THE CBM METHOD
How we teach. Why it works. What makes EVX different from every other school in Atlanta.
This Isn't How Most Schools Teach.
Cognitive Behavioral Methods — CBM — draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a structured, evidence-based framework from psychology focused on the relationship between thought patterns, behaviors, and outcomes. Through his formal education in Coaching Psychology, Shihan Josh Moree studied these methods and applied them specifically to martial arts instruction. CBM at EVX is the practical application of established behavioral science to how we teach, how students build habits, and how skill development is structured inside the school.
CBM draws from three sources: Coaching Psychology, behavioral conditioning science, and deliberate practice research. It applies what behavioral scientists and performance coaches know about how humans actually learn — not how we assume they do — to the teaching of martial arts. The result is a training environment where information sticks, habits form correctly the first time, and students develop real capability rather than surface-level familiarity.
This is the reason EVX's curriculum emphasizes principle over style, deliberate repetition over volume, and feedback over correction. It is not incidental to the program. It is the program.
Built on Behavioral Science. Proven on the Mat.
Shihan Josh Moree holds an education in Coaching Psychology, through which he studied Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and its applications to human performance and behavior change. CBM at EVX is not a proprietary invention — it is the disciplined application of established behavioral science to martial arts instruction. What is distinctive about EVX is not that we created these methods, but that we actually use them — deliberately, consistently, and with formal instructor training built around them.
The CBM approach is built on three evidence-based foundations: Coaching Psychology, which provides proven frameworks for motivation, goal framing, and human performance; Behavioral Conditioning, which governs how habits are formed, reinforced, and corrected; and Deliberate Practice research, which determines how focused repetition with structured feedback produces genuine skill development.
Proven frameworks for motivation, goal framing, and developing competence under pressure.
The science of how habits form, how they are reinforced, and how they are corrected.
Research-backed frameworks for structured repetition, feedback cycles, and skill acquisition.
Five Pillars. Every Class.
Every EVX class — for every program, at every level — is built around five instructional pillars. These are operational practices that every EVX instructor is trained to deploy in every session.
Align & Motivate
Every class opens with clarity — why this technique matters, what success looks like, and what students are working toward. EVX instructors use Why-First Framing and Approach Goal Framing.
Capture & Focus
Attention is a finite resource. EVX instructors manage it actively using Cadence Control, Micro-Instruction, and the Attention Cycle — a structured loop of short teaching followed by practice.
Practice & Memory
Repetition alone does not build skill. EVX uses Modeling, Instant Recall, Spaced Reinforcement, Single-Point Correction, and Socratic Recall to ensure ownership.
Handle Hard Moments
Difficult situations on the mat are handled through a structured response framework. Non-Judgmental Observation, Calm Response, and Active Listening keep the environment focused.
Assist & Amplify
EVX instructors and senior students actively support the learning environment through Proactive Support and Reinforcement, raising the collective competence of the entire group.
You Learn Faster. You Retain More. You Actually Use It.
Information That Sticks
CBM's instructional structure — chunked delivery, immediate recall, spaced reinforcement — is specifically designed to move information from short-term exposure to long-term retention.
Habits Built Correctly
Behavioral conditioning science shows that incorrect habits formed early are significantly harder to replace than habits built correctly from the start. EVX's practices ensure the first reps are the right reps.
Skill That Transfers
The goal of CBM is not performance inside the school — it is capability outside of it. Every instructional decision is evaluated against: does this produce skill that works under real pressure?
Most Schools Teach. EVX Develops.
"Most martial arts instructors teach what they know. Very few teach with a deliberate framework for how human beings actually learn. The difference between a school that produces capable practitioners and one that produces people who have trained for years without developing real skill is almost always the quality of the instruction — not the curriculum."
CBM draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy — an established, evidence-based field of psychology. EVX does not claim to have invented it. What is rare is a martial arts school that takes it seriously enough to train its entire instructor corps in how to use it. That is the reason EVX instructors go through formal instructor development training before they teach. It is the reason feedback is given differently from correction at EVX.
Feedback Is Not the Same as Correction.
Direction from the Top Down
Correction is offered by higher ranks and leadership to guide and refine technique, behavior, or performance. At EVX, correction is always delivered with respect and clarity — never to shame, embarrass, or dominate.
Observations Shared Respectfully
Feedback can flow across all levels — when it is asked for and delivered constructively. A lower rank does not correct a higher rank, but may ask to share an observation. This keeps the EVX community open, honest, and focused on growth.
See It in Action.
Book a class or text us directly at 770.692.3977.