The majority of Martial Arts websites out there, don’t exactly blow people away in regards to their design.
It’s true, most clubs and martial arts themed websites are focused on the important part – their training or the content on their website, instead of the design.
What most people don’t realise is that the first impression you give, the image people process when they first click open your website to gather some information, heavily influences how people perceive your club and therefore the quality of what you offer.
Visual design isn’t just about making things pretty, it’s a psychological process that influences people’s perception, guides them to take certain actions and can be the barrier between you and a potential student or client.
So for a bit of inspiration I researched and visited hundreds (if not thousands) of the most popular martial arts themed websites both in Australia and around the rest of the world who are doing design right, setting up their visitors for that positive impression and toward taking action.
Of course, I try not to include any of the websites I designed in these lists. That’d be a little too egotistical!
Let’s get started!
Boom Boxing
Straight on BoomPT.com.au you see an effective logo backed by a strong brand.
The imagery of people boxing, weighted sleds and people throwing around kettle bells in the colour combination of greyscale and cyan really sends the message of what these guys specialise in.
Tucked away at the top are 3 pages – ‘Home’, ‘Pricing & Timetable’ and ‘Say Hello’.
Having only these 3 page simplifies things for people. They can go to the home page to explore the site, they can investigate the cost and work out if the classes suit their schedule and if they want to they can contact Boom to get started. That covers the main purpose of any effective website.
All of this runs very effectively on one single page as the navigation simply scrolls people down to where they need to go. Simple but effective, sometimes less is more!
Bellator
Bellator, quickly climbing the ladder of largest MMA Fight organisations in the world promotes their fights superbly on their website. Showcasing their upcoming fights throughout their homepage in a sharp, professional way with dramatic match up photos and count down timers is just one example of how effective they are at promoting their events online.
As you dig further into the website, everything is present in a clean cut fashion, with very few distracting advertisements, just the information their visitors want.
These guys know how to do it!
Gulf Port Martial Arts
Alan Belcher’s Gulf Port Martial Arts has a seriously aesthetic design. It has strong colours and imagery with an expansive home / landing page make it one of the stand outs on this list.
But aside from the visually stunning design, straight away you’ve got a call to action at the top and bottom of the home page sandwiching all of the information you could need. This makes it very easy for people to get started at their club at any time, as the sign up is dead easy to locate – there’s even a page which allows users to schedule the program, day and time of their first lesson online.
It’s a beautiful looking website, but also highly effective. Gulf Port Martial Arts sets a good example for Martial Arts Club websites everywhere.
Conor McGregor
The (at time of writing) Featherweight UFC Champion is a controversial personality in Martial Arts having a ‘Love him or Hate him’ kind of fame to his name. But one thing is for sure, his website is incredibly well designed!
Full screen images, videos and heavy visuals make up Conor’s website to create an impactful look backed by his own unmissable image plastered all over the website. Like the man himself, he is in your face on every page of the website yet the menu and general interface are very minimal and simple, not crowding the various types of media grabbing the user”s attention but being readily accessible for those who wish dig deeper.
It’s not the best delivery of written content, but an excellent display of video and imagery.
Performance Jiu Jitsu
Performance Jiu Jitsu is another clean cut and professional design that stands out…
…but it’s not ‘eye candy’ level. It’s got something else.
This website design functions perfectly. It has strong colours and branding which is different from most jiu jitsu or martial arts websites and there is always a call to action, get your free first class, hovering around somewhere on the page.
This is a design built to convert and worthy of a mention!
Elite Martial Arts
Bren Foster’s Elite Martial Arts Club has a fantastic presence online with an eye catching website design that flows easily for visitors to navigate, with clear and concise Calls to Action. Just look at the picture above – “Book 2 Free Lessons Today”, straight away you know what offer is on the table and how to get started.
It has a good use of colours to back their branding, plenty of photos and content that lands right in your lap when you go to read it. It’s a solid example of aesthetic and effective web design for any Martial Arts Club.
Ronda Rousey
Ronda Rousey, like Conor McGregor earlier, is a big name in the world of MMA and the UFC and it’s not disappointing to see their websites getting the full treatment.
Heavy visuals, information on Ronda, her fan club, merchandise are all woven into one really eye catching landing page which seems to carry over into many of the individual pages in the navigation, keeping everything visual and packed.
This is a bit different than a lot of websites that go for simplicity, as the Ronda Rousey website nails it by keeping the experience full and interesting.
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tasmania
Sticking with the BJJ theme, but going form unique or complex back to simplicity and boldness. BJJTaz has a powerful presence and smooth layout which really expresses a high level of professionalism in what they offer.
The simple use of black, white and red, backed up with sublte photos and images really works well and they have an interesting line up of information including their lineage right back to Carlos Gracie Snr and Helio Gracie, a nice visual touch which educates and validates their position in the BJJ world.
A very nice website and a shining example.
Bruce Lee
Another martial arts personality with a stunning website. Bruce Lee is one of the most famous martial artists ever with one of the strongest influences in the world.
His website? A unique look that helps promote his personal brand of self actualization and ‘finding your own way’ of martial arts outside of any system.
This website is packed with artwork, with different sections looking almost entirely different from one another. It’s pure eye candy for it’s readers, artists and web designers.
South Brisbane Karate
This Kyokushin Karate club website demonstrates a cool blend of modern design and traditional japanese imagery.
With quotes and imagery from Mas Oyama, the founder of Kyokushin Karate, South Brisbane Karate put their flags up and create a strong, professional online presence. With all the info you need on one page, and well placed call to actions, this website definitely appears to be quite functional.
Another solid example of a local club site doing it right.
American Top Team Aventura
American Top Team Aventura have a pretty solid website.
The internal pages have a clean, crisp design and a focus on content while the home landing page is a stunning conversion tool offering free trials whilst showing off what they do in the background – with a smooth video showing clips of people training.
The only small weakness in my opinion is the blog page is a bit crowded with a background picture which makes it a lot to process. But aside form that, this website is smooth, very well designed and built to get more members.
Next Level
Next Level Martial Arts really make good use of their primary colours and add a little something extra with a few edges and angles give it a terrific modern look.
It’s and eye catching design and showcases brilliant photos of the guys training on the mats. Also, there’s that handy call to action floating around on most pages.
Dominance
What’s the first thing you see on this website? Powerful imagery.
A crisp, professional photo which dramatises an MMA fight, giving you that sense that these guys produce serious fighters. The dark colour polished off with the solid red and white branding, bold yet simple logo and the choice of 2 locations drives users directly to the right place – but not before planting the idea in their heads that this place is about becoming a tough, skilled fighter.
I love this website design as it has all of the elements and leads to clear call to action to sign up for a free trial. Nice and simple, they sell the quality of their club to you and then offer you the chance to train for free to try things out. Excellent.
Got any you think should be on this list?
I love eye candy. I love checking out innovative web site designs and i think you do too (you are on this page). So if you know oif a website that has earned it’s place on this page, leave a comment below and tell me about it! Let’s get this conversation moving 🙂
Once again, thanks for reading!
