On the latest episode of the Black Belt Business Podcast, Eliot is joined by Easton Training Center's Director of Kids Martial Arts, Jordan Shipman, and Director of Marketing, Michael Phipps to discuss how Easton runs its Kids Martial Arts programs and give some tips to help improve your Kid’s Jiu Jitsu program. 

So what’s the secret sauce that has kept Easton’s Kids Martial Arts Program growing at such a steady rate over the years?

Based on over two decades of research, trial and error, we’ve found what works for us, and we believe that any kids program can benefit from these practices.

The primary ingredient is play. You have to make it fun for the kids. We don’t mean like obstacle courses that trick them into learning Jiu Jitsu – we mean engaging with them in a way that gamifies Jiu Jitsu. 

This can look like anything from technique-based games to call-and-response moments in class, like when teaching a technique,  to making up silly songs to help them remember moves. (Who has the Clean Up song burned into their brains?) 

 Make it an experience that they never want to miss. Pretend that their wrestling rounds are a match you bought tickets too and you want to see who wins. It can be anything, what counts is the energy you bring. 

Be big, be loud, and you’ll show them how big they can be.

Addressing different ages groups

The first thing you want to do in your kids program is make sure you have two different age levels. The range between four to 13, the most common age range for a kids program, encompasses a vast degree of developmental stages.

Four-year olds are at a completely different point in their development than 12–year olds and this is reflected in how you teach.

At Easton, we have the Tigers level for ages 7-13 and Little Tigers for 4-7 year olds. After 13, depending on their size and skill level, teens may choose to begin taking adult classes.

Different class levels are important not just for safety purposes, but also for the instructors to understand what sort of aid to give the students. Easton academies break down classes by rank for drilling, and then train with people of all skill levels at their size.

Energy

The way you speak to an 11-year old is much different than how you speak to a 6-year old. This gets reflected in everything from the language you use to the energy you bring.

Kids at Little Tigers’ age tend to reflect what you put out. If you want an energetic class, you  have to bring it. Hype yourself up, drink some coffee (or 8), we don’t care – just bring your most pumped self so you can pump up the kids.

Watching an energetic class of little kids is an entirely different experience than a class of shy, scared ones. While some kids are more shy than others, it’s ultimately on you to make the difference. 

For the older kids, say what you mean and mean what you say. They’re trying to understand their place in the world, and they’re watching you closely. They’re more likely to follow what you do than what you tell them.

They want to be treated with dignity and respect, but at the end of the day they’re still kids and want to have fun. While we teach the same way we teach our adult classes, we make sure to prioritize the fun part – the training – and sprinkle in the technique.

Technique

The way you teach technique is also different at those ages. Along with brain development, things like body awareness and grip strength are still new concepts that many of the younger ones haven’t learned to develop yet.

To help the smaller kids understand these concepts, you want to use language they’ll understand. For example, to help reinforce the concept of guard – keeping your feet on your partner’s hips – Jordan calls out “Sticky feet!” 

A signal like “Sticky feet'' gives both a visual of which body part to use and what it’s doing. In two words, the kids know they’re supposed to keep their feet on the other person’s body. 

From there, kids can learn about grips, and how to get the sticky feet and the grips off. By using language the kids understand to show them where their hands and feet should be, you can teach them the same exact Jiu Jitsu you teach your adult classes, like pulling guard.

By working with the little kids early on to understand basic concepts, you can get them ready for the transition into the next level and set them up for success.

We make sure that when Little Tigers transition into Tigers, they feel like they leveled up to the Big Kids class. To set them up for success, we teach the same agility warm up in the Little Tigers as we do the Tigers class. This helps their mobility and their confidence!

Mat Chats

Another way that we approach age groups differently is through our Mat Chats, topics that coaches talk about at the end of class for two minutes before bowing off the mats. 

Mat Chat topics are usually things like focus, discipline or hygiene. It’s important for us to show the kids how what they learn on the mats translates into other areas of life like home and school. 

For the smaller kids, making the concepts as simple as possible helps. For example, when talking about hygiene, saying “Don’t be stinky” drives the point home. 

To the older kids, you can explain in a bit more detail how to practice good hygiene, from shower habits to helping their parents with laundry.

Staging the experience

To create the most impactful experience for everyone, it’s important to have the class blocking (as they call going from scene to scene in the theater world) down to the minute.

At the most fundamental, the head coach first gathers everyone for a basic overview of the day’s technique or objective. Then, the pairs break off into groups for guided practice. Classes are run with a minimum of one assistant coach per two pairs of kids. At the end, everyone circles for a mat chat and class closes out.

However, it takes a team effort to pull off this simple procedure. Jordan has gotten it down to the moment, with assistant coaches in charge of different aspects of the set-up, transitions and breakdown. 

For example, while he’s demonstrating the technique to the kids, two assistant coaches walk around the mat laying out polyurethane dots for partners to stand on. Then, two coaches simultaneously pair the students off so the transition to drilling takes minimal time. 

Making these transitions smooth is key to keeping the whole class smooth. Every transition, from warm up to mat chat is choreographed. Everyone should know exactly where they’re supposed to be at every moment. 

This is vital because an experience-based product like a class will only be as good as that very hour you provide, each and every time. Make sure each show is your best.

One way you can do this is by playing to the back of the room. Jordan, who comes from a theater background, sees a clear parallel between putting on a show and running a kids class.

Playing to the back of the room means that playing so the patron in the very back row, who paid for the same ticket as the one in the front row, can hear you. 

With dozens of parents watching on the borders of the mat, you want to create a buzz that captivates both the students and their parents. 

This goes back to bringing the energy you want to see. If you can pull that energy out of their child, parents will keep paying to see them come back. And when, inevitably, that child wants to quit - they all will at some point - they’ll think twice about letting them. 

At the end of the day, the parent is your client – not the child. If you make it a fun, inclusive experience for them, you’ll earn a loyalty beyond that kid’s flavor of the week.

For the entire breakdown of how Easton runs its Kids Martial Arts program including ranking, partnering, and the importance of competition, listen to the podcast episode!