness. Instruction emphasizes personal development, confidence, discipline, and life skills alongside physical self-defense techniques, delivered through monthly memberships and introductory trial offers.

Product overview

Wilkerson's ATA Martial Arts is a traditional martial arts school offering a unified program based on Songahm Taekwondo. The company provides age-specific programs including ATA Tigers (4-6 years), Karate for Kids (7-12 years), Xtreme Martial Arts, and Leadership programs for children, alongside Teen & Adult Martial Arts, Family Programs, and ATA Fitness for adults. All programs are part of the ATA Martial Arts network founded in 1969, with over 130,000 active members and 1 million students trained since inception. The school offers trial programs with free uniforms and money-back guarantees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ATA Tigers: Martial arts program for children ages 4-6 featuring cartoon tiger characters and a specialized rank system with collectible animal patches.
• Karate for Kids
• ATA Fitness
• Leadership Program
• Xtreme Martial Arts (XMA)

Products and services

• ATA Tigers Martial arts program designed for children ages 4-6, featuring cartoon tiger characters that teach life skills including self-discipline, socialization, physical activity, goal-setting, self-esteem, respect, non-violent conflict resolution, listening skills, and teamwork through a collectible animal patch system.
• Karate for Kids Specialized martial arts program for children ages 7-12 focused on developing life skills including positive mental attitude, high goal setting, perseverance, self-control, and confidence through belt testing progression.
• Xtreme Martial Arts (XMA) Core martial arts class forming the foundation for Life Skills and Leadership training programs. XMA is a non-violent, no-contact format progressing through White to Black Belt curriculum, including warm-ups, basics (punches, blocks, kicks), forms, extreme kicking combinations, weapons, plyometrics, presentation and performance, conditioning, and cool down.
• Leadership Program Three-year extension program by invitation for juniors and teens seeking to maximize Taekwondo training and develop leadership skills. Includes options to compete for State, District, and World Champion titles under the American Taekwondo Association, with the ability to become Junior Instructors upon earning black belts.
• Teen & Adult Martial Arts Martial arts program for ages 13+ focused on physical fitness, self-defense, and stress relief in a safe and positive team environment with certified black belt instructors.
• Family Programs Family-oriented martial arts classes where parents can train alongside their children for bonding experiences. Family discounts available with after two people, the rest of the household is free.
• ATA Fitness Workout program that develops flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility, accuracy, and balance. Adapted for anyone from pro athlete to non-athlete, meeting 5 days a week.
• Trial Offer Program Introductory program offering reduced-price trial with no commitments, including a free uniform and semi-private lesson valued at $200, with a 100% money-back guarantee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% of Americans ages 50 and over are inactive, 1 in 3 deaths due to cardiovascular disease, depression is 25% less likely in people who exercise
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 9Round Fitness: Specialty kickboxing fitness franchise with monthly memberships and 30-minute circuit classes; overlaps with the ATA Fitness program in target customer and pricing model.
• iLoveKickboxing: Group kickboxing fitness franchise with subscription memberships, free-trial offers, and a fitness-plus-skills value proposition; directly competes for the same teen/adult and family member looking for martial-arts-flavored fitness.
• Premier Martial Arts: National martial arts franchise operating multi-location schools for children and adults with similar age-segmented curricula, trial offers, and subscription billing; directly comparable to Wilkerson's ATA in model, customer, and competitive set.
• Karate America: Community-based karate and taekwondo school franchise serving children and families with belt-progression programs and subscription memberships; overlaps directly in offering and customer segment.
• Tiger-Rock Martial Arts: Multi-state taekwondo franchise with age-tiered youth programs (4-6, 7-12, teens/adults) and monthly membership pricing; competes in the same local market and category as Wilkerson's ATA.

Broad incumbents

• UFC Gym: Large, brand-backed martial arts and fitness franchise offering youth, teen, and adult programs; a broader incumbent with deeper resources that competes in the same family-fitness category.
• ATA Martial Arts (parent organization): Parent franchisor of the ATA network with 950 licensed schools and 130,000 active members; not a direct customer competitor but the umbrella brand and curriculum licensor for Wilkerson's operation.

Emerging players

• Gracie Barra: World's largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu franchise with structured curricula and belt progression; adjacent art form that competes for the same youth and adult martial-arts students in many US markets.
• Title Boxing Club: Boxing and kickboxing fitness franchise with monthly memberships and group classes; partial overlap with ATA's adult fitness and self-defense positioning for discretionary fitness dollars.

Others

• World Taekwondo Federation member academies: Network of traditional taekwondo schools following Olympic-style WT curricula; the broader ecosystem that competes for serious taekwondo students who might otherwise enroll at an ATA school.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/194224873948049

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ATA Martial Arts