Kids teaching other Kids

Today has been a GREAT! GREAT! Day!!! After teaching 41 kids up in Alachua at the Bhaktivedanta Academy, I had 4 in the kids class at the dojo. What made today special was assigning the 6 year old Snr (purple with white stripe belt) to teach 7 year old Jkn (purple belt) a technique on Snr's blue belt test which is introductory on the purple with a white stripe test. I also had 7 year old Smn (purple belt) teaching 6 year old Ansl (white belt) techniques on the yellow belt and purple belt tests. The yellow belt test is basic rolling and wrist technique warmups. The purple belt test is the anti bully techniques test. Beginning students start out automatically as white belts.

That sounds like Greek, so I'll explain. Almost all techniques have something like a forward and backward form. I set the tests up so students have simple forward and back techniques with higher, more complicated techniques shown in the easier form on the back end of the test. Then the next test will have both the forward and backward of the techniques introduced in the previous test and even more complicated techniques on the back end of the next test. I tried to have this pattern continue through the curriculum, until they have most of the basic techniques plus various new attacks on previous techniques.

Teaching causes the student to explain techniques which forces them to think more about what happens in a technique. Another benefit, this requires real “SELF” discipline to think, explain, do and to receive the technique (take the fall) for the student being taught.

I have had kids teaching kids before, but always older teens class students. Today the 6 year old, who just turned 6 in July, was teaching the 7 year old. That's a WOW! Terrific! He is so sharp!

Another benefit today was Smn teaching Ansl. Smn missed promotion on her first try at purple belt cause she had trouble remembering techniques. Today caused her to focus more and think to teach Ansl. This also gave Ansl interaction with another girl, which was good for her and she learned a lot.