Certificate in Combat Sports Coaching (Applied)

Three Years.
One Standard.
Your Own Gym.

The Eagle DS coaching course is a three-year, competency-based pathway from practitioner to certified combat sports coach — built on outcomes, not participation. You progress when you meet the standard. You earn the right to coach when you are ready — not before.

Blue Belt · Coach Kids  —  Black Belt · Coach Teens & Adults

Enrol / Enquire See the Pathway
3Years to
Black Belt
112Marks Per
Grading
8Belt Levels
White → Blue
3Disciplines
Boxing · KB · MMA
16+Entry Age

"We aren't selling time on the mat. We are selling outcomes — what happens to a young person because they trained here."

The Eagle DS Coaching Philosophy

The Pathway

This Is Not a
Short Course.

The Eagle DS coaching course is a structured, three-year development programme. Each year builds on the last — technically, philosophically, and in terms of what you are qualified to deliver. You do not shortcut this. The standard is what makes the qualification worth having.

You can reach Blue Belt — and qualify to coach kids — within your first year. From there, the pathway continues through Purple and Brown to Black Belt, which qualifies you to coach teens and adults and run your own programme under the Eagle DS system.

Year One
Foundation
White Belt → Blue Belt
Qualifies you to coach kids
Grading system, mindset & messaging — understanding what the system is and how to communicate its value
Teaching & enforcing standards — you cannot enforce what you cannot perform
Fundamentals & coaching kids — the detail inside the technique, and why young athletes require more from a coach, not less
Operational definitions — if you cannot define it, you cannot teach it
Managing teams at events — leading your team at the Eagle DS Combat Game Series
Business foundations — pricing, communication, and building a coaching practice worth investing in
Year Two
Intermediate
Blue Belt → Brown Belt
Extended coaching scope
Full technical syllabus — all sequences across boxing, kickboxing and MMA to coaching standard
Athlete development frameworks — periodisation, progression planning, and long-term athlete management
Competition preparation — preparing athletes for the Combat Game Series and external events
Running gradings — assessing athletes against fixed criteria, consistently and without compromise
Growing your programme — building student numbers, retaining athletes, and managing your gym
Year Three
Advanced
Brown Belt → Black Belt
Qualifies you to coach teens & adults
High performance coaching — developing athletes who compete at a serious level
Advanced athlete psychology — mindset coaching, adversity, and performance under pressure
Programme leadership — supervising junior coaches, setting standards across your team
Business ownership — running a full Eagle DS affiliated gym, building a sustainable business
Legacy & culture — creating a coaching environment that develops people, not just athletes

Year One · Foundation Module

Where Every
Coach Starts.

The foundation module is the entry point for every Eagle DS coach. It covers the mindset, the system, the technical fundamentals, and what it actually means to lead athletes — in the gym and at events. This is a segment of the full three-year programme.

Week 1
Gradings, Mindset & Messaging
The grading pathway, the outcome-based philosophy, and how to communicate the system's value honestly to parents, students, and the community.
Week 2
Standards
Teaching and enforcing technical excellence. You are the standard — you cannot enforce what you cannot perform, and you cannot compromise what you do not truly believe in.
Weeks 3–4
Fundamentals & Coaching Kids
The detail inside the technique, and why coaching young athletes requires more from a coach, not less. Treat their outcomes as your own.
Week 5
Operational Definitions
If you cannot define it, you cannot teach it. Building definitions that create real understanding — not just labels with more words.
Weeks 6–7
Managing Teams at Events
Leading your team at the Eagle DS Combat Game Series. Tracking bouts, running warm-ups, pre-bout preparation, cornering, and keeping athletes focused all day.
Continuing
Business Foundations
Pricing your coaching, communicating value, building a practice worth investing in, and understanding what you are actually selling.
Continuing
Applied Practice
Supervised coaching, observed assessment, real-time correction in live sessions — turning knowledge into coaching capability under observation.
Blue Belt
Certification & Scope
On meeting the standard across all foundation modules, you are certified at Blue Belt — qualified to coach kids and begin building your programme.

The Technical Syllabus

Built to Be
Taught.

The Eagle DS syllabus is not just a grading framework. Every technique exists to be understood, defined, and taught — not just performed. Coaches learn the syllabus to coaching standard, not athlete standard.

Striking

The Foundation of Every Combination

01
Jab, Cross, Hook — the core striking toolkit, taught to operational definition standard
02
Lead & Rear Uppercut — range management and close-quarter striking
03
Kick & Switch Kick — the only two kicks in the system, applied across all combination levels
04
Combination progressions — White through Blue, building from single strikes to full integrated combinations under fatigue
05
Defensive framework — dodging, blocking, body blocks and checks across boxing and kickboxing
Grappling

Seven Sequences. One Standard.

01
Takedowns & finishes — double leg, single leg, body lock, hip throw, inside trip — each with correct entries and finishing positions
02
Ground control — side control, mount, back mount, scarf hold — positional understanding and transitions
03
Escapes — double shrimp, bridge trap and roll, ghost escape, leg grab — systematic escape routes at every position
04
Submissions — rear naked choke, arm bar, triangle, D'Arce, kimura — applied within sequences, not in isolation
05
Sequence 7 — Blue Stripe only — the most advanced sequence in the grading system, including hand cuff tie-up and half guard sweeps
Sparring

The Same Criteria. Every Level.

01
Boxing sparring /9 — dodging (3), blocking (3), punches 1–5 in combination form (3)
02
Kickboxing sparring /15 — boxing criteria plus kick and switch kick execution, body blocks and checks
03
MMA sparring /22 — kickboxing criteria plus takedowns, escapes, and submission attempt
04
Identical criteria across all belt levels — the standard does not change with the colour of the belt
Fitness & Conditioning

Applied Under Pressure.

01
Strength circuits — applied between sequences, not separately
02
Endurance conditioning — building the capacity to perform technically under fatigue
03
Fight fatigue drills — replicating competition conditions in training
04
Explosive output & recovery — testing real athletic capacity, not just willingness to work hard

Business Skills

Built to Run
Your Own Gym.

Technical coaching is half the job. The other half is building something sustainable — a business that reflects the quality of what you deliver on the mat. Eagle DS coaches leave with both.

01
Value & Pricing
Understanding what you are actually selling — outcomes, not mat time — and pricing your coaching in a way that reflects the standard you deliver. How to have the pricing conversation with confidence.
02
Messaging & Communication
How to explain the Eagle DS system to parents, students, and the wider community. Not sales talk — truth, clearly communicated. The grading system sells itself when coaches know how to describe it.
03
Building Your Student Base
Attracting the right students, retaining them through genuine development, and building a reputation through the quality of your coaching — not marketing spend.
04
Running Gradings & Events
How to run a grading event that means something. Managing the Combat Game Series from a coach's perspective. Events are your shop window — how they are run reflects your standard.
05
Growing Your Programme
From small class to full programme — understanding when and how to scale, how to bring in junior coaches, and how to protect the standard as you grow.
06
The Eagle DS Ecosystem
How your gym connects to the Combat Game Series, the grading system, and the wider Eagle DS network. You are not building alone — you are building within a system designed to grow with you.

The Grading System

White Belt to
Blue Stripe.

Every student follows the same pathway. Every grading is assessed against the same criteria. No shortcuts, no exceptions — a grading is an assessment, not a ceremony.

White Belt
Yellow Stripe
Yellow Belt
Orange Stripe
Orange Belt
Green Stripe
Green Belt
Blue Stripe
/10
Foundational Section
striking, kicks, combinations
/60
Technical Sequences
up to 7 sequences at /10 each
/20
Fitness & Conditioning
applied between sequences
/22
MMA Sparring
boxing, kickboxing & MMA

112 marks in total — a number that isn't round by accident. It signals to everyone involved that this is a real assessment with real criteria. Students pass when they meet the standard — not for attendance, not because a parent is watching, and not because they tried hard. Effort is respected; the standard is what is rewarded.

Coaching Qualification by Belt Level

Reaching Blue Belt through the coaching course — achievable within Year One — qualifies you to coach kids. Continuing through Purple and Brown Belt in Year Two extends your coaching scope. Earning your Black Belt at the end of Year Three qualifies you to coach teens and adults, and to run your own affiliated Eagle DS programme. The qualification reflects the standard — and the standard reflects how long it genuinely takes to develop a capable coach.

The Youth Academy

From Student
to Coach.

The Youth Academy is where advanced students train to coach junior students — building leadership, communication and certified responsibility. A rangatahi who now develops others.

It's the third stage of the Eagle DS pathway, and the most powerful: a young person who enters as someone the system struggled to reach, and leaves as a certified coach developing the next generation.

Why It Matters

When you coach a young person well — hold the standard, invest in their development, celebrate their progress — you're not just producing a better athlete. You're showing them what it looks like when an adult takes their potential seriously.

For some of them, it's the first time anyone has held them to a standard and believed they could meet it. That's the work — and it matters far beyond the mat.

Towards a Recognised Credential

A Pathway,
Not Just a Course.

Micro-Credential Development

Designed to scale from workshop to certificate.

The Eagle DS coaching system is built for delivery as a short course, micro-credential, or full pathway programme within sport, fitness, or youth-development education. We're actively exploring partnerships with tertiary providers to bring this tested, outcomes-driven system into a formal educational context — giving learners job-ready coaching skills and a genuine pathway into coaching or self-employment. Built by someone who has competed at world championship level across MMA (IMMAF 2019), kickboxing and K1 (WAKO 2006, 2017), karate and taekwondo — and spent 27 years transferring that knowledge to others.

Begin the Pathway

Three Years.
Your Own Gym.

The Eagle DS coaching course is not a shortcut. It is a three-year pathway built on a standard worth holding — and at the end of it, you will be equipped to coach your own students, run your own programme, and deliver Eagle DS gradings that mean something. Get in touch about the next intake.

Enrol / Enquire Back to the Academy