Assist Protocol (Kids)

How to learn by helping before you lead kids classes.

After completing four kids shadow sessions, you’ll spend six sessions assisting an experienced kids coach: three Little Lions classes and three Golden Tigers classes. The order doesn’t matter, but you need reps in both programs.

Assisting means you’re actively helping in the room, but the lead coach is still running the class. You’re a resource, not the decision-maker.

For the fundamentals (adult) assist protocol, see Assist Protocol (Fundamentals).

What Assists Do in Kids Classes

Everything from the fundamentals assist protocol applies, plus:

Handle behavioral moments. When the lead coach is running a game and a kid melts down, refuses to participate, or gets too rough with a partner, you step in. This is one of the most valuable things an assistant does in a kids room. It lets the lead coach keep class moving while the situation gets handled.
Manage parents. If a parent has a question or concern during class, you handle it so the lead coach can stay focused on the kids. Friendly, brief, and redirect anything serious to after class.
Hand-pick partners when asked. The lead coach may ask you to pair kids up. Match on timidity level first, then size. Avoid pairing timid kids with aggressive ones.
Run the sticker closeout (Little Lions). The lead coach may hand this to you. Give every kid a sticker and one specific piece of praise. Not “good job.” Something concrete: “You did a great job stopping when the timer went off” or “I saw you help your partner up after that round.”
Sit with kids who are sitting out. If a kid is sitting out (injury, behavioral timeout, overwhelmed), sit with them briefly. Check in. Don’t force them back. Let them re-enter when they’re ready.

What Assists Don’t Do in Kids Classes

Everything from the fundamentals assist protocol applies, plus:

Don’t undermine the lead coach’s boundary enforcement. If the lead coach gave a kid burpees and the kid comes to you looking for a softer response, hold the line. “Coach said burpees, so let’s do burpees.” Inconsistency between coaches teaches kids that pushing works.
Don’t negotiate with kids about rules. The rules are the rules. If a kid argues, the answer is brief and final. Don’t get drawn into a debate with a 6-year-old about whether their foot was in bounds.
Don’t be the “fun coach” at the expense of boundaries. New coaches often try to win kids over by being loose. This creates problems for the lead coach and for you when you eventually lead. Be warm, be silly, be fun, and hold the line.

Before and After Each Session

Before class:

Know the class structure for the program you’re assisting (Little Lions or Golden Tigers)
Review the New Student Protocol for the relevant age group
Check in with the lead coach: ask if there are any kids to watch out for (behavioral patterns, injuries, new students expected)

After class:

Debrief with the lead coach (even two minutes is enough)
Ask: Were there behavioral moments I should have handled differently? How did you think my partner pairings went? What would you change?
Write your own reflection: How did I handle the behavioral stuff? Was I holding boundaries or softening them?

Sessions 1-2: Being Present and Handling Behavioral Moments

Focus on being a useful body in the room. Walk the room during games, give individual feedback to kids, and handle behavioral moments when they come up. Your main job is letting the lead coach focus on teaching while you manage the edges.

Assist one Little Lions class and one Golden Tigers class in these first two sessions so you start seeing the differences firsthand.

For the lead coach

The trainee’s focus is getting comfortable intervening with kids. This is the emotional hurdle most new kids coaches struggle with.

Give them a behavioral moment to handle. If you see a kid getting too rough or not participating, point the trainee at it instead of handling it yourself. “Go talk to Marcus about his intensity.” Let them try, then debrief after.
Debrief their tone and approach. Did they hold the boundary or soften it? Were they “strict but silly” or just strict? Or just silly? This is the most important feedback you can give early on.
Reassure them. Getting stern with someone else’s kid feels uncomfortable at first. That’s normal. Tell them it gets easier with reps and that the kids actually respond better to clear boundaries than to hedging.

Session 1: Quiz & Reflection

How many kids did you give individual feedback to? Was it positive, tactical, or both? Was your language age-appropriate?

Did you handle any behavioral moments? Describe what happened, what you did, and how the kid responded. Were you happy with how it went?

How does giving feedback to kids feel different from giving feedback to adults (if you’ve done the fundamentals track)? If this is your first track, what surprised you about interacting with kids in a coaching role?

Session 2: Quiz & Reflection

Compare the two programs you’ve assisted so far. What was different about being an assistant in Little Lions vs Golden Tigers? What was the same?

Did you have to hold a boundary today (enforce a rule, give a consequence, redirect a kid)? How did it feel? Did the kid push back? How did you respond?

Were there any parent interactions? How did you handle them? If not, do you feel prepared if a parent approaches you with a question or concern?

Sessions 3-4: Running Segments and Managing Partners

Start running game segments when the lead coach hands them to you. With kids, rules communication has to be shorter and simpler than with adults. You also start taking ownership of partner selection.

Continue alternating between programs (or do two in whichever program you have fewer reps in).

For the lead coach

The trainee starts running segments and pairing kids. Both are harder with kids than with adults.

Hand them a simple game to run. Pick something with a familiar format so they’re not fighting the rules explanation and the coaching at the same time. Lemov’s principle of managing extrinsic load: the familiar format lets them focus on coaching, not logistics.
Let them pick partners for a round. Then debrief: Why did you pair those kids? What were you matching on? Did any pairings not work? This is one of the highest-leverage skills in kids coaching and it only develops through practice.
Give them feedback on brevity. The most common mistake new kids coaches make is talking too long between rounds. If their explanation was over 30 seconds, point it out. With kids, shorter is almost always better.

Session 3: Quiz & Reflection

Did you run a game segment? Write out the rules as you communicated them. How many words did it take? Could you have said it in fewer?

How long were your breaks between rounds? Were you under 30 seconds? If not, what took the extra time?

Did you pick training partners? What factors did you use? Were there any pairings that didn’t work? What would you change?

Session 4: Quiz & Reflection

What did you say between rounds during your segment? Was it one focused point? Did any of it go over the kids’ heads?

Did you have to change a rule or adjust a game during your segment? What prompted the change? How did kids respond?

How are you handling the “strict but silly” balance? Give an example of a moment where you held a boundary today. Give an example of a moment where you were playful.

Sessions 5-6: Owning Full Segments

Run multiple segments per class. Start making real coaching decisions: What game will you run? How will you pair kids? What will you say between rounds? When do you need to change the rules? By session 6, you should be running a full segment start to finish with minimal input from the lead coach.

For the lead coach

The trainee runs full segments and handles the room.

Give them a full segment to own. “You’re running the ground game today. Pick the game, pair the kids, communicate the rules, coach the room, decide what to say between rounds.” Let them plan it and execute it.
Observe without intervening. Unless something is genuinely unsafe, let them run it. If a behavioral moment comes up during their segment, let them handle it first. Take notes and share them after.
Debrief the partner pairings. By now, the trainee should be making deliberate pairing choices. Ask them to walk through their reasoning. Push back if they’re defaulting to random or convenience pairings instead of matching on timidity and size.
Ask the hard question. “What went wrong today and what would you do differently?” By session 5-6, they should be self-critical enough to identify their own mistakes.

Session 5: Quiz & Reflection

You ran a full segment today. What was your targeted goal for the kids? Was it specific enough to observe?

Describe a real-time coaching decision you made. Did you change a rule, add a concept, change pairings, or intervene on behavior? What were you seeing that drove the decision?

How did your segment compare to what you watched the lead coach do during shadow sessions? What felt similar? What felt harder than it looked?

Session 6: Quiz & Reflection

Rate yourself 1-5 on each of these. Be honest.

Communicating game rules simply and quickly

Giving focused feedback (one point per break, under 30 seconds)

Picking appropriate training partners

Handling behavioral moments (holding boundaries, staying calm)

Reading the room (energy, engagement, safety)

Managing time within your segment

What’s your biggest strength as a kids coach right now? What’s the one thing you most need to work on?

Across all six sessions: what’s the most important thing you learned about coaching kids that you didn’t know before you started assisting?

Do you feel ready to co-lead? If not, what do you need more reps on?

When You’re Done

After six assist sessions, you move to co-leading: splitting the class with another experienced kids coach. One of you runs the first half (warmup + standing game); the other runs the second half (ground game + recall + closeout). You plan together before class and debrief after.

Co-lead for six sessions (3 Little Lions + 3 Golden Tigers), then solo with supervision for four (2 Little Lions + 2 Golden Tigers). The full progression:

Phase	Sessions	What you’re doing
Shadow	4 (2 LL + 2 GT)	Observing only
Assist	6 (3 LL + 3 GT)	Helping the lead coach, running handed-off segments
Co-lead	6 (3 LL + 3 GT)	Running full segments independently, splitting the class
Solo with supervision	4 (2 LL + 2 GT)	Running the entire class, experienced coach observes

That’s 20 sessions total. Any phase can be extended if you or the lead coach don’t feel ready to move on. The minimums are firm: don’t shortcut a phase to get on the floor faster.