Essential Gear

• Soft Mats: Puzzle mats, yoga mats, or gymnastics mats (essential for Ninja Rolls).
• Focus Pads: Target mitts or kick shields (Cut pool noodles in half make excellent, safe, and budget-friendly alternatives!).
• Floor Tape: Painter's tape or masking tape to mark "start lines" and "stance tracks."

Games & Incentives

• Soundmaker: A whistle, drum, or bell to signal stops during games.
• Sticker Board: For tracking daily attendance and "Respect Points."
• Completion Certificates: Printed "Junior Martial Artist" awards.
• Friday Celebration: Fresh donuts for the last day!

• Respectful Names Game: Sit in a circle. Introduce yourself with an alliterative positive quality (e.g., "Respectful Ridhima," "Courageous Carter," "Awesome Alex"). Have the whole group repeat the name and bow from their seat.

• Mat Jog: Light jogging around the room. When the instructor claps, students must instantly sit down; two claps means stand on one foot!
• Martial Counting (1-10): Practice counting to 10 in Japanese (Ichi, Ni, San, Shi, Go, Roku, Shichi, Hachi, Ku, Ju) or Korean (Hana, Dul, Set, Net, Dasot, Yasot, Ilgop, Yodol, Ahop, Yeol) while doing 10 wide Jumping Jacks.
• Joint Preps: 10 large forward/backward arm circles; 10 gentle torso twists to unleash the spine.
• Stretching & Starter Fun: Slide legs out into a wide straddle stretch ("splits attempt") and hold for 10 seconds. Try a "Wall-Walk Handstand" (place hands on the floor and walk feet safely backward up a wall) to build shoulder confidence.

• Red Light, Green Light (Front Stance Edition): Students line up across the room. On "Green Light," they creep forward. On "Red Light!" they must freeze instantly in a deep, balanced Front Stance. If they wobble or fall out of stance, they take two steps back.
• Pop-up / King of the Mat: Students lie flat on their stomachs. When the instructor hits a target shield, they must pop up into a perfect Ready Stance as fast as possible, letting out a loud spirit yell ("KIAI!").

• Stretches: Stand on one foot to hold a quad stretch (holding the ankle behind), followed by Cobra (Snake) pose on the mat to stretch the core.
• The Mindful Moment: Ask the students: "What does respect mean outside of the Dojo (training room)? How do we show it to our parents or teachers?"

• Quick cardiorespiratory burst: "Bear crawls" and "Frog hops" across the mat.
• Perform 10 squat jumps while shouting "I-CHI, NI, SAN..." up to 10.
• Dynamic leg swings (holding onto a wall or partner for balance).

• The Balance Battle (Modified "Chicken Fight" for Safety): Mark small circles on the floor using tape. Two students stand on one foot with hands securely tucked behind their backs. By utilizing clever movement, dodging, and gentle balance maneuvers (no pushing allowed!), they try to make their opponent touch their second foot to the floor. Promotes core strength and stability!

• Seated Butterfly Stretch (soles of feet together, knees fluttered down).
• Have students explain in their own words: "Why do we keep our thumb on the outside of our fist?" (To protect our fingers).

• High knee runs in place, transitioning instantly to wide low squats when commanded.
• "Ninja crawling" close to the floor without letting knees touch the ground.
• Calf stretches and dynamic hip rotations.

• Sensei Says: Classic Simon Says but using martial arts terminology. "Sensei says: Kiotsuke! Sensei says: Yoi! Sensei says: Front Stance! Punch! (Oops, Sensei didn't say!)." Teaches rapid listening skills and body control.

• Child’s Pose (stretching hands far forward on the floor while sitting on the heels).
• Gather the group: Have each student share one movement they felt exceptionally strong doing today.

• Dynamic neck stretches (up, down, side to side, ear to shoulder).
• "Rock and Roll": Sit on the mat, tuck knees to chest, chin tucked to chest. Rock back onto the shoulders and back up to a seated position 10 times. (Crucial safety preparation for rolling!).

• Night at the Museum: The instructor is the security guard with their back turned. Students are ninjas starting across the room. On the guard's turn, they can roll or advance. When the guard turns around, they must freeze like stone statues. Anyone caught moving must go back to the start!
• The Circle Chicken Fight: Repeat the balance-tapping game from Week 1 to continue cultivating high levels of stability and physical resilience.

• Slow, deliberate shoulder rolls (forward and back) to release tension from the shoulder-rolling drills.
• Review: "Why do we tuck our chin during a ninja roll?" (To protect our neck and keep our head off the floor).

• "Frog jumps" to warm up the knees, quads, and hips.
• Wide side-straddle stretch, reaching over to touch the left foot, then the right foot.
• Knee-to-chest hugs to lengthen the hamstrings.

• Pad Ranking Run: Instructors stand at varying stations. Station 1 requires a Low Block; Station 2 requires 2 Middle Punches; Station 3 requires a Front Snap Kick; Station 4 requires a Roundhouse Kick. Students cycle through the rapid circuit to test their focus and recall!

• Seated wide straddle fold, breathing deeply.
• Review: "What are the four parts of a perfect snap kick?" (Chamber, Snap, Re-chamber, Step down).

• Student Choice Warmup: Let individual students choose their favorite exercises from the past two weeks (e.g., Jumping Jacks, Snake pose, Bear crawls) to lead the class.

• Dojo Dodgeball / Noodle Dodge: Students must duck, jump, or use their block skills to avoid soft pool noodles swung gently by the instructors, or soft dodgeballs rolled slowly across the floor mats.

• Enjoy fresh, delicious Donuts with the students and parents!
• Take a giant group photograph holding certificates while posing in a fierce front stance.

Adaptive Instruction

For younger students (Ages 6–7): Focus on big movements rather than specific alignment details. Utilize visual markers on the floor (like footprints) to show them exactly where to place their feet. Keep instructions short and energetic.

For older students (Ages 10–11): Challenge them with complex, rapid combinations (e.g., "Front Stance + Low Block + Double Punch"). Appoint them as "Assistant Leaders" to demonstrate stances, boosting their leadership skills.

🌟 Success Criteria

A student is successful in this basic summer course if they can:

• Demonstrate respectful bowing behaviors independently when arriving at class.
• Accurately hold a stable Front Stance without tipping over.
• Perform a basic block and strike with a confident, strong voice (Kiai).
• Execute a forward shoulder roll safely without landing on their head.
• Show supportive peer behavior and sportsmanship during class activities.