Badge System Guide
Create, manage, and award achievement badges to recognize student accomplishments
1. Overview
DojoMaster's badge system allows you to create custom achievement badges to recognize student accomplishments beyond belt progression. Badges can celebrate milestones, special achievements, character development, competition success, and more.
Key Features
- Custom Badges: Create unlimited badges with custom names, descriptions, colors, and emoji icons
- Manual Assignment: Award badges to students individually with optional notes
- Visual Display: Badges appear on student profiles and lists with beautiful animations
- Drag-and-Drop Ordering: Organize badges in your preferred display order
- Active/Inactive Status: Temporarily disable badges without deleting them
- Student Tracking: See how many students have earned each badge
- Color Customization: Choose from preset colors or use custom hex colors
- Emoji Icons: Add visual flair with emoji icons (up to 10 characters)
Badges vs. Stripes vs. Belts
Belts represent rank progression in your martial art. Stripes track progress toward the next belt. Badges recognize achievements outside the belt system—like perfect attendance, tournament wins, leadership, or character development.
2. Prerequisites
To create and manage badges, you need:
- ✓OWNER or SENSEI role (both can create and assign badges)
- ✓Active club membership (must be an active member of the club)
- ✓Enrolled students (students must exist to assign badges to them)
Permission Levels
- • OWNER: Full access to create, edit, delete, and assign badges
- • SENSEI: Full access to create, edit, delete, and assign badges
- • SEMPAI: No access to badge management
- • STUDENT/PARENT: Can view badges on student profiles (read-only)
3. Understanding the Badge System
Badges are flexible recognition tools that you can customize to fit your club's culture and values.
Badge Components
Each badge consists of:
🏷️ Name (Required)
A short, descriptive name (2-50 characters). This is what students and parents will see.
Examples: "Perfect Attendance", "Tournament Champion", "Leadership Award", "100 Classes"
📝 Description (Optional)
A detailed explanation of what the badge represents (max 500 characters). Appears in tooltips when hovering over the badge.
Example: "Awarded to students who attend every class for an entire month without any absences."
🎨 Color (Required)
A hex color code that determines the badge's appearance (default: #3B82F6 blue). Choose colors that match your club's branding or the badge's meaning.
Examples: Gold (#FFD700) for excellence, Green (#10B981) for growth, Red (#EF4444) for courage
😊 Icon (Optional)
An emoji or short text (max 10 characters) that appears on the badge. Adds visual interest and helps students quickly identify badges.
Examples: 🏆 (trophy), ⭐ (star), 🎯 (target), 💪 (strength), 🧠 (brain)
🔢 Sort Order
Determines the display order of badges. Lower numbers appear first. You can also drag-and-drop badges to reorder them.
✅ Active Status
Toggle to activate or deactivate the badge. Inactive badges cannot be assigned to new students but remain visible on students who already have them.
Common Badge Categories
Here are popular badge categories used by martial arts clubs:
🎯 Achievement Badges
Recognize specific accomplishments: "100 Classes", "First Tournament", "Board Breaking Master", "Forms Champion"
📅 Attendance Badges
Reward consistent attendance: "Perfect Month", "6-Month Streak", "Never Missed", "Early Bird"
💪 Character Badges
Celebrate character development: "Respect Award", "Perseverance", "Leadership", "Helping Hand", "Courage"
🏆 Competition Badges
Honor competitive success: "Gold Medal", "Regional Champion", "National Qualifier", "Sparring Master"
🎓 Milestone Badges
Mark important milestones: "1 Year Anniversary", "First Black Belt", "Instructor in Training", "Legacy Member"
4. Creating Badges
Follow these steps to create a new badge for your club:
Navigate to Badge Management
From the dashboard, click Settings in the sidebar, then select Badges.
Note: Only OWNER and SENSEI roles can access this page.
Click "Add Badge"
Click the "Add Badge" button at the top of the badge list. This opens the badge creation modal.
Tip: If you don't have any badges yet, you'll see an empty state with a "Create Badge" button.
Enter Badge Name
Enter a unique, descriptive name for the badge (2-50 characters). The name must be unique within your club.
Good Examples:
- ✓ "Perfect Attendance - January 2024"
- ✓ "Tournament Champion"
- ✓ "100 Classes Milestone"
- ✓ "Leadership Excellence"
Avoid:
- ✗ "Badge" (too generic)
- ✗ "A" (too short)
- ✗ Using the same name as an existing badge
Add Description (Optional)
Write a clear description explaining what the badge represents and how students can earn it (max 500 characters).
Example:
"Awarded to students who attend every scheduled class for an entire month without any absences or tardiness. This badge recognizes dedication and commitment to training."
Select Badge Color
Choose a color that represents the badge's meaning. You can select from preset colors or enter a custom hex color code.
Color Psychology:
- • Gold (#FFD700): Excellence, achievement, first place
- • Blue (#3B82F6): Trust, loyalty, wisdom
- • Green (#10B981): Growth, progress, health
- • Red (#EF4444): Courage, passion, energy
- • Purple (#A855F7): Leadership, creativity, honor
- • Orange (#F97316): Enthusiasm, determination, success
Choose Icon (Optional)
Add an emoji or short text (max 10 characters) to make the badge more visually distinctive.
Popular Icons:
- 🏆 Trophy
- ⭐ Star
- 🎯 Target
- 💪 Strength
- 🧠 Brain
- ❤️ Heart
- 🔥 Fire
- ⚡ Lightning
- 🎖️ Medal
- 👑 Crown
Set Active Status
Toggle the "Active" switch to determine if the badge can be assigned to students. New badges are active by default.
Tip: Create badges as inactive if you're preparing them for future use.
Save the Badge
Click "Save" to create the badge. You'll see a success message, and the badge will appear in your badge list.
The badge is now ready to be assigned to students!
Success!
Your badge has been created and is ready to assign to students. The badge will automatically be assigned the next available sort order number.
5. Assigning Badges to Students
Once you've created badges, you can manually assign them to students who have earned them. DojoMaster does not automatically assign badges—all assignments are manual to ensure intentional recognition.
Navigate to Student Profile
Go to Students in the sidebar and click on the student you want to award a badge to.
Click "Assign Badge"
On the student's profile page, locate the badges section and click the "Assign Badge" button.
Note: You'll only see badges that are active and not already assigned to this student.
Select Badge from Dropdown
A dropdown menu will appear showing all available badges. Select the badge you want to assign.
Tip: Badges are displayed with their color and icon for easy identification.
Add Notes (Optional)
You can add optional notes (max 500 characters) to record why the badge was awarded or any special context.
Example Notes:
- • "Perfect attendance for January 2024"
- • "Won 1st place in forms at Regional Tournament"
- • "Demonstrated exceptional leadership during summer camp"
- • "Reached 100 classes on March 15, 2024"
Confirm Assignment
Click the badge in the dropdown to assign it. The badge will immediately appear on the student's profile with a beautiful animation.
The system automatically records who assigned the badge and when it was awarded.
Removing Badges
If you need to remove a badge from a student (for example, if it was assigned by mistake):
1. Navigate to the student's profile
2. Find the badge you want to remove in the badges section
3. Click the remove/delete icon next to the badge
4. Confirm the removal when prompted
Important: Manual Assignment Only
DojoMaster does not automatically assign badges based on attendance, class count, or any other criteria. All badge assignments must be done manually by instructors. This ensures that badges are awarded intentionally and with proper recognition.
6. Managing Badge Display
Control how badges appear and organize them for optimal display on student profiles.
Reordering Badges
The order of badges in the badge list determines how they appear on student profiles. You can reorder badges in two ways:
🖱️ Drag-and-Drop (Mouse)
Click and hold on a badge, then drag it to the desired position. Release to drop it in place.
Best for: Quick reordering of multiple badges
⌨️ Arrow Buttons (Keyboard)
Use the up/down arrow buttons next to each badge to move it one position at a time.
Best for: Precise positioning and accessibility
Ordering Strategy
Consider ordering badges by importance or prestige. For example, place your most prestigious badges (like "Black Belt" or "Tournament Champion") first, followed by milestone badges, then attendance badges. This ensures the most important achievements are prominently displayed.
Editing Badges
To modify an existing badge:
1. Go to Settings → Badges
2. Click the Edit button next to the badge you want to modify
3. Make your changes (name, description, color, icon, active status)
4. Click Save to apply the changes
Note: Changes to a badge will immediately affect all students who have that badge. For example, if you change the badge color, all instances of that badge will display the new color.
Deactivating vs. Deleting Badges
You have two options for removing badges from circulation:
🔒 Deactivate (Recommended)
What it does: Makes the badge unavailable for new assignments while preserving it on students who already have it.
When to use: When you want to retire a badge but keep the historical record intact. For example, retiring a "2023 Tournament Champion" badge at the end of the year.
How to do it: Edit the badge and toggle the "Active" switch to off.
🗑️ Delete (Permanent)
What it does: Permanently removes the badge from the system, including all student assignments.
When to use: Only when the badge was created by mistake or is no longer relevant. Cannot be undone!
Restriction: You can only delete badges that have never been assigned to any students. If even one student has the badge, you must deactivate it instead.
How to do it: Click the Delete button next to the badge and confirm the deletion.
Viewing Badge Statistics
On the badge management page, you can see how many students have earned each badge. This helps you:
- •Identify popular achievements
- •Find badges that may be too easy or too difficult to earn
- •Track which badges are actively being used
- •Determine which badges can be safely deleted (those with 0 students)
7. Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting
Here are common issues you might encounter when working with badges and how to resolve them:
❌ Problem: Cannot Create Badge - "Name Already Exists"
Cause:
You're trying to create a badge with a name that already exists in your club. Badge names must be unique within each club.
Solution:
- • Choose a different, more specific name (e.g., "Perfect Attendance - January 2024" instead of just "Perfect Attendance")
- • Check your existing badges list to see what names are already in use
- • If you want to reuse a name, delete or rename the existing badge first
❌ Problem: Cannot Assign Badge - "Badge Already Assigned"
Cause:
The student already has this badge. Each student can only receive each badge once.
Solution:
- • Check the student's profile to see their current badges
- • If you want to award the same achievement again, create a new badge with a different name (e.g., "Perfect Attendance - February 2024")
- • Consider creating time-specific or level-specific badges for recurring achievements
❌ Problem: Cannot Delete Badge - "Badge is Assigned to Students"
Cause:
The badge has been assigned to one or more students. DojoMaster prevents deletion to preserve student achievement history.
Solution:
- • Recommended: Deactivate the badge instead by toggling the "Active" switch to off
- • This prevents new assignments while preserving the badge on students who already have it
- • If you absolutely must delete it, first remove the badge from all students who have it, then delete the badge
❌ Problem: Badge Not Appearing in Assignment Dropdown
Cause:
The badge is either inactive or already assigned to the student.
Solution:
- • Go to Settings → Badges and check if the badge is marked as "Active"
- • If inactive, edit the badge and toggle the "Active" switch to on
- • Check if the student already has this badge on their profile
- • Refresh the page and try again
❌ Problem: Badge Colors Not Displaying Correctly
Cause:
Invalid hex color code or browser caching issue.
Solution:
- • Ensure the color code is a valid hex format (e.g., #3B82F6, not 3B82F6)
- • Use the color picker instead of manually entering hex codes
- • Try refreshing the page (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R) to clear cache
- • Edit the badge and re-save it to force an update
❌ Problem: Cannot Reorder Badges with Drag-and-Drop
Cause:
Browser compatibility issue or JavaScript error.
Solution:
- • Use the arrow buttons (↑↓) next to each badge as an alternative
- • Try using a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
- • Ensure JavaScript is enabled in your browser
- • Check browser console for errors (F12 → Console tab)
- • Clear browser cache and reload the page
❌ Problem: Badge Icon Not Showing
Cause:
Icon exceeds 10 characters, unsupported emoji, or rendering issue.
Solution:
- • Ensure the icon is 10 characters or less
- • Use standard emojis that are widely supported (🏆 ⭐ 🎯 💪)
- • Avoid complex emoji combinations or skin tone modifiers
- • Test the emoji in the badge preview before saving
- • Leave the icon field empty if you prefer a solid color badge
❌ Problem: Cannot Access Badge Management Page
Cause:
Insufficient permissions. Only OWNER and SENSEI roles can manage badges.
Solution:
- • Verify your role in the club (check your profile or ask the club owner)
- • If you're a SEMPAI, you cannot manage badges—ask an OWNER or SENSEI for help
- • If you should have access, contact the club owner to verify your role assignment
- • Ensure you're logged in with the correct account
8. Related Features
The badge system works seamlessly with other DojoMaster features to provide comprehensive student recognition:
Student Enrollment & Management
View and manage student badges on individual student profiles. Badges appear prominently on student cards and detail pages.
Student Progress Tracking
Use badges as visual markers of student achievements alongside belt progression and stripe tracking.
User Roles & Permissions
Understand which roles can create, edit, and assign badges. Only OWNER and SENSEI have badge management access.
Dashboard Overview
View badge statistics and recent badge assignments on your dashboard for quick insights into student achievements.
Grading Event Setup and Execution
Award badges to students who achieve special recognition during grading events, such as "Outstanding Performance" or "Most Improved."
Staff and Instructor Management
Manage which instructors have permission to create and assign badges through role assignments.
Belt System Configuration
Understand how badges complement your belt system. Badges recognize achievements outside of rank progression.
Attendance Tracking
Use attendance data to identify students who deserve attendance-based badges like "Perfect Month" or "100 Classes."
9. Next Steps
Now that you understand the badge system, here's your action plan to implement badges in your club:
Plan Your Badge Categories
Decide what types of achievements you want to recognize. Consider achievement badges, attendance badges, character badges, competition badges, and milestone badges. Start with 5-10 core badges.
Create Your First Badges
Navigate to Settings → Badges and create your initial set of badges. Choose meaningful colors and icons that align with your club's values. Write clear descriptions so students understand what each badge represents.
Announce the Badge System
Introduce the badge system to your students and parents. Explain what badges are, how they can be earned, and why they're important. Consider creating a handout or announcement that lists all available badges and their criteria.
Award Your First Badges
Identify students who have already earned badges and assign them. Make badge awards special—consider announcing them in class or during belt ceremonies to maximize recognition and motivation.
Review and Refine
After a month, review your badge statistics. Are some badges too easy or too hard to earn? Are students motivated by the badges? Adjust your badge criteria, create new badges, or retire unused ones based on feedback.
Expand Your Badge Program
As your program matures, add seasonal badges, special event badges, or advanced achievement badges. Consider creating badge "collections" that students can work toward completing. Keep the system fresh and engaging!
Pro Tip: Make Badge Awards Special
Don't just silently assign badges in the system. Make badge awards a special moment! Announce them in class, present them during belt ceremonies, or create a "Badge Wall of Fame" in your dojo. The more recognition you give, the more motivated students will be to earn badges.