Keeping It Fun

Discussion in 'General Martial Arts Discussion' started by chrisb, Mar 12, 2002.

  1. chrisb

    chrisb New Member

    I am just opening a Karate school for kids ages 6-13 and I want to have some things, in addition to the traditional training, that will keep classes interesting and fun. Any suggestions would be appreciated.......Chris
     
  2. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Try to keep the warm ups fun, I've help teach the sort of age band your taking about and as well as the usual stretching/exercises (gotta be careful with kids) we have them play team games and tag as part of the warm up. You've got to break up the training though as kids get bored easy and will stop training (hold on, I've become commercial ;) ). Just remind them that to do the 'flashy' techniques the've got to master the basics.

    Good Luck

    p.s Just prepare yourself for an endless string of why's? and what ifs ? (Usually WWF inspired)
     
  3. Silver_no2

    Silver_no2 Avenging Angel

    Agree with what freeform has said (he is such a knowledgable chap!). A few games of Red Rover and British Bulldog are also a good idea. If you need to know the rules then give me a shout.

    Alternatively, if you can get some butterfly knives and have a few games of chicken I'm sure that the kids will love it! (It will sharpen their reactions loads as well!!)
     
  4. Chazz

    Chazz Keepin it kickin TKD style

    I teach that age group as well and ive found out that if you five them basic drills (kicking or punching ) and put it in a race format they like that as well. Every class i have someone comes up to me and says (Sir, Sir, can we race today?) *LOL*

    -Chazz
     
  5. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    I read an article in one of the martial arts press by an instructor who broke down his patterns into smaller patterns, gave them the name of pokemon and said that there was a noticable improvement in students being able to remember them.

    Just a thought.

    p.s I think kids are into Digimon know if you want to try this.
     
  6. Andy Murray

    Andy Murray Sadly passed away. Rest In Peace.

    Japanese have got a lot to answer for! lol
     
  7. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Ha! Begone you foul chinese stylist :)

    Only joking Andy, please don't poke me in the eye :eek:
     
  8. Cooler

    Cooler Keepin The Peace Supporter

    I agree with what everyone else has put forward here, keep the classes varied and fun as kids have a very short attention span. I have taught many kids and I have to say it is very hard work you really have to have the patience of a saint *LOL*

    Kids have a lot more energy than us poor adults so it is really important to release that energy during the warm up as this means they are more likely to stand still and take on board what you are teaching them.

    Cooler
     
  9. Andy Murray

    Andy Murray Sadly passed away. Rest In Peace.

    You mean tire the feckers out, so they will shut up and listen to you for ten seconds without having to be smacked round the lugholes?



    Kids aren't interested in the 'life changing' conceptual aspects of the arts. They come for the fun. Keep it fun and keep the kids. Free action figure with every lesson or something.....?
     
  10. chrisb

    chrisb New Member

    Freeform and Chazz, can you discribe the tag and race games? Also any other warm ups you would do with children that you wouldn't do with adults?
    Thanks for any help you may offer!
    Chrisb
    Chris Bacon
     
  11. Freeform

    Freeform Fully operational War-Pig Supporter

    Right, some of these games you won't be able to play if you aren't training on mats as there's the risk that the little tykes might fall and hurt themselves.

    British Bulldogs/Allover: Line them up at on one side of the hall/matt and the objective is to get to the other side. The obstacale being that someones going to stop them. Choose one or two kids to be 'out' (the people stopping them), these kids get to pick one kid who has to get past them to the otherside of the hall without getting caught. If the kid gets past them then all the kids get to run over at once with the people who're out still trying to catch them. If a kid is caught he/she joins the team who are catching.

    There's a couple of ways you can choose for them to catch him/her one is to have them lift the kid off the ground for a count (three, five however long you want) or what we do at Judo is have them pin them for a count (helps improve their pins/escapes).

    Keep doing this until their is no one left (or you could declare the last person 'alive' the winner, up to you).

    Khabari (I just know I've spelt that wrong): Two equal teams with half the area each as theirs. Each team takes it in turn to send someone into the other teams half. The objective is to tag someone and then run back to your own half without being tagged back (the other team aren't allowed to tag you untill you've tagged one of them). If the team tag you before you get back to your own half your 'out' (eliminated), but if you get back then the person you tagged is 'out'. Keep on going until one team is wiped out.

    Good Luck
     
  12. chrisb

    chrisb New Member

    Thank you Freeform! This is very helpful! Anyone else have any good games or warmups for these children?
    CBacon
     
  13. Chazz

    Chazz Keepin it kickin TKD style

    Ummm sure!
    Example: Kicking and punching drills
    (SIMPLE)

    Lets say that you have 4 students. Split them up into two groups. Mark off a distance for them to run. Send one person from each group to one end of the distance and the other student to the other end. Now you have a runner and a holder. Haver the holders sit in a horse stance (sitting stance) while holding a kicking mit out in front of them.

    WHEN YOU SAY GO:

    Both runners run to the middle of the running distance, get into a good (sitting stance) and punch an X amount of times. When the get done the run to where the holder is and does an X amount of front kicks or whatever kicks with the right leg. When done the runner runs back to the middle and does an X amount of punches while the holder goes to the other end of the running distance (where the runner forst started) and gets in a sitting stance and hold the mit again. The runner then runs to where the mit is and does the same amount of kicks with the left leg. when done the hand the mit off to the runner and the runner becomes the holder and it starts all over again.

    And the winner is the group that finishes first.

    -Chazz
     
  14. Joseki

    Joseki Valued Member

    As mad as it sounds once every now and then let them play bull dog its great fun but as freeform says you do need mats because you cant slow it down!!!! but you can do a tag verson that if they get taged when they ran by then they join in the group the only thing with this is that you must be ready for the moans of "no you didnt, yes i did"
     
  15. Chazz

    Chazz Keepin it kickin TKD style

    What is bull dog???
     
  16. Jack

    Jack Valued Member

    www.4kicks.com

    Has an awful lot of drills, a lot of them are orientated around kids too!

    Bulldog is the game of having one or more people standing in the middle of an area. The others have to get from one side to the opposite side, while these people in the middle, "bulldogs", have to catch and stop them. You can play it tag (simply touch the runners and they're out) or "Takedown" (taking them to the ground, more dangerous but possibly more beneficial for practicing Throws and takedowns?)
     

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