Coaching Kids Classes

This page covers what’s different about coaching kids classes at Golden Jiu Jitsu. If you haven’t read the core Coaches Guide yet, start there — everything in it applies to kids classes too. This page covers the things that are specific to coaching kids.

Listen First

Listen to both of these before reading this page:

Ep. 375: Becoming a Kids Coach, feat. Andrew Green — BJJ Mental Models

Understanding developmental stages, emotional regulation, building culture, motivating engagement, working with parents, and why kids can’t be coached like mini adults. Andrew is the creator of the Kids Jiu-Jitsu Playbook and a 25-year veteran of martial arts coaching.
Ep. 43: CLA for Youth, feat. Rory Singer — Wrong Side of 35

How to structure a fully CLA-based program for kids and youth. Covers balancing coaching for competition vs recreation, meeting kids where they are, building character and leadership through training, and why embracing chaos in training translates to resilience off the mats.

UNDERSTANDING KIDS CLASSES

THE PARADIGM SHIFT

There are two kids programs at Golden Jiu Jitsu — Little Lions (ages 4-7) and Golden Tigers (ages 7-13). They are taught differently, but share some big similarities.

The most important thing to understand: parents generally aren’t hyper-focused on how good their kids are getting at jiu jitsu.

This is a huge shift compared to adult programs, where there’s a comparatively larger emphasis on skill acquisition rate. It should fundamentally change how you approach coaching goals.

Yes, we want kids to get good at grappling. But more importantly, we care about them being respectful, listening to coaches, having a good attitude, being supportive of others, and being fun to play with.

In regards to grappling itself, we care more about getting them to love the game than we care about them being good at it. There will be a large range in movement quality across students. In general, we want to focus more on effort and progression than on quality in any given moment. If they have good habits, they will get good. Focus on the habits.

LITTLE LIONS VS GOLDEN TIGERS

Little Lions (ages 4-7):

Shorter attention spans — keep instructions brief and get them moving fast
No submissions in this program
Games are simpler with fewer constraints
Athletic punishment is jumping jacks
End of class: high fives down the line
More parent-facing communication (parents are watching and often anxious)
Expect more boundary-testing and less self-regulation

Golden Tigers (ages 7-13):

Can handle more information and more complex games
Submissions may be part of the curriculum depending on age and size
Athletic punishment is burpees
End of class: high fives down the line
More direct coaching language — closer to how you’d talk to adult beginners
Still need boundary enforcement, but they understand social cues better
Wide age range means you’ll have 7-year-olds and 13-year-olds in the same class — hand-pick partners carefully

A NOTE ON WRESTLING

The biggest self-defense tool we can give kids is wrestling. Learning to wrestle as a kid is dramatically easier than learning as an adult — the movement patterns, comfort with contact, and spatial awareness develop naturally at young ages in a way they simply don’t later. Because of this, we do some form of standing/takedown game in virtually every kids class across both programs. This isn’t negotiable. Even if the day’s main topic is a ground position, we still prioritize getting reps on feet. The more time we give them on this front, the better off they’ll be — both in grappling and in life.

LITTLE LIONS CLASS STRUCTURE (35 MIN)

Classes run 2x/week. Students don’t come to every class. Large range in skill and athleticism. Class starts at 4:45 on the dot.

Warmup (6-7 min; ~4:45-4:52)

Jogging warmup (2 min): jog, buttkickers, inside shuffle, outside shuffle. Then 2 movement drills down lines using colored dots for lanes — one animal movement, one cartwheels/handstands. Kids need to move quickly enough not to hold up others.

The warmup burns off initial energy so kids listen better during games, provides routine they find comfort in, and builds body control for kids who often have poor coordination when they start.

Warmup Movement Options

Animal movements (pick one per class):
- Gorilla
- Bear
- Alligator
- Frog
- Duck
Plus one of:
- Cartwheels
- Handstands

First game — takedown/standing (10 min; ~4:52-5:02)

High energy, wrestling priority. This is the “burn it off” phase — movement quality matters less, fun and energy matter most. Wrestling is a priority in every class.

Second game — ground (12-14 min; ~5:02-5:14)

Focused ground game (sticky backpack, back to back, guard games, etc.) with coaching between rounds. Kids are calmer now, can listen better, more focused coaching possible. One concept per break, 30 seconds or less. Every second you spend talking is a second they’re losing focus.

Recall round (5-6 min, when time allows; ~5:14-5:19)

A game from a previous week. 1-2 min for rules and setup, then 2x2 min rounds so each kid plays both sides. No instruction beyond the rules — pure retrieval practice. Don’t do this every class, but work it in when the schedule allows. This is one of the highest-ROI things you can do for long-term retention.

Closeout (right at 5:20)

Line up on the wall, bow out, high fives down the line. Stickers for everyone — while handing out stickers, tell each kid one specific thing they did well that day. This is one of the most important parts of class — it makes every kid feel seen and gives them something concrete to carry home.

GOLDEN TIGERS CLASS STRUCTURE (50 MIN)

Classes run 3x/week. Students don’t come to every class. Very large range in skill and athleticism — you’ll have 7-year-olds and 13-year-olds in the same room. Class starts at 4:30 on the dot.

Warmup (6-7 min; ~4:30-4:37)

Jogging warmup (2 min): jog, buttkickers, inside shuffle, outside shuffle. Then movement drills down lines. Same routine every class — kids know exactly what to expect.

Warmup Movement Options
- Forward rolls (switch shoulder each time)
- Backward rolls (switch shoulder each time)
- Granby inversions
- Cartwheels
- Handstands

Takedown game (5-6 min; ~4:37-4:43)

Wrestling priority. First game after warmup for routine continuity from warmup into standing work.

Recall round (5-6 min, at least 1x/week; ~4:43-4:49)

A game from a previous week. 1-2 min for rules and setup, then 2x2 min rounds so each kid plays both sides. No instruction beyond the rules — pure retrieval practice. Do this at least once per week. This is the single most impactful thing you can add for long-term memory.

Main topic — drill-to-game (15-20 min; ~4:49-5:08)

One main topic per class. The default method is the drill-to-game pattern: brief isolation of a movement (2-4 min blocked practice with minimal detail), then immediately into a game where that movement is the entry point. For example: drill a duck under for a few minutes, then play a game where the round starts after someone hits the duck under — defender wins from facing their partner standing, attacker wins from getting a takedown.

Don’t spend 15 minutes drilling — get into the game as quickly as possible.

After the first game round, pause briefly (1-2 min) and ask questions to build perception: “What did you see that made the duck under work? What made it fail?” This builds the perception-action link and checks for understanding. Then play again.

Live sparring (10 min; ~5:08-5:18)

Hand-pick partners carefully — this is where size and timidity mismatches are most dangerous.

Closeout (right at 5:20)

Line up on the wall, bow out, high fives down the line.

UNDERSTANDING KIDS CLASSES: QUIZ & REFLECTION

Placeholder — quiz/reflection content coming soon

What is the most important paradigm shift between coaching adults and coaching kids?

Why do we prioritize wrestling/takedown games in every kids class?

Walk through the Little Lions class structure from memory, including approximate timestamps.

Walk through the Golden Tigers class structure from memory, including approximate timestamps.

What is a recall round and why is it one of the highest-ROI things you can do?

Podcast: What was your biggest takeaway from the Andrew Green episode (Ep. 375)? What about the Rory Singer episode (Ep. 43)?

BEHAVIOR & BOUNDARIES

ENFORCING CULTURE & BOUNDARIES

Coaching kids is a completely different beast from coaching adults. Adults normally understand social cues in a structured environment and adapt their behavior. Kids will push boundaries to see what they can get away with.

This is especially apparent after any change in their environment:

A new student joins class
They’ve been out of the gym for a week or two
Their school schedule was different that day
A new coach is in the room

Children perform best when there are clear, concise, and enforced boundaries. Not enforcing them is a disservice to every kid in the room. Enforcing them is a learned skill, and it can be difficult to feel comfortable doing it at first.

I was personally nervous about getting onto children when I first started coaching. I didn’t want to be negative in any way. It took me a while to build confidence, but it has made a huge positive impact on the quality of classes and the experience of coaching them — both for me and for the kids.

BE STRICT BUT SILLY

One of the biggest mistakes new coaches make with kids is trying to be fun by being loose with boundaries. They’ll count down from 3 but add extra numbers (“3… 2… 1 and a half… 1 and a quarter…”), or they’ll give a warning but not follow through, or they’ll shift the boundary depending on their mood.

The fix is simple: be strict but silly. You can be fun, playful, goofy, and lighthearted while having absolutely firm boundaries. Kids respond incredibly well to coaches who make them laugh and hold the line. These two things aren’t in conflict — they reinforce each other. Kids feel safe and have fun when they know exactly where the lines are and that those lines don’t move.

When you say 3, mean 3. When you say burpees, give burpees. When you set a rule, enforce it the same way every time. And between all of that, be silly, be playful, and have fun with them. That’s the balance.

HOW TO ADDRESS BAD BEHAVIOR

We do two things at GJJ:

Use our words to communicate why a behavior isn’t allowed and how they’re expected to act
Give an athletic punishment appropriate to the severity

Depending on severity, we pair our words with an athletic punishment:

Small boundary crossed (minor disruption, not listening the first time):

Little Lions: 2-10 jumping jacks
Golden Tigers: 2-10 burpees

Large boundary crossed, or repeated offense:

Escalate to time-based punishment — 30 seconds of jumping jacks or burpees
If they’re doing sloppy or slow movements, extend the time and tell them you’re adding extra because they’re going slow

When the whole class gets a collective punishment:

Always do it by time, not by number. Kids move at very different speeds, and count-based punishments leave the fast ones standing around bored.

BEING A BAD TRAINING PARTNER

There are many ways a student can be a bad training partner. Here are the most common:

ESCALATING TO VIOLENCE

This is the #1 boundary and should be dealt with most severely. Kids will get upset when they perceive injustice, and escalating to violence is a natural human response. But it will not be tolerated.

When a kid strikes a training partner, address it immediately:

Tell them it’s not allowed and is a serious boundary
Remind them: we tap to stop the round if we’re uncomfortable or scared
We use our words to communicate — “you’re going too hard and scaring me”
If their partner isn’t responding to words, they should call a coach
Athletic punishment — I’m normally severe on this one. At least 2 minutes for Golden Tigers, 30 seconds for Little Lions.

TRAINING TOO HARD

This is the most common issue. Our main concern when kids train together is timidity level. Some kids want to train very light and get scared if their partner is fast or aggressive. Some love going hard and will grapple with intensity and a grin on their face.

If a kid is training too hard for their partner — this is subjective and depends on the kid — step in. Most of the time I say something like:

“If you train that hard when someone doesn’t want to, you’re not going to make friends. We want to make sure they’re having fun too.”

The best prevention is hand-picking training partners based on your knowledge of the kids and how they like to train.

TRAINING TOO SOFT

This happens more with timid kids who stand there and refuse to play the games. Address this more gently than training too hard. Tell them that if they don’t play, it’s not fun for their training partner either.

STARTING WHEN OTHERS AREN’T EXPECTING IT

Some kids will start grappling before you say go, or before their partner is in position. Address this quickly — it creates a trust issue between partners. Remind them that both players need to be ready, and starting early isn’t fair to their partner.

NOT ENDING WHEN ROUNDS ARE OVER

Kids get into what they’re doing and don’t want to stop. When you call time, be loud and clear. If specific kids consistently ignore the timer, address it directly — continuing after time is a safety issue, not just a rule.

NOT KNOWING HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

This isn’t a behavior problem — it’s a communication problem. If a kid doesn’t understand the game, pull them aside quickly and re-explain the rules. Keep it simple. If multiple kids are confused, stop and re-explain to the group. This is on you as the coach, not on them.

However, if kids don’t know how to play the game because they weren’t listening when you were coaching then they should be doing burpees. This is a big difference - one is them being disrespectful to their training partner and wasting their time. The other is them just not being able to understand how to move their body

PREVENTING OTHERS FROM PARTICIPATING

The most common form of this is being a distraction while coaches are talking.

If students aren’t looking at you when you’re talking, they’re not listening. With kids, you need to be more proactive about this than with adults:

Get eye contact before you start talking. Don’t begin explaining a game while kids are still chatting or wrestling with each other. Wait until you have everyone’s attention, even if it takes a moment.
Call out distractions immediately. If two kids are poking each other while you’re explaining rules, stop and address it. “Hey, I need your eyes and ears right now.” Don’t talk over it — it signals that the behavior is acceptable.
Keep instructions short. The longer you talk, the more likely kids are to lose focus and become distractions. Get them moving.
Use names. Calling a kid by name to get their attention is much more effective than a general “hey, listen up.”

Other forms of preventing participation:

Refusing to partner with someone. This needs to be addressed immediately. We don’t get to choose to exclude people. If it’s a personality conflict, handle the pairing yourself.
Dominating space. Some kids will take up way more mat space than they need, crowding other groups. Remind them to stay in their area.
Being so disruptive that the class has to stop. If a kid is repeatedly disrupting class after warnings and athletic punishment, they sit out for the remainder. Talk to the parent after class.

BEHAVIOR & BOUNDARIES: QUIZ & REFLECTION

Placeholder — quiz/reflection content coming soon

What does “be strict but silly” mean? Why is being loose with boundaries worse than being strict?

What’s the difference between telling a kid they’re bad vs telling them their behavior was bad? Why does it matter?

A kid hits their training partner out of frustration. Walk through exactly how you handle it for Little Lions vs Golden Tigers.

A kid doesn’t know how to play the game. How do you determine whether it’s a coaching problem or a listening problem? What do you do in each case?

Give an example of how you’d address a kid who is training too hard for their partner without shaming them.

COACHING KIDS EFFECTIVELY

PICKING TRAINING PARTNERS

In kids classes, coaches should hand-pick training partners rather than letting kids self-select. This is one of the most impactful things you can do for class quality.

The main variable is timidity level. Pair kids based on how they like to train:

Timid + timid: Both kids feel safe and can build confidence at their own pace
Aggressive + aggressive: Both kids get the intensity they want and neither gets scared
Timid + aggressive: Avoid this pairing when possible. The timid kid gets scared, the aggressive kid gets frustrated by the lack of engagement. Nobody has fun.

Other factors to consider:

Size: Big size disparities create safety concerns and frustration on both sides
Skill level: Pairing a kid who’s been coming for a year with a brand new kid can work if the experienced kid knows how to dial it back, but it can also be a bad experience for the new kid
Social dynamics: Some kids are friends and will goof off together. Some kids have conflicts. You’ll learn these over time.

As you get to know the kids in your classes, you’ll develop an intuition for who works well together. Until then, err on the side of pairing by timidity level and size.

USE FAMILIAR GAME FORMATS

One of the biggest drains on class time with kids is explaining new games. Every new format means kids spend brainpower figuring out the rules instead of actually playing and learning.

Whenever possible, use familiar game platforms and change one variable at a time. If they already know how to play a sweeping game from guard, keep the same format but change the starting position, or add one constraint, or adjust the win condition. Kids can dive into a familiar game instantly — no long explanations, no confused faces, no time wasted.

This is especially true for Little Lions. Their working memory is limited and their tolerance for listening to instructions is short. A game they already know the ropes for lets them get to the part they love — playing — faster. When you do need to introduce a brand new game format, keep the rules as simple as possible and expect to re-explain at least once.

FEEDBACK WITH KIDS

ONE THING AT A TIME

This applies to adults too, but it’s even more critical with kids. Their working memory is tiny. If you give them three things to focus on between games, they will retain zero of them.

One point per break. One concept. One cue. If they nail it, you can add the next one. If they don’t, stay on it. Trying to cover more ground by saying more things doesn’t work — it just dilutes everything.

SAY IT ONCE, SAY IT SHORT

The gap between a kid hearing your feedback and getting to try it should be as small as possible. Long explanations cause the feedback to fade before they ever use it. Say it once, clearly, and get them moving.

If you find yourself repeating your point a second or third time, you’re training them to not listen the first time. They learn that your first instruction isn’t the real one — the real one comes after the second or third repetition. This is the feedback equivalent of counting down from 3 and adding extra numbers.

Aim for 30 seconds or less between games. Shorter is almost always better with kids.

POSITIVE FRAMING

When you give feedback to kids, focus on actions, not the person.

There’s a meaningful difference between “you don’t listen” and “you didn’t listen just now.” The first judges who they are — it globalizes a mistake and implies it’s an enduring flaw. The second judges a single action — one moment that can be fixed.

Even better: frame corrections as what they should do rather than what they didn’t do. “We must always stop when the timer goes off” lands differently than “You didn’t stop when the timer went off.” The first points forward. The second points backward.

With kids, turning corrections into challenges is especially effective. “See if you can play that whole round without your coach having to remind you to stay connected” works better than “Stop disconnecting from your partner.” Kids are competitive — they want to prove they can do things. Use that.

A few more framing tools that work well with kids:

Use “clean that up” instead of telling them they did it wrong. “Clean that up” implies they’re close — they have the right idea and just need to refine the details. It’s encouraging and forward-looking.

Use the “-er” ending. “Can you do it quicker?” implies they were already a bit quick and you want more. “Can you do it quickly?” implies they weren’t quick at all. Small difference, big impact on how a kid hears it.

Use “we” instead of “you.” “We must always stop when the timer goes off” creates shared ownership. “You didn’t stop when the timer went off” creates defensiveness. Use “we” for expectations that apply to the whole class.

DON’T OVER-PRAISE

New coaches often fall into the trap of praising everything to stay “positive.” The problem: if everything is awesome, nothing is awesome. Praise is a currency, and too much of it causes inflation. When you tell every kid “great job” after every round, the words stop meaning anything.

When you give praise, make it specific. “That was good” is fine but forgettable. “That was a great decision to go for the sweep when you saw him lean forward” teaches them something. Specific praise tells kids what to replicate — generic praise just makes them feel good for a moment.

Save your enthusiastic praise for moments that genuinely earn it. The restraint makes it land harder when it comes.

BUILDING CULTURE IN KIDS CLASSES

Culture in kids classes isn’t built through speeches. It’s built through a thousand small, consistent interactions.

Some things that matter more than you think:

Environmental cues. When kids walk in and the mat is set up, the timer is ready, and you greet them by name, that sends a message: what we’re doing today matters, and you matter. If the space looks unprepared and you’re scrambling, the message is the opposite.

Older kids greeting newer/younger kids. If Golden Tigers overlap with Little Lions in any way — arrivals, departures, shared space — encourage the older kids to high-five the younger ones, say hi, make them feel like part of something bigger. This builds belonging and reinforces the kind of culture we want.

Distinctness. Inside jokes, team traditions, specific language that your kids know and outsiders wouldn’t understand — these things remind kids they belong to something. The phrases we use in class (“we’re fighting injuries, not each other”), the way we line up and bow out, the high fives at the end — all of it matters more than it seems. Belonging is the most important emotion in strong cultures, and it comes from a steady accumulation of small cues.

Routines. The more predictable the structure of class, the less time you spend managing behavior and the more time kids spend playing. If they know that class always starts with a warmup, then games, then lineup and high fives — they stop asking “what are we doing next?” and start self-organizing. Predictability is freedom for kids.

Observation tasks when kids aren’t playing. If there’s ever a rotation where some kids sit out a round, give them something to watch for. “Watch and tell me who has the smoothest movement.” “Count how many times someone taps and resets.” “Find the best example of someone using their legs instead of their hands.” This keeps them engaged, builds their perception of the game, and often improves their own play when they get back in — because they’ve been watching intentionally instead of zoning out or goofing off on the sideline.

COACHING KIDS EFFECTIVELY: QUIZ & REFLECTION

Placeholder — quiz/reflection content coming soon

Why should coaches hand-pick training partners in kids classes? What’s the main variable you’re matching on?

Why is using familiar game formats more important with kids than with adults?

What’s the maximum amount of time you should spend talking between games with kids? Why?

What’s the difference between “you don’t listen” and “you didn’t listen just now”? Give an example of how you’d reframe a correction as a challenge.

Why is over-praising a problem? Give an example of specific praise vs generic praise.

What are observation tasks and when would you use them? Give two examples.

FURTHER LISTENING

These are optional but recommended if you want to go deeper on building kids programs:

Ep. 207: The Kaboom Kids BJJ Framework, feat. Kabir Bath — BJJ Mental Models

Kabir runs a 300+ kid enrollment program using ecological psychology. Covers building a quality kids program, incremental learning, psychological safety, spaced repetition, the 80/20 rule, and pattern interrupts for kids.
Ep. 339: Developing Youth Programs, feat. Brennan Strimple — BJJ Mental Models

Building a thriving kids program and developing affordable tournament circuits. Covers abundance mindset, keeping it playful, investing in loss, and the resulting fallacy.