From Gymdesk to MAAT: The Sakura Grappling Story

Key Takeaways

Sakura Grappling in the UK outgrew Gymdesk’s fragmented setup of payments, attendance, and spreadsheets.
MAAT provided an all-in-one solution with payments, attendance, grading, and student engagement tools.
Migration was seamless, reducing admin work and improving both staff and student experience.

Introduction

Sakura Grappling is a BJJ academy located in Walsall (UK), known for its high standards and strong sense of community.

With a growing number of students and an expanding team, the need for a unified gym management solution became urgent.

This article explores how Sakura Grappling transitioned from Gymdesk to MAAT, and why the team hasn't looked back since.

👉 Click here to watch the full interview

Before MAAT: The Gymdesk Setup

Before switching to MAAT, Sakura Grappling used Gymdesk for class scheduling and attendance.

However, payments were handled through a separate direct debit provider, and additional tasks were managed via Excel spreadsheets.

"We had a separate payment provider that would take care of direct debits and also a few Excel spreadsheets that would pick up everything else"

David explains.

This fragmented system made everyday operations inefficient and error-prone.

Admin staff had to juggle between platforms, and coaches lacked visibility into class data and student progress.

The Breaking Point

As the academy grew, so did the complexity of managing it.

The turning point came in late 2024 when the academy had over 200 members.

"We needed something that was all in one. Obviously, as this team grows, the academy grows, and the school grows, and having one solution that's streamlined that takes care of payments, attendance, and sign up is super important for us"

David recalls.

Why They Chose MAAT

What attracted Sakura Grappling to MAAT was its feature completeness and martial arts-specific design:

All-in-one solution: attendance, payments, sign-ups, and waivers.
Stripe integration for seamless payment processing.
Built-in belt and stripe tracking.
Intuitive, user-friendly mobile app.
Direct WhatsApp support from creators who understand BJJ.

"It’s just a fantastic solution with everything all in one"

says David.

"And the helpfulness of the team was a huge attraction."

👉 Check this article to discover How MAAT’s Leaderboard Keeps BJJ Students Coming Back!

Before the Migration: Concerns and Apprehension

Like many gym owners, Sakura Grappling's team was initially apprehensive about switching systems.

"There can be some trepidation. The big one for us was switching from a direct debit payment system over to using Stripe"

David admits.

Having used Gymdesk for years, they feared disruption and potential data loss.

After the Migration: Seamless and Fast

Those fears quickly faded.

Once their academy was set up in MAAT, the process of migrating over 200 members was surprisingly simple.

"Our students click the link, download the app, pop in a few details, and within two days,
we had basically all 200 members on the App registering for classes"

David shares.

The MAAT support team was available via WhatsApp throughout the process, answering questions in real-time.

"You're not dealing with a faceless company.
You're dealing with people who train jiu jitsu, who understand Jiu Jitsu."

A New Era: Life with MAAT Today

The transition marked a new chapter for Sakura Grappling.

Administrative burdens dropped dramatically.

"All the admin is gone"

David says.

Class attendance is now registered digitally, promotions and stripes are recorded in-app, eliminating manual card systems they were using previously.

"To be able to mark attendance, to be able to record stripes, to be able to know where your team are,
see their progression, all in the app is an amazing functionality."

The student experience improved too, kids especially enjoy seeing their progress tracked.

The app's design is intuitive and user-friendly, encouraging engagement from all age groups.