Children's Curriculum
Teaching kids traditional forms, especially multiple forms, can be very difficult for everyone involved. This is not to say that forms don’t have value, but your curriculum is how you package the forms. Going back to the recipe analogy, a good curriculum is like a healthy, tasty, enriching meal that you look forward to, while a poorly designed one is as attractive as a plate full of broccoli to the average kid. It’s good for you, but it’s hard to get down.
Take a look at the following two curriculums.
Curriculum 1
White to Orange (four months)
Traditional Karate
1. Down block-Lunge punch
2. High block
3. Forearm block
4. Side block
5. Reverse advance
6. Knifehand block
7. Front stance
8. Back stance
9. Horse stance
Strikes
1. Front kick
2. Back kick
3. Side kick
4. Round kick
5. Backfist
6. Reverse punch
Traditional form – Chonji
Orange to Green (four months)
Strikes
1. Low – High kick
2. Spin back kick
3. Jump front Kick
Six one steps
Two forms – Tan Gun & Pyungdan Shodan
Free sparring
Green to Blue
Strikes
1. Hook kick
2. Jump round kick
3. Jump side kick
Six one steps
Two forms – To San & Pyungdan Nidan
Two-on-one sparring
Blue to 4th Brown
Strikes
1. Jump spin back kick
2. Crescent kick
Six one steps
Multiple sparring
Board Breaks
1. Round kick – two boards
2. Reverse punch – two boards (women could use a palm heel)
3. Running jump side kick over two people – three boards
Two forms – Won Hyo & Pyungdan
Samdan
4th Brown to 3rd Brown
Two forms – Tai Gyi & Pyungdan Sadan
Three creative* one steps
Two creative board breaks
Third Brown to Second Brown
Two forms – Hwarang & Pyungdan Odan
Three creative one steps
Two creative board breaks
2nd Degree to 1st Brown
Two forms – Chogi & Chung Moo
Three creative one steps
Two creative board breaks
First Brown to First Black Belt
Two forms – Batsai & Kwan Gae
Three creative one steps
Two creative board breaks
*Creative means the students make it up.
Curriculum 2
White to Gold (two months)
Blocks
1. Left cover
2. Right cover
3. Left trap
4. Right trap
5. Left down sweep
6. Right down sweep
Strikes
1. Front kick
2. Back kick
3. Jab
4. Reverse punch
5. Elbow #1
6. Elbow #2
Gold to Orange
Strikes
1. Front leg round kick
2. Side kick
3. Hook punch
4. Uppercut
5. Elbow #3
6. Elbow #4
Combinations 1 – 3
Fighting Form
Orange to Green
Strikes
1. Low-high kick
2. Spin back kick
3. Jump front kick
Traditional Karate
1. Front stance
2. Back stance
3. Down block
4. High block
5. Side block
Sparring – blocking contact only
Green to Blue
Strikes
1. Hook kick
2. Jump round kick
3. Jump side kick
Traditional Karate
1. Forearm block
2. Knifehand block
3. Reverse advance
Sparring – body contact only
Blue to 4th Brown
Traditional form – Tosan
Strikes
Jump spin back kick
Sparring – light contact kickboxing
Fourth Brown to Third Brown
Traditional form – Tai Gyi
Three kumites (traditional combinations)
Sparring – light contact kickboxing
3rd Brown to 2nd Brown
Traditional form – Hwarang
Three creative kumites
2nd Brown to 1st Brown
Traditional form – Chung Moo
Three creative kumites
1st Brown to 1st Black Belt
Traditional form – Kwan gae
Three creative kumites
If you look at curriculum 1, we can see some common problems:
1. The program is front loaded.
It has far more requirements in the early ranks than in the advanced ranks. Typically, this overwhelms white belts and bores brown and black belts. This is a classic pyramid curriculum, as you can see in figure 2. The majority of the material is at the lower levels, and it tapers off as the student moves up in rank. We prefer to see more of an even column, as illustrated in figure 2. This lessens the amount of material required for the new student, which means they will have more time to improve on fewer techniques.
This gives the student a higher sense of competence, and competence leads to confidence. When someone feels they are “getting it” in the early stages, they develop a momentum that keeps them coming to class. When they feel they are not “getting it” or not very good at it, they find excuses not to continue. Have you ever had a student drop out and tell you that he or she is too much of a perfectionist to continue? This is a student who takes pride in doing things right, but your recipe made it too hard, so they quit.
2. The focus is almost 100-percent traditional material.
Traditional material is not immediately practical enough to hold the interest of the modern student. I like to give students, especially new students, material they feel they can use right away. When a new student joins your school to learn self defense, and in the first class you spend most of the time on front stance, down block, and horse stance punching, that student may not see the instant value they were looking for. The sooner the student feels they have something they can use, the sooner he or she feels value in the effort. Too often, we start with techniques that are theory-based rather than reality-based. We end up saying things like, “You would never really block this way, but…”
3.People like to do what they are good at, and traditional martial arts are hard to learn.
This is not to say you should drop your traditional material, but rather rework the recipe.
4.There are far more forms than necessary.
Remember, it was not uncommon for a traditional instructor in the East to teach only one form. Everything in class was built around that form. This curriculum requires 17 forms for black belt. Some ranks required three forms. That is simply too much for the average student to master. Three forms in one belt cycle is not reasonable or productive.
The Typical Martial Arts Curriculum Design Flaw
The MATA Curriculum Concepts Example
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This program contains a variety of ideas and useful information; since the design of your curriculum is a subject not to be taken lightly, we suggest you read through the manual first and take action second.
The MATA Children’s Curriculum operates under the principle that less is best. At the core of this curriculum is an age-specific program with emphasis on quality practice, technique, attitude, and education.
Some people will find this useful in its entirety; others may use only bits and pieces. The objective of implementing the curriculum is to teach children what children need and not what adults need.
Children need to be taught in a manner that builds their self-image and teaches them patience, focus, self-discipline and many other qualities that will help them become functional, successful adults.
We believe that this program will serve as a catalyst for the improvement of your children’s program, thus increasing the quality of your school’s instruction and the overall standards for martial arts education worldwide. Not only will your children enjoy classes more, but you’ll find teaching this program to be a much easier and enjoyable experience.
MATA Children’s Curriculum
Theme: “Pads, Jump Kicks and Sport Weaponry Training”
This curriculum introduces some new and exciting concepts to elicit enthusiasm and renew interest. Mitt, paddle and shield striking teach students to apply, with power, the techniques they’ve learned in the last 2 levels.
In addition, the art of holding pads is taught, which frees the instructor up for easier class supervision. Young students take to the air at Level 3, learning their first jump kicks.
Padded weapons training let’s the imagination take charge as children learn the basic strikes and blocks using short and long padded swords.
Again, this level’s curriculum is not only designed to teach techniques, but also to teach how to train –with energy, enthusiasm and efficiency.
Equipment Needed By Student: Padded weaponry (optional). Judo Uniform Top (optional). Gloves to protect the hands while punching.
Curriculum Overview:
The Art of Holding Mitts, Paddle and Shield ! Punching and Kicking the mitts, paddle and shield ! Pad Line Drills ! Jump Front Kick ! Sport Warrior Training, Level 1 ! Public Speaking: The Student Creed
Pad Work
How to hold the mitts, paddle and kicking shield Basic kicks to paddles and shields
Kicking line drills
Combo #1 — to the mitts, adding roundhouse-kick
(Left, right, hook, elbow, bob & weave, 2 blocks, 2 body shots, roundhouse
kick.)
How to hold the various pads used in martial arts training is skill unto itself. Having a good pad holder increases the intensity and realism of a workout, and reduces the chances of injuries. Learning to do pad-kicking line drills is a lesson in training skills and teamwork. Combo #1, with an added roundhouse kick, polishes the skills the student has learned in levels 1 and 2.
Kicking
Running Jump Front Kick
Running Jump Side Kick
Creative Combination Kicks (5-kick combos using known kicks, finishing with a double punch)
Children love to run, jump and kick. Creative kicking combinations allow students to exercise their personal creativity while practicing their basic kicks.
Self Defense Training
Portal of Safety Drills, Using the Padded Sword
Students combine their skills and the use of the padded weapons to practice a new and more advance form of “scenario based” training.
Sport Weaponry Training
Basic Strikes Basic Blocks
Martial Arts Philosophy
I Can Always do Better Than I Think I Can Independent Training
“I can always do better than I think I can.” This philosophy is basic, but a vital one for children to know. Easily proven using a high kick and target, this concept is a great one to have your young students recite.
The concept of Independent Training is where a student is taught to train on his or her own, without direct supervision, while at the same time putting out maximum energy.
Introduction
When the teacher asks the children, “What is the biggest room in the world?” the well-trained students will respond, “the room for improvement.”
The MATA Children’s Curriculum was born out of the idea that there is room for improvement in what and how we teach the martial arts to children.
In many cases this approach works. In many other cases, it does not. The outcome is far too many children miss out on the benefits derived from the long-term study of the martial arts. They drop out of classes because they grow bored with the program or some reason akin to it.
The actual numbers are not known, but it is a fair estimate that ninety percent of the children who enroll in martial arts classes fail to continue their study to the rank of first-degree black belt.
The martial arts instructor often blames this problem on the children for their lack of discipline and perseverance, but the truth is, self-discipline and perseverance are exactly what we’re supposed to be teaching them. These goals we can’t accomplish unless our students stick around long enough to learn the lessons.
The MATA Children’s Curriculum was designed to be fun for children as well as to enrich their lives with its powerful benefits.
As we were developing the curriculum we asked ourselves, “What do children in today’s world really need and how can the martial arts fulfill those needs?”
The MATA Children’s Curriculum is simplistic yet diverse in its approach to a number of innovative concepts that nurture, entertain and motivate children.
We also designed it to be easy to teach. It is strong enough to stand on its own or it can be integrated into any children’s system.
For the teacher, the curriculum serves as a foundation upon which to teach and build basic skills. It did not originate from any one style nor does it owe a debt to any particular individual.
It is not any specific style; it is simply “martial art.” It is a tool to help schools increase student retention with a fun, effective, and above all else, educational approach.
It contains lessons in intensity, manners, anger management, non-violent conflict resolution, anatomy and physiology, history, goal setting, public speaking, teaching, and team building.
MATA calls this approach to balancing education and technique an “education-based curriculum.” Remember this phrase, as it will be a key selling point for your children’s courses.
An education-based curriculum is one that rests on a foundation of education above tradition, technique, countries of origin, above all else. What we place as the number-one priority on the list (and hope you will, too) is the quality of education for children participating in your programs.
The MATA Children’s Curriculum grew from a need to improve upon what and how we teach children the martial arts today. After all, it is today’s young students who will carry the martial arts and its potential for self-improvement, empowerment and personal transformation into the future.
Quality vs. Quantity
The MATA Children’s Curriculum is based on the concept that less is best. Fewer requirements for testing allows instructors more time to focus on the quality of techniques, and frees them from the burden of having to teach a large quantity of material.
Theme-Based Curriculum
A theme-based curriculum is a MATA concept for teaching the martial arts to children. The reason our children’s program is so effective is that the focus for the instructor is far less technique-based than method-based.
The major challenge for the instructor in teaching a children’s program is he or she has to squeeze in so many forms, techniques, one-steps, kata, self- defense and sparring techniques that the students rarely get good at any of them.
There are so many requirements to fulfill that the student becomes discouraged and the instructor often burns out. It’s a simple matter of mathematics, really. All students have finite practice time available.
The more techniques they have to spread their practice time over, the less each technique will be practiced. The result is mediocre technique and a frustrated student.
MATA’s theme-based curriculum reverses the process. The program allows the student to apply strong basics in a wide variety of methods. The instructor will find fewer physical techniques being required, but will also find the techniques taught will be practiced and perfected.
Simply put, the fewer techniques the student has to practice, the more time she can spend on each technique.
For illustrative purposes, imagine student A is required to learn 100 techniques while student B is required to learn just ten. Over a given period of time, student B would have practiced ten times as many repetitions for the required techniques than student A. That’s a huge difference!
Who is going to have a stronger sense of competence? This method also allows the instructor the time and flexibility to introduce the key personal development skills the MATA Children’s Curriculum is pioneering into the classroom.
The idea is that each belt level’s curriculum follows a new an interesting topic, or theme, with a different subject matter and feel than the level before it.
Level One-The Basics
The Basics is the level where the basic fundamentals are taught.
Level Two-Partner Training
In partner training, students learn and practice their techniques with a teammate. In these two levels the techniques differ only slightly, but the method with which they are practiced brings a whole new flavor, feeling and purpose to the material.
Level Three-Pad Power
The third level is Pad Power. Level three provides an opportunity for the instructor to review and polish the techniques learned during level one and two training. The idea is one half of class time can be used to review the fundamentals, while the other half gives children a chance to have fun with bag work, jump kicks and padded weapons practice.
The bulk of student dropouts occur within the first 100 classes. A theme-based curriculum addresses this problem with a fun, creative approach and simple rank requirements. Each level of the 12 ranks from white belt to black belt have a different theme.
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[op_liveeditor_element][text_block]After designing your new curriculum, list the requirements for each level on handouts, posters, or on your website.
Post it in the classroom during that level’s particular class.
First, this would provide a highly visible guideline for all of the people teaching or helping to teach.
Second, it would allow all the children in class to see how that day’s instruction relates to the curriculum and thus to their upcoming exam.
Finally, it would allow the parents to become familiar with their child’s testing requirements, thus encouraging their involvement in the instructional progress.
WHITE BELT Theme: The Basics
LINE-UPS
Before Class
Bow-in
Junior/Senior Line & Stagger
Long-Step Line-Up
POWER POSITIONS
Attention Position
Bow
Polite Greeting
Self Defense Stance
Guarding Stance
ANGER MANAGEMENT
10 Deep Breaths
Cool Down
DEFENSE
Four-Corner Blocking
HANDS
Jab
Cross
Elbows
KICKING
Knee Attack
Front Kick
GROUND WORK
Rolling
Break Fall
Stand Up
FORMS
Form #1
PHILOSOPHY
The 3 Rules of Concentration
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[op_liveeditor_element data-style=””][text_block style=”undefined” align=”left”]The success of the children’s curriculum is totally dependent on how well you manage the transition of introducing the program.
Changes dictated from the master instructor to the students are often met with resistance, confusion, and in the case of parents, resentment and unhappiness.
Parents want success for their children. When the instructor suddenly changes the requirements for rank or advancement, some parents will feel their child has “wasted time” learning the previous material.
Start the transition by presenting it to the leadership team. The introduction of new material to the leadership team will be exciting and appreciated. Not only will the leadership team enjoy the process, but the instructor will have an opportunity to work out how he or she wants to present the material.
The new curriculum first begins with the white belt students. Since they know the least amount of material, it will not be a “change” to them. The material will simply follow them up the ranks.
For the current under-ranks, begin to introduce elements of the new program, but they should not be made requirements until the instructor is confident that the school is comfortable with the material.
Portions of the old material can then be phased out and replaced with the new material over the course of the next few exams.
The general rule of thumb is the shorter a period of time the student has been in the school, the more receptive he is to change.
Conversely, the upper-ranking students are used to a certain methodology and the fact they are still students indicates they enjoy it. The upper ranks are in the school because they like the way things are; they are most sensitive to change.
Often the best strategy is to recruit them, much like the leadership team, into the process.
Although it can be expected that the upper ranks may have emotionally driven responses at first, given time and a well-managed transition, everyone will begin to enjoy the benefits of what is being taught, especially how it is being taught.[/text_block][/op_liveeditor_element]
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Level 2 – 2 to 3 months Partner Training
Level 3 – 2 to 3 months Pad Power, Air Force & Padded Weapons
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Level 1: The Basics
Duration: 1 1/2 to 2 months
Overview: Procedural training; basics geared towards self-defense and away from traditional stances and hand positions; solid intro of specific mindset and attitudes of respect, courtesy and success.
Level 2: Partner Training
Duration: 2 to 3 months
Overview: How to train with a partner; more boxing/practical skills taught; grappling introduced.
Level 3: Pad Power
Duration: 2 to 3 months
Overview: How to work the pads and work as a team; public speaking; light on curriculum; jump kicks and weapons part of a motivation program to build enthusiasm.
Level 4: Sparring Games
Duration: 3 to 4 months
Overview: Good sportsmanship and leadership skills.
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At level one, students learn the Polite Greeting, make the distinction between self-defense (defensive tactics) and sparring (sport), learn two anger-management techniques and are introduced to their first scenario-based self-defense situation called the Cool Down.
Technically, they learn simple but effective blocks, hand techniques that become an effective combination, and kicks. They also learn to roll, perform a side break fall and learn how to safely stand up from a fallen position. For easy practice and testing, the entire curriculum is put together into a form that logically progresses from one movement to the next.
The emphasis at this level is not so much about what is practiced but the how, where and why of practice. The instructor also encourages the student to engage in the positive learning-friendly behaviors they are being taught in the dojo later at home and school.
Curriculum Overview:
- Attention position
- Bow/Salutation
- Polite greeting
- Self-defense stance
- Sparring/Fighting stance
- Jab
- Cross
- Hook
- Uppercut
- Elbows
- Knee Attack
- Front Kick
- Rolling
- Side Break Fall
- Standing from the ground
- 10 Count (Counting from 1 to 10 (and taking 10 deep breaths) to get a handle on anger is one of the easiest and most basic techniques for anger management.)
- Cool Down (Learning to take a “cool down” to avoid escalating a tense situation.)
- Setting Verbal Boundaries
Form #1
- The 3 Rules of Concentration (Focus Your Eyes. Focus Your Mind. Focus your Body.)
- Practice: How, What & Why
- *Suggested for older children, ages 8 and up.
- Self-Defense/Anger Management
- 10 Count
- Cool Down
- Setting Verbal Boundaries
Counting from 1 to 10 (and taking 10 deep breaths) to get a handle on anger is one of the easiest and most basic techniques for anger management. Learning to take a “cool down” to avoid escalating a tense situation is a very powerful tool as well. Both of these techniques and the practice of “easy defense verbal boundary drills” lend themselves to a fun kind of role-playing that young students will benefit from and enjoy practicing.
- Stances and Positions
- Attention
- Bow
- Polite greeting
- Self-defense stance
- Sparring stance
The “attention” position not only helps an instructor to exercise some control in the classroom, but it also helps a student to understand and practice the ideas of self-control, focus and concentration.
The “bow” is implemented to emphasize the need for creating a respectful relationship between instructor and student and to manifest the idea of respect for self and others.
The “polite greeting” teaches a much needed and valuable social skill that not only builds confidence, but is also the cornerstone of good manners and sophisticated social behavior.
By making a distinction between a stance for self-defense and a stance for sparring/fighting, an instructor has the opportunity to teach a critical lesson in the importance of body language in communication. In addition, it allows a distinction to be made between the rules of personal protection, versus those used in martial arts competition.
- Defense
- Four-corner blocking
Taking a practical approach to defense before teaching the more “classic” forms of martial arts blocking allows a student to learn something they can quickly absorb and then easily apply.
Teaching this type of blocking lends itself to the use of “blockers” in training and quickly builds a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
- Hands (using fists & palms)
- Jab
- Cross
- Elbows
Like the defense techniques, the hand techniques taught at this level are practical and easily applicable in a self-defense situation. They also allow the instructor to use hand-held mitts to facilitate the development of speed, power, timing and application.
By teaching students to strike with the palms as well as the fists, one reduces the opportunity for knuckle and wrist injuries when striking bags or mitts.
- Kicking
- Knee attack
- Front kick
Along the line of the “easy defense” philosophy, the first two kicks required at level one are both easy to learn and easy to apply.
- Ground
- Rolling
- Side Break Fall
- Standing from the ground
If taught properly and performed on a safe surface, rolling and falling can be fun to teach and fun to do. Learning to stand from a fallen position is an often overlooked but very practical technique. The “side break fall” and the “standing from the ground” position are recommended for ages 8 and older.
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At Level 2, students expand their training awareness beyond themselves, learning to work and perform with a partner.
New techniques introduced include hook punches, footwork, side and round kicks, and basic grappling positions.
Philosophically, students learn how to improve their personal performance by using the “1 to 10 Rating Scale” and the idea of creating “competition.” The basics of goal setting and achievement are taught via the “Black Belt Success System.”
Curriculum Overview
Blocking w/Counter Punching
Slide-Step (Forward & Back)
Full Step (Forward & Back)
Combo #1 (Left, right, hook, elbow, bob & weave, 2 blocks, 2 body shots)
Side Kick – rear leg and slide
Roundhouse Kick – rear leg & slide
Mount
Guard
Side-Control
Holding the Mount, Holding the Guard, Holding Side Control.
Rating on a scale of 1 to 10
Defense
After each defensive movement, a student learns how to throw an immediate counterattack. Paired up, one student learns to throw convincing attacks, while the other student practices blocking and countering.
Footwork
Slide-Step (Forward & Back)
Full Step (Forward & Back)
Learning basic footwork helps a student to have more mobility. Performed with a partner, footwork drills teach students to mirror and then surpass the speed of their partners, and they safely create a heightened awareness of distance and timing.
Hands (Using Fists or Palms)
Combo #1 (Left, right, hook, elbow, bob & weave, 2 blocks, 2 body shots, roundhouse kick).
Combo #1 is a natural and practical combination of movements that include striking, body movement, blocking, kicking and footwork. This combination lends itself to the instructor holding the hand-held mitts for the students.
Legs
Side Kick — rear leg and slide
Roundhouse Kick – rear leg & slide
The side and round kicks, taught with both the rear and lead legs, expand a student’s repertoire of techniques.
Ground
Mount
Guard
Side-Control
Grappling Drills: Holding the Mount, Holding the Guard, holding Side Control.
The basics of controlling someone on the ground give young students an easy and fun opportunity to become comfortable with grappling. The three positions also allow for a wide variety of creative control-and-escape Grappling Drills.
Martial Arts Philosophy
Rating on a scale of 1 to 10
Students who, while training, develop the habit of rating their performance on a scale from 1 to 10, with level 10 being the ultimate goal, have the ability to increase their ability faster than those who are unaware of the level at which they’re operating.
A Healthy competition is what happens between training partners and classmates when they try to out-do each other. It’s a “healthy” competition because both parties encourage each other in a positive way–rather than in a negative way.
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- Reviewing Your Level 1 Curriculum?
- Know the Date of Your Next Exam?
- Have a Chores List at Home?
- Room Clean at Home?
- Practicing a Minimum of 10 Minutes a Day?
- Know What’s Coming in Level 3?
- How to Make-Up Missed Classes
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Prior to the Exam
Parents turn in Intent to Promote forms. Students arrive to the exam in clean and pressed uniforms with their belts tied properly and school patches in place. Students also have gym-bags containing their personal items such as clothes and shoes, water bottles and any materials instructor requires for their participation in regular classes.
Exam Requirements
The idea behind “Partner Training” is that every aspect of the test is performed by the students in pairs. The instructor evaluates how well students perform in unison with their partners as well as the quality of interaction between each pair.
Students are able to “line up” in pairs quickly and efficiently in straight lines and the proper utilization of the floor space available.
Student’s are able to perform the “form” from the Level 1 curriculum, exactly together and without a count from the instructor. They are able to stay together on the Four-Corner Blacking w/ counter drill and the footwork, while facing each other.
Younger children perform the Combo #1 with an instructor holding the punching mitts, older children hold for each other. The students should face each other for kicking and be able to kick back and forth with a considerable amount of intensity and interaction.
The grappling positions are all performed in pairs and the children are expected to be able to hold the control positions for a reasonable amount of time while their partner struggles to escape. Students then recite the “Black Belt Success System” and are able to explain the concepts.
Instructor calls two or more children out of the testing group to “compete” against each other in intensity, speed and precision. The instructor addresses the children and audience briefly about the power and value of a “rating one’s self on a scale from 1 to 10.”
Instructor then inquires whether each participant’s room is clean (if the student’s room isn’t clean, they can get their new belt, but they can’t wear it until they’ve cleaned their room thoroughly), congratulates students, awards their belts and dismissed the group.
Approximate Test Timeline
2 Minutes Students Line up and bow in.
2 Minutes Form #1 without a count.
5 Minutes Four Corner Blocking w/Counters
5 Minutes kicking
5 Minutes grappling
2 Minutes Black Belt Success System
2 Minutes Wrap-up.
Total time: 23 Minutes.
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Level 3 is fun. We introduce new and exciting concepts to elicit enthusiasm and renew interest. Mitt, paddle and shield striking teach students to apply, with power, the techniques they’ve learned in the last 2 levels.
In addition, holding pads is taught, which frees the instructor up for easier class supervision. Young students take to the air at Level 3, learning their first jump kicks.
Padded weapons training let’s the imagination take charge as children learn the basic strikes and blocks using short and long padded swords.
Again, this level’s curriculum is not only designed to teach techniques, but also to teach how to train –with energy, enthusiasm and efficiency.
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Prior to the Exam
Parents turn in Intent to Promote forms.
Students arrive to the exam in clean and pressed uniforms with their belts tied properly and school patches in place. Students also have gym-bags containing their personal items such as clothes and shoes, water bottles and any materials instructor requires for their participation in regular classes.
The Exam Requirements
For Pad Power, Air Force and Padded Weapons the subjects are hitting the bags, mitts and paddles, doing jump kicks and using the padded weapons. For the test, the padded weapons could easily be omitted, as the bag work and jump kicks offer plenty of material for the students to perform.
The spirit if this exam is teamwork. The children should know exactly how to hold the various pads and how to make the line drills work efficiently and dynamically. They should then be able to perform the required jump kicks as a class, with little or no direction from the instructors present at the exam.
The teacher asks one or more of the students to “spotlight” in front of the group the public speaking aspect of the curriculum (either the student creed or some other speech designated by the instructor).
Approximate Test Timeline
2 Minutes Students Line up and bow in.
10 Minutes Striking the bags, mitts and paddles in teams
7 Minutes Jump Kicks
5 Minutes Public Speaking
2 Minutes Wrap-up.
Total time: 26 Minutes.
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In “Sparring Games” we refine previously learned skills and develop newly acquired skills on three levels, physical, mental and emotional.
On a physical level, we’re teaching young people how to apply their defense and to initiate and counter attack using their recently learned punches and kicks.
Mentally they’re learning about the arts of quick decision-making, multi-task management, flexibility, adaptability and strategy.
Emotionally they’re learning about anger management, mental toughness and good sportsmanship. This level is called “sparring games” because we stress the difference between sparring and self-defense.
Children understand what games are and know that playing them requires certain rules, but in self-defense the same rules and sportsmanship do not necessarily apply.
This level allows instructors to teach the various elements of safety and sportsmanship needed to make sparring enjoyable and safe. It also allows an instructor to work on a myriad of other skills and concepts that directly apply to children’s everyday lives, such as physical, mental and emotional self-control, focus, concentration and mental agility.
Some children take to sparring games immediately, while others begin with some trepidation. The key to teaching sparring, at least in the beginning stages, is to allow children to take it slowly. If they have the choice and flexibility to participate at a level they feel capable of, they’ll eventually enjoy playing the game.
The contest rules can vary depending on the instructor’s preferences and the age, size, experience and maturity of the children involved. Instructors must teach legal targets, point scoring, defense and how to use the ring or mat —depending, of course, on what kind of game is being played.
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