What happens in my kid's first session?

Your kid gets talked to first, not drilled first. I ask their name, what sports they play, whether anything at school is on their mind. Two minutes of that tells me more than any warm up would, and it means the first thing that happens to them is a conversation rather than an instruction.

Then movement. Falling without getting hurt. Moving on their feet. Games that look like play and are really footwork and balance. Kids learn quickest when they have not noticed they are learning, so the first twenty minutes usually look like messing about. They are not.

Then two or three skills, and only two or three. A stance. A frame to keep somebody off them. How to get up off the floor properly. I drill those until your child can do them without being reminded, because one thing they own beats ten things they saw once. Parents sometimes expect a longer list on day one. A longer list is how kids end up remembering nothing.

Rounds stay short. Two or three minutes of work, a proper break, go again. With kids the limit is attention, not fitness, and short blocks keep them switched on for the whole hour instead of the first twenty minutes.

You stay. Sit right there for every minute, and most parents do. You will see what I correct, how I talk to your kid, and whether they are enjoying it, which is more use to you than anything I could write here.

Afterwards I tell you straight what I saw. If your kid loved it, I say so. If your kid was not ready today, I say that too, rather than book you in for another ten.

What to send them out in: something they can move and sweat in, hair tied back, nails short, no jewellery, water. Bare feet on the mats. The gear rides in my truck, so there is nothing to buy first. What to wear and bring has the adult version and it is close enough.

Brothers, sisters and grandparents can watch. Most kids perform for an audience for ten minutes and then forget anyone is there. See who else can be around.

Two things worth telling me beforehand.

If your child goes quiet and stiff when a stranger talks to them, say so before rather than after. I run the first hour differently for a shy kid: less eye contact asked for, no being put on the spot, and something small they can do before anything they might fail at. See training a shy kid.

If the problem is the opposite and they do not listen to anybody, tell me that as well, including what sets them off and what you have already tried. It is not a reason to skip the session. See whether your kid will listen to a coach.

One more thing, for you rather than them. If your kid is flat, rude or falls apart in the first session, that is normal and I have seen it plenty. I would rather you did not make a verdict out of hour one.

Tell me what your child is like and what you are hoping for when you message me. See what a kids’ session looks like for the shape of it once they are going.