How Inspire Martial Arts & Best Kids Parkour is expanding with a mission to empower local youth
When kids walk into Inspire Martial Arts & Stoughton’s Best Parkour, they aren’t just learning to kick, climb, or vault. They’re building the confidence and life skills that make them bully-proof. Early 2026, Best Kids After School, Summer Camp and Parkour, already a thriving part of the Stoughton, WI community, are expanding to Janesville, WI, bringing with it a powerful message: every child deserves to feel safe, strong, and unstoppable.
The Bully-Proof Formula: Confidence + Skillz + Community
Research shows that children who have strong self-esteem, social awareness, and coping tools are less likely to be targeted by bullies and more likely to stand up for others.
Inspire’s programs combine the physical challenge of karate and parkour with the child development science of the SKILLZ curriculum, giving kids exactly that foundation.
- Karate develops discipline, focus, and self-control. Kids learn how to project confidence, set boundaries, and respond calmly to challenges, tools that transfer far beyond the dojo.
- Parkour taps into creativity, problem-solving, and resilience. As students vault, climb, and balance, they learn to face obstacles, both physical and emotional, with persistence and grit.
- SKILLZ Curriculum adds the missing piece: age-specific life skills training. From teamwork to respect, resilience to leadership, each cycle reinforces social and emotional growth alongside physical skills.
Together, these programs do more than teach kicks or vaults. They empower kids to carry themselves with confidence, reduce their risk of being bullied, and foster a culture of kindness and leadership among peers.
Martial Arts and Parkour as a Vehicle for Development
One of the most unique aspects of Inspire is how the SKILLZ system uses martial arts and parkour as the vehicle to deliver child development. Parents often think of karate or parkour as just physical outlets, but at Inspire, they become something much deeper.
Kids today live in a world where screens dominate. While technology connects and entertains, too much screen time robs children of “hygiene habits” just as important as brushing their teeth: social hygiene and physical hygiene. Without these, children may feel disconnected, stressed, and less resilient when facing challenges like bullying.
That’s where SKILLZ comes in. Its science-backed Teaching SKILLZ strategies weave social and physical development directly into every class.
Building Bully-Proof Kids
- Social Hygiene: Healthy Competition. Instructors guide kids through partner challenges, team games, and skill-based contests that foster bonding, shared excitement, and peer connection. Every game becomes a “social shower,” washing away isolation and strengthening a child’s sense of belonging.
- Physical Hygiene: Up the Rep. Students are encouraged to push a little harder on each rep, ending stronger than they started. This boosts physical skill while releasing endorphins, helping kids feel happier, calmer, and more confident, skills that carry into the classroom and friendships.
Karate provides the structured discipline, parkour brings the creative outlet, and SKILLZ ties it all together with intentional child development. The result? Students who aren’t just physically strong, but emotionally resilient and socially equipped to stand up against bullying.
Why Janesville?
Owners Matt and Gwen Griffey have seen the life-changing impact of these programs in Stoughton, WI: full summer camps, thriving sold out after-school programs, and hundreds of families who describe Inspire as their “second home.” With a brand-new facility opening in Janesville, WI in early 2026, the Griffeys are excited to bring the same positive ripple effect to a new community.
“Every student we teach becomes more than just an athlete, they become leaders, role models, and advocates for others,” explains Gwen. “Expanding into Janesville means we can help even more kids stand tall, face challenges, and know they’re never alone.”
The Janesville location will launch with after-school programs and parkour classes, with summer camp enrollment opening immediately. Families can even start parkour in Stoughton now, giving their kids a head start before becoming leaders on the new Janesville floor.
More Than a Program — A Movement
National Bullying Prevention Month in October reminds us that standing up to bullying takes more than posters and slogans, it takes real skills, taught consistently, in a supportive environment. Inspire Martial Arts & Parkour does exactly that.
By blending the excitement of movement with proven child development strategies, Inspire is shaping a generation of kids who not only know how to protect themselves, but also how to protect and lift up others.
As Janesville families look toward the grand opening, one thing is clear: Inspire is more than a karate school or a parkour gym. It’s a movement to build stronger kids, safer schools, and a more connected community.
By Gwen Griffey
