Show Time

Build and run a parents' demo inside one class — every child performs, every parent films a highlight, and the club looks like the best decision they ever made

Kids martial arts
All ages · Demo day · Any art
45 min
10–24 kids (second coach as MC makes this sing)
2 coaches
Effort 3/5
Full mat area + parent seating along one wall
demo
parents
performance
showcase

The MatPlans curriculum teamBJJ black belts & coaches · 12+ yrs on the mat

Kit: Mats, 8 cones marking the stage, 2 kick shields, 2 hand targets, chairs or a bench line for parents

Warm-up8 min

Bow In & The Big Entrance

Setup: Parents are not in yet — the first thirty-five minutes are rehearsal. Cone out the stage: a performance zone facing where the chairs will be. Bow in, then explain the plan in two sentences: today we build a show, then we perform it. Everybody performs; nobody performs alone unless they choose to.

How it works: Rehearse the entrance first because first impressions do half the show's work: jog in from the corner in one line, peel into rows on the stage, snap to attention together, and land the loudest, sharpest bow of the term towards the empty chairs. Run it three times, faster and crisper each time. Then warm the bodies up in show formation — jacks, stance switches, fast feet — finishing every burst frozen at attention, because frozen-together is what draws the first gasp.

Rounds: Three entrance runs — the third one should give YOU goosebumps, or run a fourth.

What to say

“Together beats fancy: 'one snap from twenty kids beats twenty solos.'”
“Rehearse towards the empty chairs — the direction of the bow must be muscle memory before an audience exists.”
“Count the entrance out loud now, silently later — your fingers become the count during the show.”

Easier

Walk the entrance, littles holding a bigger kid's hand into position.

Harder

Entrance includes a class kiai on the final bow, timed to one clap.

Drill10 min

Building the Three Pieces

Setup: Split into three groups by age or belt, one coach floating between, each group in its own coned corner with its piece named on arrival.

How it works: Each group polishes one thirty-second piece. Piece one, UNISON BASICS: the youngest group performs five basics on a leader's count — simple, together, adorable, unbeatable. Piece two, PAD POWER: the middle group lines up two shield stations and each child lands their two best techniques with full kiai — parents hear the impact and the crowd loves it. Piece three, SHOWCASE: the oldest group performs a short pattern or a three-move partner flow from your syllabus — controlled, sharp, no contact beyond pads. Every piece starts and ends with a bow, and every group rehearses its walk-on and walk-off as carefully as its moves.

The technique, step by step

Name each group's piece and its bragging line.
Polish the 30 seconds of content.
Rehearse walk-on, bow, piece, bow, walk-off.
Time it — trim anything over thirty seconds.

Common mistakes

Overstuffing a piece — cut moves until it fits; crispness is the show.
Forgetting the bows — the bows ARE the show for half the parents.

What to say

“Thirty seconds per piece, strictly — short pieces stay sharp and no audience child gets bored waiting.”
“Give every group its bragging line: 'yours is the loud one, yours is the together one, yours is the fancy one.'”
“Rehearse the walk-on and walk-off — shows die in the transitions, not the moves.”

Easier

Any child can swap into the unison piece — full choice, no questions.

Harder

Each group appoints a caller who runs their piece without any coach's voice.

Drill12 min

The Full Run-Through

Setup: Stage set, groups in their backstage corners, MC coach at the front with the running order: entrance, unison, pads, showcase, finale. The finale is everyone: one line, one technique all together on the MC's call, one class kiai, final bow.

How it works: Run the entire show once, no stops, exactly as it will happen — the no-stopping rule is the rehearsal's whole point, because the class must feel the show carry on past any wobble. MC narrates as if parents are there: names of pieces, rounds of applause requested, jokes ready. The watching groups have a job: they are the practice audience, applauding at the real moments — and teach the applause etiquette now: clap at the bows, cheer after kiais, phones-up quiet during moves. Fix only two things after the run, the two that matter most, then run the finale once more so the show ends on its strongest note.

Rounds: One full run + one finale repeat. Resist a second full run — freshness beats polish today.

What to say

“No stopping, whatever happens — 'the show carries every wobble forward and nobody in the audience ever knows.'”
“Teach the class to be an audience now — parents will copy the applause the kids model.”
“Fix two things only after the run; a note-storm before a show sinks small performers.”

Easier

MC calls every transition by group name and waits for readiness before continuing.

Harder

Silent transitions — groups move on the running order alone, no MC prompts.

Ask the class: The show is already a success before parents arrive; the audience only adds volume.

The rest of this lesson is free — along with 3 more this week.

MatPlans curriculum team

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