What children learn
Our Juniors train on the same Freestyle Martial Arts curriculum as every class at West Coast, at a higher level than Pre-Juniors. At nine to twelve, kids are ready for more technical detail and more challenging training, and they need it. This is the age where bullying tends to get more physical and more serious, and where kids are heading into high school with a whole new set of pressures.
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Students build on their striking, kicking and boxing combinations, and develop takedowns and takedown defence, ground escapes, headlock and grab escapes, and getting back to their feet safely. Techniques are drilled and then tested under pressure, so students know what works and can apply it under stress. We also cover situational awareness, avoiding conflict and knowing how to handle situations before they escalate.
More Than Self-Defence
A lot of parents come to us because their kids are spending too much time on tablets, phones and gaming, and not enough time being active. Fitness levels in this age group have dropped, and so have resilience and self-discipline.
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Training gives kids something physical, challenging and real. Every class starts with a warm-up that's a genuine workout, then moves into technique and drilling, and students are expected to push themselves the whole way through. Kids who are active, fitter and involved in something that demands effort are better off for it, physically and mentally.
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But kids will almost always take the path of least resistance, and at this age the novelty of something new wears off. That's where parents come in. The families who get the most out of martial arts are the ones who treat it as a commitment, not a hobby their child can drop when it gets hard. We'll do our part on the mat. The rest starts at home.
Grading
Progress is reflected through our coloured belt system. Belts aren't handed out for turning up. Students are invited to grade by their instructor when they're ready, based on:
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the number of classes they've completed
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how regularly they train
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their technique
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their dojo etiquette and attitude
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time spent at their current belt
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Tip testing is done in class three times a year, in week 12 of each trimester. Grading invitations are given during tip testing week. Gradings are held on a Sunday around four weeks later, with set times for each age group. Students must wear full uniform (gi and belt) and arrive before bow-in. All dates are listed on our Important Dates page.
How Our Classes Run
Our curriculum runs in three 16-week trimesters each year. Each trimester cycles through our four core areas, striking, wrestling, combatives and ground fighting, four times over. As students move up through the age groups, the techniques and scenarios step up to match the situations they're likely to face.
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Classes are capped for quality control and kept age-specific, so students train with kids at a similar stage and no one holds anyone else back. Juniors classes are led by an experienced instructor with two to three student helpers on the mat. Our instructors typically have well over 10 years' experience across multiple martial arts.
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All students train a minimum of twice a week. That's what it takes to build real skills and see real progress.
Pathways
Juniors who show commitment over time can be invited into our additional programs:
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Fight Club is invite and application only. It's for students who have trained with us for a period of time and want to take their training further, and it includes wrestling through our affiliation with Gladiator Wrestling.
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Student Leadership is open to students from around 8 years of age. Student leaders help run our younger classes and develop communication, responsibility and leadership skills over several years.