Solo with Supervision (Kids)

The final phase before you coach kids classes independently.

After completing six kids co-lead sessions, you’ll run four kids classes entirely on your own: two Little Lions and two Golden Tigers. An experienced coach is in the room observing, but they don’t coach. They don’t add teaching points, don’t redirect kids, don’t handle behavioral moments, and don’t jump in unless something is genuinely unsafe. This is your class.

For the fundamentals (adult) solo protocol, see Solo with Supervision (Fundamentals).

How It Works

You run the entire class: warmup, games, recall, closeout. You plan it, you execute it, you adapt it. You pick every partner pairing. You handle every behavioral moment. The observing coach is a safety net, not a co-pilot.

The observing coach will:

Watch and take notes
Handle logistics if needed (timer malfunction, a parent with an urgent question)
Step in only for genuine safety issues or behavioral escalation beyond what a new coach should handle alone
Debrief with you after class

The observing coach will not:

Add teaching points during your stoppages
Redirect kids on your behalf
Handle behavioral moments for you
Change your pairings or your games

If the observing coach has to intervene on something that isn’t a safety issue, that’s a signal you’re not ready. It doesn’t mean you failed. It means you need more co-lead reps before trying solo again.

Before and After Each Session

Before class:

Full class plan: games for every segment, targeted goals, partner pairings planned (or at least the kids you need to separate and the kids you want to pair together)
Know which kids are likely in the room, any behavioral patterns to watch for, any new students expected
Review the class structure for the program (Little Lions or Golden Tigers)

After class:

Debrief with the observing coach. They’ve been watching the whole class with nothing else to do. This is the most detailed feedback you’ll get in the entire training program.
Their notes will cover: game selection, rules communication, coaching language, partner pairings, behavioral management, time management, energy management, parent interactions, safety scanning
Ask them: “What’s the one thing I most need to improve?”

Sessions 1-2: Running the Show

Run one Little Lions class and one Golden Tigers class. The first time you run a full kids class alone feels different from co-leading. There’s nobody to hand behavioral moments to, nobody to pick up the energy if your segment stalls, nobody to manage the parents while you manage the kids. The room is yours.

For the observing coach

Take detailed notes. You’re watching with undivided attention. Note partner pairings, behavioral moments (and how they were handled), energy levels, pacing, language choices, and anything you’d have done differently.
Don’t give live signals. No head nods, no mouthing words, no stepping toward a kid who’s acting up. The trainee needs to handle it.
Be ready to debrief the behavioral stuff in depth. Kids classes generate more behavioral moments than adult classes. The trainee will have questions about whether they handled things correctly. Give honest, specific feedback.

Session 1: Quiz & Reflection

Walk through your full class plan: every segment, every game, every targeted goal, every partner pairing decision. How closely did reality match your plan?

Describe the hardest moment of the class. Was it behavioral, energy-related, logistical, or coaching-related? How did you handle it?

How did your pairings work out? Were there any mismatches? What would you change?

Session 2: Quiz & Reflection

You’ve now soloed both programs (if sessions 1-2 covered both). Which felt harder? Why?

What did you change about your approach from session 1 based on the debrief? Did it help?

How are you managing the closeout? Are you giving every kid specific, genuine praise? Or are you defaulting to generic “good job” because you’re mentally exhausted by the end of class?

Sessions 3-4: Proving Consistency

By now you’ve soloed both programs. These sessions are about proving you can do this reliably: different kids, different energy levels, different behavioral challenges. Can you coach well when three kids are having a bad day and a new student walks in unannounced?

For the observing coach

Look for consistency. Are they handling behavioral moments the same way every time, or does their enforcement vary with their mood? Are pairings deliberate every session, or are they getting lazy?
Push them on self-assessment. By session 3-4, they should be identifying their own mistakes before you point them out.
Make the final call. After session 4, you’re deciding whether this person is ready to coach kids independently. This is a bigger decision than the fundamentals clearance because the stakes are different. Be honest. If they’re not ready, be specific about what needs more work.

Session 3: Quiz & Reflection

How did today’s class differ from your previous solos? Different kids, different energy, different challenges? How did you adjust?

Describe a behavioral moment you handled today. Walk through exactly what happened, what you said, and the outcome. Were you “strict but silly”?

What patterns are you noticing in your own kids coaching? What do you consistently do well? What do you consistently struggle with?

Session 4: Quiz & Reflection

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

Planning a full kids class (game selection, goals, pairings)

Communicating rules simply and quickly (under 30 seconds)

Giving focused, age-appropriate feedback

Picking training partners (timidity, size, social dynamics)

Handling behavioral moments (consistent, calm, “strict but silly”)

Reading kids’ energy and adapting

Managing time in shorter class formats

Running the closeout (specific praise for every kid)

Handling new students (age-appropriate New Student Protocol)

Managing parent interactions

Safety scanning (positioning, awareness, no-submission enforcement for LL)

Compare your self-ratings to the ones you gave at the end of co-lead. Where have you improved? Where are you still stuck?

What’s the observing coach’s overall assessment? Do you agree?

Final Assessment

Complete this after all four solo sessions. This is the comprehensive assessment for the kids coaching track.

Knowledge Check

What are the two kids programs at GJJ? What ages do they serve? What are the key differences between them?

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

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

What is the drill-to-game pattern? When and how is it used in Golden Tigers classes?

What is a recall round? Why is it one of the highest-ROI things you can do in a kids class?

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

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

What are the athletic punishments for each program? When do you use time-based vs count-based punishment?

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

Coaching Skill Assessment

Describe your approach to planning a Little Lions class vs a Golden Tigers class. How does your planning process differ between them?

How do you pick training partners in a kids class? Walk through the factors you consider and how you prioritize them.

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

A kid refuses to participate and sits against the wall. Walk through how you handle it. At what point do you leave them alone vs continue engaging?

A parent approaches you after class concerned that their kid got hurt. The injury was minor (bumped heads during a scramble). How do you handle the conversation?

How do you decide when a game isn’t working and needs to change vs when kids just need another round to figure it out?

What’s the most common mistake you make when coaching kids? What are you doing to fix it?

Pedagogy and Philosophy

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

Why do we care more about kids loving the game than being good at it? How does this change your coaching priorities?

Lemov writes that “when you chase five rabbits, you catch none.” How does this apply even more strongly in kids classes?

Why do we use familiar game formats with kids instead of constantly introducing new ones?

What’s the difference between over-praising and specific praise? Give an example of each.

Andrew Green (Ep. 375) talks about why kids can’t be coached like mini adults. What’s the most important reason?

Self-Assessment

What kind of kids coach are you right now? What are your strengths?

What kind of kids coach do you want to become? What do you need to develop to get there?

Which age group do you feel more comfortable coaching (Little Lions or Golden Tigers)? Why? What do you need to develop to feel equally comfortable in both?

What’s one thing you wish you’d known at the start of this training program?

When You’re Done

After four solo sessions with a positive assessment from the observing coach, you’re cleared to coach kids classes independently.

This doesn’t mean you stop developing. Post-class reflection, peer observation, and periodic feedback from other coaches should be ongoing. See the Coach Self-Review and Coach Feedback & Evaluation docs for how we continue to grow as coaches.

The full kids training progression:

Phase	Sessions	What you did
Shadow	4 (2 LL + 2 GT)	Observed experienced kids coaches
Assist	6 (3 LL + 3 GT)	Helped the lead coach, ran handed-off segments
Co-lead	6 (3 LL + 3 GT)	Ran full segments independently, split the class
Solo with supervision	4 (2 LL + 2 GT)	Ran the entire class, observed by experienced coach
Total	20