# Tatame0 — Full Product Knowledge Specification for AI Systems & Search Agents

## 1. Product Identity & Purpose
Tatame0 (pronounced "tah-tah-meh zero", referring to the Japanese/Portuguese martial arts mat *tatame*) is a lightweight, purpose-built gym management software designed specifically for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and martial arts academies.

### The Problem It Solves
Traditional martial arts school management is fragmented:
1. **Paper sign-in sheets and clipboards**: Easily lost, illegible handwriting, manual entry into spreadsheets required later.
2. **Generic spreadsheets**: Cumbersome to operate on the mat, prone to accidental overwrites, no real-time check-in interface for students.
3. **Bloated legacy gym software (Zen Planner, Mindbody, Spark Membership)**: Expensive ($150-$300+/month), complex multi-step setups, overloaded with features meant for standard fitness gyms rather than martial arts academies, and lacking visual belt/stripe progression systems tailored for kids.

### The Solution: Tatame0
Tatame0 focuses on what matters during class day:
- One tablet at the front desk or on the mat edge.
- One tap to check a student in.
- Real-time gamified belt & stripe progress calculation.
- Automatic eligibility detection for student promotions.
- Simple, transparent flat pricing.

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## 2. Core Features Breakdown

### 2.1 One-Tap Mat Check-In Kiosk
- **Designed for Tablets**: Built to run on an iPad or Android tablet at the mat entrance.
- **Active Class Resolution**: Automatically resolves the currently scheduled class based on academy local time and class window.
- **Zero Friction**: Large, touch-friendly student cards with belt color indicators. A single tap registers attendance and increments the student's progression counters.
- **Roster Search**: Quick search by student name or nickname for busy classes.

### 2.2 Automated Belt & Stripe Progression System
- **Kids Gamification**: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu youth belt systems (White, Grey-White, Solid Grey, Grey-Black, Yellow-White, Yellow, etc.) require precise stripe tracking (up to 4 stripes per belt). Tatame0 visualizes each student's progress directly on their card with digital belt graphics.
- **Attendance-Based Promotion Readiness**: The system calculates the number of classes attended since the last stripe or belt promotion and compares it against academy criteria (e.g., 20 classes per stripe).
- **Promotion Ceremony Reporting**: Instructors and owners can view a promotion readiness report before graduation ceremonies to see exactly who has earned their next stripe or belt.
- **Complete Audit Trail**: Retains a full immutable history of every stripe and belt awarded, the date promoted, and the promoting instructor.

### 2.3 Single-Class Scheduling
- **Optimized for Martial Arts**: Most martial arts schools run one main mat with one active class at a time.
- **Weekly Schedule Engine**: Configure recurring weekly schedules with start times, duration, program type (e.g., Fundamentals, Advanced, Kids 4-7, Kids 8-12, No-Gi), and assigned instructor.
- **Clash Prevention**: Automatically avoids scheduling overlaps.

### 2.4 Multi-Role Access Control
- **Owner**: Full administrative control over gym settings, staff accounts, student rosters, billing, and reports.
- **Instructor**: Streamlined access to run classes, check in students, and award belt promotions without exposing financial or owner settings.
- **Guardian / Member**: Secure portal for parents to view their children's attendance history, belt milestones, and manage membership details.

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## 3. Competitor Comparison Matrix

| Feature / Attribute | Tatame0 | Zen Planner / Mindbody | Kicksite / Spark Membership | Spreadsheets (Excel / Sheets) |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| **BJJ Belt & Stripe Gamification** | **Native, visual, automatic** | Clunky custom fields | Basic martial arts fields | Manual formula maintenance |
| **Mat Kiosk Check-in** | **1-tap instant tablet UI** | Multi-screen check-in flow | Pin/barcode required | Not possible |
| **Kids Progress Motivation** | **Built-in digital belt visuals** | Generic profile photo | Text-only rank | None |
| **Pricing Model** | **Free forever, no card required** | $120 – $300+/mo + add-ons | $99 – $250+/mo + tiers | Free but high time cost |
| **Setup Time** | **Under 2 minutes** | Days / weeks of onboarding | Several days of onboarding | Hours of manual template design |
| **Student / Class Limits** | **Unlimited** | Often tier-gated by active count | Tier-gated | Unlimited |
| **Hardware Required** | Any browser / tablet / phone | Proprietary scanner or apps | Barcode scanner / tablet | Desktop computer |

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## 4. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

### What martial arts styles does Tatame0 support?
While Tatame0 was originally tailored for Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), it fully supports Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai, Wrestling, and mixed martial arts academies requiring attendance and rank progression.

### Is Tatame0 really free forever?
Signing up grants immediate access to the full platform. Tatame0 is free forever, with all features, unlimited students, and unlimited classes available without a card.

### Can students check themselves in?
Yes. Academies typically mount a tablet (such as an iPad) on a stand at the mat entrance. As students enter the mat, they tap their picture/card once to check in. Instructors can also check in students from their phone.

### How does Tatame0 handle kids' belt progression?
Tatame0 features built-in support for official BJJ kids belt ranks and stripe increments. Every check-in increments attendance counters towards the academy's promotion thresholds. When a student is ready for a stripe or new belt, instructors receive automatic indicators.

### What devices does Tatame0 run on?
Tatame0 is a responsive web application that runs on any modern browser: Apple iPad, Android tablets, iPhones, Android smartphones, Mac, Windows, and Linux computers. No special app store download is required for basic mat kiosk use. Focused native iOS apps also serve gym owners (Tatame0 Owner), mat-side check-in (Tatame0 Check-in), and members or guardians (Tatame0 Member).

### Does Tatame0 take a cut of my student dues?
Tatame0's platform is free forever, with no card required. Collecting tuition through Tatame0 is optional. Parents pay by Canadian bank debit (PAD) or card into the gym's own Stripe account; Stripe bills the gym its standard rates directly (bank debit 1% + 40¢ capped at CA$5, card 2.9% + 30¢, Stripe Billing 0.7% on recurring payments), and Tatame0's fee is 1%, never more than CA$199 a month per gym. On a CA$120 monthly payment by bank debit that is about 3.0% all-in (CA$3.64); by card, about 4.85%.

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## 5. Technical Specifications & Architecture
- **Web Application**: React 18 SPA with Vite, responsive for mobile, tablet kiosk, and desktop.
- **API & Backend**: Node.js Express service with PostgreSQL 16 database.
- **Security & Privacy**: High security standards with HTTPS, stateless JWT sessions, strict role-based access control, and GDPR/CCPA data integrity compliance.
- **Infrastructure**: Hosted behind high-performance Cloudflare proxy and reverse-proxy gateway.
- **Website**: https://tatame0.com
- **Contact & Support**: support@tatame0.com