The martial arts scene in a post-covid world
The impact of the Covid19 pandemic and the subsequent repercussions on the entire world have been nothing short of catastrophic. While Trifecta as an organiation has not seen any related virus outbreaks, we have also been severely affected by the pandemic. When the mandated shutdown of all businesses was initiated by the Singapore government, we knew that the impact would last beyond the initial wave of shutdowns.
Some have been wondering, what has been the impact to gyms and martial arts schools so far? After the resumption of activities in Phase 2, surely everything has returned back to normal?
No prolonged close contact
This specifically impacts any grappling activity, which continues to be disallowed. This was entirely within expectations, though it meant that little to none of the BJJ students would return in phase 2. Sparring activities are also curtailed to some extent, as a result. All face-to-face competition events continue to be postponed till further notice. This complete eradication of attendance in an entire category has been the most painful for us. This is unlikely to recover any time soon.
Mass reduction of jobs during Circuit Breaker
Many families left Singapore as a result of the reduction of job opportunities and projects that were originally planned before the pandemic. The number of such affected families was tremendous, and it likely to continue to subdue demand simply because there are now less people in Singapore. This is unlikely to improve in the next 2 years, which means there won’t be any post-Covid recovery in this space.
Hard Choices
In the end, reopening and continuing as we did previously was no longer an option. We had to completely shutdown our school in June. With all the changes and expected fall in volume, shutting our doors at Central Square was inevitable. While the brand remains alive, and opening another branch remains a possibility, staying afloat remains a perpetual challenge.
I believe this is a broad economic challenge we are all facing. All the martial arts schools should be facing similar pressures in the post-Covid world. While I am not sure how others are dealing with the prolonged reduction in student volumes, business as usual is unlikely to be sustainable IMHO.
Daniel
Founder
Trifecta Martial Arts