STORIES
FROM THE MAT.

"Bully-Proof" is on every shirt. This month, we train it.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Every week in October, we're talking bully prevention in class. Real stuff. What it looks like at lunch, on the bus, in the group chat. And exactly what your kid does about it.

The October Bully-Proof Challenge

• Week 1, Oct 5: EYES UP. Hold eye contact the whole time you talk.
• Week 2, Oct 12: FIRST TIME ACTION TAKER. See it, do it, now.
• Week 3, Oct 19: STRONG BODY. Quiet hands, planted feet.
• Week 4, Oct 26: STAND YOUR GROUND. Eyes up, strong body, strong voice. "Stop. I don't like that." Then walk away and tell a grown-up.

Here's the thing. The skills that make a kid focused are the same skills that make them confident. By Week 4, your kid has practiced every piece of the bully-proof moment without even knowing it.

Bring the sheet to class every week. Every week checked off is a raffle ticket for a $100 prize. All four weeks earns a stripe!

Three levels, same bully-proof movement. Our Little Dragons learn to stand their ground. Our Beginners turn eyes up, first time and strong body into habits. Our advanced belts learn the upstander job: bring them in, step in first, use your voice, stand with them.

Most of our families found us because somebody brought them. 💰

So this month, bring somebody. It's running at both Princeton and Pennington, so bring them to whichever school is closer.

Your buddy trains FREE all of October in our Beginners Class (ages 7+) or Little Dragons (ages 4 to 6). They get a free t-shirt and they get to break a board.

And when your buddy joins, your next month of tuition is FREE. Every buddy who joins earns you another free month. Bring three, that's three months.

Think about who you'd bring. The cousin who's always asking about your kid's belt. The teammate. The kid from the bus stop who could use a little more confidence. Tell us at the front desk who's coming and we'll have their shirt ready :)

Every October, our mats go pink. 💗

Donate $20 and your kid wears a pink belt to every class, all month long. Got one from last year? Wear it again. It just needs a new $20 donation this year.

100% of the proceeds go to Susan G. Komen for Breast Cancer Research.

Here's how we explain it to our little ones: "We wear pink for people who are fighting really hard." Most of us know someone who's fought it. This is how our kids stand with them!

Our epic Halloweekend lineup. 🎃

Trunk or Treat 2026 · Friday, October 30 · 7:00 to 8:30 PM · Amerikick Princeton

Trunks out back. A carnival inside. Candy everywhere. Live DJ, Kona Ice, carnival games, pumpkin painting, and more candy than your kid will admit to eating. Our Leadership Team is turning the school into a Halloween carnival, and our families are decking out their trunks in the back lot.

It's FREE and the whole community is invited. Bring the neighbors. Bring the cousins. Costumes on.

Amerikick Fam and local businesses, host a trunk! Decorate it, park it out back, and hand out candy to every kid who walks by. We have our annual contest for BEST Trunk for a CASH PRIZE!!! Scan the QR code on the flyer to register your family so we know how much candy to buy. Location: 2901 Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville, NJ.

Break Your Monster: Halloween Board Breaking · Saturday, October 31 @ 12 PM · Princeton & Pennington

Every kid has a monster. The worry before a test. The dark hallway. The kid on the bus. So on Halloween, we break them.

Your kid comes in costume, picks a monster, sticks it on a board, and breaks it right down the middle. Then they walk out with candy to start Halloween STRONG, and a broken monster to show off all night. It's the perfect way to wrap up Bully-Proof Month!!! Same time, both locations. Come to whichever school is closer.

October calendar highlights. 📅

• Oct 1 · Back to full uniform for all classes · Pink Belts begin
• Oct 3 · Amerikick at Lawrence Community Day & Hopewell 250th
• Oct 4 · Amerikick Fam 2nd Annual Picnic, 1 PM
• Oct 5 · Bully-Proof Challenge Week 1: Eye Contact
• Oct 9 · Amerikick at PACE Elementary School Assembly
• Oct 12 · Bully-Proof Challenge Week 2: Action Taker
• Oct 13 · Splendor Montessori Board Breaking & Ben Franklin Classrooms
• Oct 16 · PTO Fundraiser Weekend: Toll Gate + Slackwood Elementary
• Oct 17 · Artober Fest at Jerry's Artarama, 11 AM to 4 PM
• Oct 18 · AKL EHT Tournament for all students
• Oct 19 · Bully-Proof Challenge Week 3: Strong Body
• Oct 21 · Parents as Coaches, all curriculum classes
• Oct 23 · Amerikick at Oktoberfest, Bear Tavern
• Oct 24 · Amerikick at Dandiya Night in Hopewell
• Oct 26 · Bully-Proof Challenge Week 4: Stand Your Ground
• Oct 30 · Amerikick Trunk or Treat, 7:00 to 8:30 PM
• Oct 31 · Break Your Monster Board Breaking, 12 PM (both locations)

Weapons rotation starting the week of October 6: Bo Staff Mondays, Chux Tuesdays, Kamas Wednesdays.

We went to Internationals and we took it. 🏆

Our Black Belt Demo Team took first in the NASKA demo division and first in the Amerikick demo division. Win both and the Overall Grand Champion Title for Demo Team is automatic. No debate, no tiebreaker. That's two years in a row.

Then our color belt team went out and won their division too, and earned a spot on the finals stage to perform in front of the whole room. Not for points. Just because they earned the floor.

Over 100 schools showed up to this tournament. This isn't an Amerikick family reunion. It's open. Teams drove and flew in from all over the country to compete. When they counted total medals at the end, we finished number 3. Out of everybody.

And our kids didn't take the short road to get there. Amerikick runs divisions that are Amerikick students only. Our competitors could've stayed in those all weekend and nobody would've said a word. A bunch of them signed up for the NASKA divisions instead. They lined up across from kids who train at schools we've never heard of, coached by people we've never met, from states we've never been to. They medaled anyway. To every competitor who stepped on that floor, and every parent who packed the car at 6 AM to get them there, thank you. You're why this school looks the way it does. ❤️

The first three weeks are easy. It's week four that gets people. 📚

Every September starts the same. New backpack, sharp pencils, kid actually excited to go. Then week four hits. The folder's a disaster, the reading log is blank, and homework turns into a nightly negotiation. Here's the thing. That's not a kid problem. That's a system problem. And systems are trainable, same as a front kick.

1. Pack the bag at night, not in the morning. We don't let a student walk on the mat looking for their belt. The uniform's ready before class. Same rule at home. Bag packed, shoes by the door, before anybody brushes their teeth. You just deleted the worst ten minutes of your day.

2. Same time, same seat, every day. Homework doesn't need more hours. It needs a spot. Same table, same time, five days a week. Kids fight the decision, not the work. Take the decision away and the fight goes with it.

3. One thing at a time. On the mat, eyes go one place. That's not us being strict, that's us training attention. At home it looks like this. Phone in another room. TV off. One subject, twenty minutes, then get up and move. Twenty focused minutes beats an hour of half paying attention every single time.

4. Protect bedtime like it's a black belt test. A tired kid looks exactly like a defiant kid. Same face, same attitude, totally different fix. Hold the bedtime through the weekend and watch how much of the "attitude" disappears by Tuesday.

5. Ask about the hard part, not the good part. "How was school" gets you "fine." Try "what was the hardest thing you did today?" You'll get a real answer, and your kid gets practice talking about struggle instead of hiding it. That's the same muscle we build when a student misses a board break and has to line up and go again. 💪

We want to come to your school. 🎤

Amerikick Fam, we need you on this one. Last school year we were in schools all over the area running assemblies, fundraisers and event nights. Thousands raised for PTOs. Hundreds of kiddos up and moving. All of it free.

Assemblies. Thirty to forty five minutes of confidence and bully prevention. Kids are up and moving the whole time instead of sitting and watching.

Fundraisers. The PTO keeps every dollar. Not a split. Every dollar.

Back to School Nights, Trunk or Treats, field days. We'll run a station and keep the line moving.

PTO partnerships and donations. Raffle baskets, gift certificates, whatever helps the event land.

Businesses too. Company events, employee family days, wellness weeks. Same deal.

One thing we tell every principal up front: we never teach anything a kid could turn around and try on a classmate. No strikes. Blocking, movement, and a lot of self control. It's one or two instructors, we work with whatever space they've got, and we're in and out without eating their day. Nothing gets sold to anybody.

Here's all we need from you: the name of the school. That's it. Grab an instructor at the front desk, or send it over to Princeton@Amerikick.com (Pennington: Pennington@Amerikick.com). Let's go take care of some more kids this year. 🔥

Four weeks. Four habits. One stronger student. 🐉

This is the character development challenge we're running all month to keep kids locked in during back-to-school season. Every student gets a sheet for their level. Complete it all week, turn it in at the end of class, and we read it out loud. Every sheet turned in is a raffle ticket for a free month of classes, and all four weeks earns a stripe on the belt. We reward the streak, not the score. Miss a box? Keep going. Nobody gets disqualified for a bad Tuesday.

Grab your sheet at the front desk, or print the one that matches your student's level below.

September calendar highlights. 📅

• Sept 1 · Uniform sale begins
• Sept 4 · Final day of the Unlimited Attendance Challenge
• Sept 5 · LTEF Annual Fun Run, 9 AM at Village Park
• Sept 6 · September Student Success Challenge begins
• Sept 7 · Closed for Labor Day, final day of camp presale
• Sept 8 · Amerikick at LTEF Welcome to the Neighborhood event
• Sept 9 · Amerikick at Toll Gate Elementary Back2School Night
• Sept 12 · AK Pennington Belt Graduation, 11 AM & 12 PM
• Sept 15 · Amerikick at Bear Tavern Back2School Night
• Sept 17 · Amerikick at Slackwood Elementary Back2School Bonanza
• Sept 18 · Parent Night Out at Pennington, 6:30–9:00 PM
• Sept 19 · AK Princeton Belt Graduation, 12 PM, 1 PM & 2 PM
• Sept 20 · Amerikick Instructor University event at Marlton
• Sept 25 · Women's Self Defense Seminar at Pennington, 6:30–7:30 PM
• Sept 26 · Free Bring-a-Buddy board breaking & Amerikick annual picnic
• Sept 27 · September Student Success final week
• Sept 30 · Parents as Coaches classes, both locations
• Oct 1 · Back to full uniform for all classes: gi top, pants & belt
• Oct 3 · Bear Tavern PTO Fundraiser & Lawrence Community Day

Back-to-School Superstar Challenge. 🌟

Five weeks of at-home training sheets that build respect, focus, confidence and character off the mat. Grab your sheet at the front desk each week or print it at home, complete it with your kiddo, and bring it back in. Every sheet earns a stripe on their belt and a raffle ticket toward our $100 monthly raffle.

Amerikick Family Fun Day. ❤️

Saturday, August 8 · 12:30–2:00 PM · Amerikick Princeton. We're raffling off all our Summer Passport prizes, plus a parents vs kiddos water battle outside. Both locations are welcome. Bring your friends, your siblings and the whole crew for this one.

Summer Passport last call. 🎟️

Did the Summer Passport Challenge this month? You've got until Saturday afternoon to bring your stamps to the front desk. We'll trade them for raffle tickets to drop in our boxes, and winners get drawn this Saturday at Family Fun Day!

Parent Night Out: Nerf Wars. 🎯

Friday, August 14 · 6:30–9:00 PM · Amerikick Pennington. Free for members and free to bring one non-member buddy. We'll have spares and goggles, but bring your own gear and put your name on everything. We feed the kids pizza that night, so send them in on an empty stomach.

Amerikick Elite Camp. 🥋

Saturday & Sunday, August 22–23 · 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. We're bringing in some of the best in the world to prep our advanced students for Amerikick Internationals. Classes are closed Saturday the 22nd for camp. Register below or ask a sensei to see if it's the right fit for you.

Bo Staff seminar with World Champion Benjamin Jones. 🏆

Wednesday, August 26 · 6:30–7:30 PM · Amerikick Princeton. Learn Bo Staff from one of the best in the world, totally FREE and open to both locations. Brand new to Bo Staff or a seasoned competitor, we'd love to have you come sharpen your skills. Spots are limited since it's free, so lock yours in.

Parents as Coaches. 💪

Thursday, August 27 · BOTH locations. Themed classes where you train right alongside your kiddo and pick up the skills to help them level up outside of class. A great bonding moment on the mat. :)

Amerikick Internationals 2026. 🥋

We're closed August 28 and 29 for the biggest event of the year. The 28th is our final day of summer camp, then we close normal Friday night and Saturday morning classes on the 29th. The whole Amerikick organization shows up to support, and we can't wait!

Summer Camp 2027 pre-sale. 🌞

Loved camp this year? Our annual pre-sale drops the week after camp ends with the lowest pricing we've EVER offered, a full 50% off. Camps run Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 6 PM, packed with Nerf, Mad Scientist, water games and so much more. This one sells out every single year with limited spaces, so stay tuned!

Biggest referral contest ever. 💰

Refer a friend. Get paid. Simple as that. You already know what Amerikick does for your kid — now bring a friend into the Fam and we'll make it worth your while.

Every friend you refer who comes in and tries a class puts $20 cash in your pocket. When they enroll, that jumps to $200. No cap. Refer one friend or refer ten. And the top referrer of the summer walks away with our MEGA Cash Prize. 🔥

Your friend comes in hooked up too: a 7-day free pass, their own Amerikick t-shirt, and yes — they'll break a real board their very first class.

Sign up, pick the class you'll bring your friend in for (Little Dragons or Beginners only), then have them come in and train. They can roll in on their own or walk in right alongside you. Contest runs July 6 through August 1 — the sooner you share, the more you stack.

Parent Night Outs for July. 🌟

Drop the kids off, take the night for yourself. Open to all Passport holders at BOTH locations — and it's bring a buddy.

• ⚽ Dodgeball Battle Royale at Princeton — Saturday July 11, 6:30–9:00pm
• ⚽ World Cup Finale Night Out at Pennington — Saturday July 18, 6:30–9:00pm

Amerikick takeover at the Trenton Thunder. ⚾

We're taking over Section 212 for an electrifying night at the ballpark. Saturday July 25 at 6:00pm — Thunder vs. Williamsport Crosscutters at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. Get there early to catch the Amerikick Princeton team's on-field demo before first pitch, then stick around for the postgame fireworks show. 🎆

A perfect night for families, friends, and fans. Grab your tickets before the deadline (July 24 at 6:00pm):

Summer Camp 2026 is live. ☀️

We've got select spots left in our 2026 Summer Camps, and this year we added Day Passes for last-minute drop-in days. Perfect when plans change and you need a fun, active day covered. Lock in your weeks before they're gone.

Special guests, themed weeks, morning training. 🔥

Special guest instructors on the mat, themed training weeks, morning training sessions, and more surprises all month long. Keep your eyes on this page. This is the summer your kid talks about in September. Because at Amerikick, FUN is FOREVER. 🥋