Advice - Taking a lesson

[KarateK]

Am sorry if this is in the wrong thread guys

Am taking my instructors award shortly and I need to take 2 lessons. One is a beginners session and the other basically a general lesson.

Just need some tips on keeping the kids interested and the adults challenged!! Whats a general good idea for a lesson plan that will get everyone involved? Or any tips etc - anything will help!!

[Aodhan]

Am sorry if this is in the wrong thread guys

Am taking my instructors award shortly and I need to take 2 lessons. One is a beginners session and the other basically a general lesson.

Just need some tips on keeping the kids interested and the adults challenged!! Whats a general good idea for a lesson plan that will get everyone involved? Or any tips etc - anything will help!!

Need to take? or teach?

How old the kids? The younger the child, the short the segment. For the kids I teach (6-9 y/o), I have no segment over 5 minutes long. For adults, no segment over 8 minutes.

Write out a class planner with all of your activities, and use it. Otherwise you'll spend 20 minutes going over something wihtout realizing it and miss out on later planned activities.

Here's a sample plan for a white/orange/yellow belt kids class. (We do what is called blocking, or teaching the same form to a group of ranks). Basic white belt form, first four moves are step into front stance, high block. Reverse punch. Rear leg front kick, land in front stance, low block.

:00 - :02 Line up, collect attendance cards, bow in

:02 - :10 Warmups - Punches, kicks, pushups, whatever.

:10 - :14 First four moves of form, progression style (Teach the high block, do 3 or 4 times, then add the reverse punch, do both 3-4 times, etc)

:14 - :18 New kicks in form (Front, round, side, reverse, whatever). You can do them by count (prep, kick, retract, down), or progression (1 kick, then 2, then 3, etc), or however you want to teach them.

:18 - :22 First four moves of form, partner sparring style. First partner punches, second one high blocks, reverse punches, then front kicks and low blocks. Switch.

:22 - :27 Muscle building exercises. Duck walks, squats, pushups, whatever.

:27 - :32 One step sparring combos (Our #1, white belt is High block, reverse punch, front punch, reverse punch)

:32 - :37 Form repetition, add challenges such as balance, timing, etc.

:37 - :42 Game (Ninja says, bat circle, whatever)

:42 - :45 Announcements, bow out.

In between each segment, have the kids run around. I usually start yelling "Everyone run to the back! Run to the front! Back! Run to the parents! Back! Yellow belts line up! Orange! White!"

Kids love to run around, and it completely erases any stray thoughts and they are ready to concentrate on the next segment.

Adults you can teach longer segments and more of a form, and make a longer class (Ours go 1 hour).

Hope that helps some!

Aodhan

[Sohan]

Aodhan,

I know this is a little off topic, but I have never understood how schools can get anything done in 45 minute classes, even for kids. We are just getting warmed up in that time, and we're not diddlying around. Forms alone take 30-35 minutes at least with another 30 minutes or so of 2 person work. Total time of around 2+ hours, more if anyone wants to stay after. We do this 3-4 times per week. Kids class is twice per week for an hour. It's a lot of time, but we feel it works for us.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[Aodhan]

Aodhan,

I know this is a little off topic, but I have never understood how schools can get anything done in 45 minute classes, even for kids. We are just getting warmed up in that time, and we're not diddlying around. Forms alone take 30-35 minutes at least with another 30 minutes or so of 2 person work. Total time of around 2+ hours, more if anyone wants to stay after. We do this 3-4 times per week. Kids class is twice per week for an hour. It's a lot of time, but we feel it works for us.

Respectfully,

Sohan

We have kids classes almost every day. If you are structured and follow the same approach, you would be surprised how much you get done in 45 minutes. (Plus, that's about the longest most kids will seriously pay attention in the 6-9 year old range.)

We run an 8-10 week cycle. The basic class I teach usually has about 24-30 kids. They usually have the form and the two one steps down by the fourth week, then we spend the next four working on the technique, refining timing, etc.

Same for adults. Our longest color belt form is 45 moves. Adults can solidly learn about 8-10 moves a class period, so we still get the entire form taught in the first 4 weeks, then work on technique and refinement. Adult classes run an hour, 6 days a week.

Aodhan

[Rateh]

For kids our beginner classes are 30 mins, our intermediate are 45, and are advanced are 1 hr. The classes run 4 days a week, and we encourage students to go at least 3 of the four days. There are three basic things i focus on in beginner classes...basics, takedowns, and kicks. I usually do one a day, sometimes i do two in one day. Basically you just dont do everything every day, but if you come 3 days a week, you will go over everything at least once a week. When i take the attendance, we dont do cards, i put a letter instead of an x for here. K means we did kicks, F means we did forms, S means sparring, etc. This is how I can keep track of who has learned what, so that I dont keep teaching the same things to the same kids, and missing things. Oh and our class sizes are small, average beginner class is 10 kids, intermediate is 5, and advanced is 12. At least right now, it fluctuates of course.

Sorry for the rambling.

[MartialArthur]

Aodhan,

I know this is a little off topic, but I have never understood how schools can get anything done in 45 minute classes, even for kids. We are just getting warmed up in that time, and we're not diddlying around. Forms alone take 30-35 minutes at least with another 30 minutes or so of 2 person work. Total time of around 2+ hours, more if anyone wants to stay after. We do this 3-4 times per week. Kids class is twice per week for an hour. It's a lot of time, but we feel it works for us.

I agree with Aodan, if you plan the class well and keep it moving it's amazing what can be accomplished in 45 minutes. Our kid's classes are 45 minutes (4 classes/day, 6 days a week), and our adult classes are one hour. We work them so hard that they are typically exhausted at the end of class.

[KarateK]

Thanks all

As a small club we have a lesson with varied ages and levels. its hard to find a mix and I agree with Sohan that its hard to cram everything into an hour lesson. Especially with the mix of people we have.

I appreciate all your comments and just hope I can do a good job!!

[Sohan]

Aodhan,

I know this is a little off topic, but I have never understood how schools can get anything done in 45 minute classes, even for kids. We are just getting warmed up in that time, and we're not diddlying around. Forms alone take 30-35 minutes at least with another 30 minutes or so of 2 person work. Total time of around 2+ hours, more if anyone wants to stay after. We do this 3-4 times per week. Kids class is twice per week for an hour. It's a lot of time, but we feel it works for us.

Respectfully,

Sohan

We have kids classes almost every day. If you are structured and follow the same approach, you would be surprised how much you get done in 45 minutes. (Plus, that's about the longest most kids will seriously pay attention in the 6-9 year old range.)

We run an 8-10 week cycle. The basic class I teach usually has about 24-30 kids. They usually have the form and the two one steps down by the fourth week, then we spend the next four working on the technique, refining timing, etc.

Same for adults. Our longest color belt form is 45 moves. Adults can solidly learn about 8-10 moves a class period, so we still get the entire form taught in the first 4 weeks, then work on technique and refinement. Adult classes run an hour, 6 days a week.

Aodhan

Our kids class is only Tues and Saturday. We are considering a third class on Thursday. So you obviously meet more frequently than we do.

But I really don't see how you can give enough attention to 30 kids in 45 minutes. In my class I spend at least a few minutes with some of the kids individually while the rest of the class is working on a drill or form. Our class is quite structured and complete, and I feel my kids have very good techniques. Perhaps we cover more material than your class does.

These kids certainly don't seem to loss focus by the end of the hour, rather they seem surprised that class is over so quickly.

As for adults, I have done hour long classes. I'm just getting warmed up by the end of an hour. But then, we study three systems, too, and our classes meet 4 times per week (including advanced class). So we spend 8-10 hrs in class training per week vs. 6 for you guys (though I'm sure nobody attends every one of ours or yours). I'd personally rather make fewer trips to the dojo and have longer workouts, though many of us practice on our own as well.

Respectfully,

Sohan

[jnpnshr411]

Aodhan,

I know this is a little off topic, but I have never understood how schools can get anything done in 45 minute classes, even for kids. We are just getting warmed up in that time, and we're not diddlying around. Forms alone take 30-35 minutes at least with another 30 minutes or so of 2 person work. Total time of around 2+ hours, more if anyone wants to stay after. We do this 3-4 times per week. Kids class is twice per week for an hour. It's a lot of time, but we feel it works for us.

Respectfully,

Sohan

Yes in my school we stay two hours but after we end a ew of us stay up to 1-2 hours more

[KarateK]

Just thought would say thanks again for the help. First lesson Thursday night. Let me know what you think of this plan. Bearing in mind this lesson is generally kids, and is up to 5th Kyu Blue belt Shukokai. I know the techniques etc wont be the same but here goes.

10-15 mins warm up, general stretching - running around etc.

Moxo meditation

10 mins basic blocks, strikes and kicks, moving up and down dojo in different stances

20 mins on focus mitt routine. Different combination of strikes and kicks

10 mins sparring

10-15 mins on kata, getting different grades up at a time going throught their kata

Last 10 mins padwork game - two teams running up to pad and do face punch. First team with everyone back wins, other team press ups!! (Seems to go down well with kids usually)

Moxo meditation then announcements

Any suggestions welcome x