First Contact

The first supervised step from pads towards partners — every touch still lands on a pad, every child can opt out, and control is the only score

Kids martial arts
Youth 10–14 · Any art, pad-experienced
60 min
8–16 youths (second coach supervises the live zone)
2 coaches
Effort 3/5
Full mat area + coned live zone
light-contact
sparring-prep
safety
progressive

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

Kit: Mats, gloves for every child, a body shield per pair, 2 hand targets, 4 cones for the live zone, chest guards if your art uses them

Warm-up10 min

Bow In & The Rules of Touch

Setup: Bow in, then a seated half-circle. Tonight starts with a contract, taught with the same care as a technique — parents were told this class was coming, and what happens here goes home accurately.

How it works: Teach the four rules and have the class repeat each one back. One: light means a touch that could not knock a paper cup off a shoulder — demonstrate on your own arm. Two: pads and body shields are the only targets — never the head, never the neck, not tonight, not ever in this class. Three: anyone can say 'pads instead' at any moment, no reason needed, and the answer is always 'no problem' — opting out is a choice we respect, not a fail. Four: the stop word freezes everything instantly — practise it right now, mid-fidget. Then up for the mirror game: pairs face each other in guard, one leads footwork, the other shadows, no contact at all — swap on the clap.

The technique, step by step

Rule 1: light touch — the paper-cup test.
Rule 2: pads and shields only, never head or neck.
Rule 3: 'pads instead' is always available and always respected.
Rule 4: the stop word freezes everything — rehearse it.

Rounds: The rules get re-chanted before every block tonight; repetition is what makes them real under excitement.

What to say

“Say rule three twice and mean it: 'choosing pads is a decision we respect, full stop.'”
“Rehearse the stop word until the freeze is instant — it is tonight's most important technique.”
“The mirror game is the temperature check: pairs who cannot shadow calmly are not ready for the later blocks — note them.”

Easier

Mirror game at walking pace, one movement at a time.

Harder

Mirror leader adds level changes and direction switches without warning.

Drill12 min

The Power Dial

Setup: Pairs, one body shield per pair, holder braced. Gloves on — tonight gloves mean 'control practice is happening.'

How it works: Before anyone touches a partner, they must prove they own a power dial. Techniques are the two allowed tonight — a straight punch and a push kick to the shield, or your art's equivalents. You call percentages: 'fifty' is crisp training power, 'twenty' is a firm knock, 'ten' is the paper-cup touch. Pairs drill to your calls, holder scoring every rep out of ten for matching the number. The revelation to teach: hitting soft with good technique is HARDER than hitting hard, and it is the skill that makes partner work possible. Finish with dial-down ladders: five reps at fifty, five at thirty, five at ten, the last five barely whispering onto the pad with perfect form.

Common mistakes

Slowing everything down to soften it — light contact keeps real speed and shape, only the landing shrinks.
Creeping power as excitement rises — the dial-down ladder exists precisely for this.

Rounds: 3 rounds per role of number calls, then one dial-down ladder each.

What to say

“Full technique, tiny power — 'same speed of thought, same shape, smaller landing.'”
“Holders call the number they FELT: honest feedback is the whole drill.”
“Anyone who cannot find ten percent stays at this station later — say it kindly and follow through.”

Easier

Two power levels only — fifty and ten — with the coach demonstrating between rounds.

Harder

Random number calls every rep, then holder-called numbers the striker cannot predict.

Drill12 min

Moving Targets

Setup: Same pairs, same shield — but now the holder comes alive. Holder hugs the shield to their torso, elbows in, chin tucked behind the top edge.

How it works: The holder walks, angles and circles slowly while the striker moves with them, landing only ten-to-twenty percent touches on the shield with the two allowed techniques. The strikers learn distance on a living target; the holders learn to carry a shield like a training partner. Every thirty seconds, freeze on your call — both check their feet, breathe, restart. Halfway through, add the holder's answer: after every third touch they take, the holder calls 'switch' and becomes the striker for three touches, so both jobs live inside one round. The stop word and 'pads instead' remain live and honoured instantly.

Common mistakes

Chasing instead of cutting angles — teach one step across, not five steps after.
Shield drifting away from the torso — a loose shield stops protecting the holder.

Rounds: 4 × 90-second rounds, swapping the starting striker each round, freeze-checks every 30 seconds.

What to say

“Feet find the range, hands stay honest — 'if you have to lean, you were too far.'”
“Holders set the pace: slow feet from the holder means slow feet everywhere. Start them slow.”
“Watch faces, not just techniques — a gritted jaw means the dial is creeping; freeze and reset.”

Easier

Holder moves only side to side on a line; no switch calls; power capped at ten percent.

Harder

Holder changes speed and direction freely, switch calls come from the coach at random.

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

MatPlans curriculum team

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