Teaching young martial artists to control their movements and power is essential for their development. Here are five effective drills to enhance control in your Little Dragons martial arts classes.

Drill 1: Dragon Tai-Chi

Goal: Help Dragons control the speed and power of their techniques.

Setup:

  1. Have all the Dragons line up facing the mirror. The instructor should stand in front of the Dragons, facing them.
  2. The instructor will perform a technique in slow motion.
  3. Have the Dragons follow the instructor, performing the same technique at the same speed.
  4. Do not allow the Dragons to go faster than the instructor.
  5. Repeat with various techniques.

Instructor Tips: Ensure your Dragons use good technique. This is a great opportunity to make improvements on specifics, such as proper wrist rotation, pull-back arm, and proper foot placement.

Drill 2: Dragon Bubble Wrap

Goal: Teach Dragons to control how hard they walk and understand when to use power and when not to.

Setup:

  1. You need a long piece of plywood and some bubble wrap. Tape the bubble wrap to the board.
  2. Have all the Dragons make a straight line on the side of the board that gives them the most distance to walk across.
  3. Have the Dragons walk across one at a time, trying not to pop the bubbles.
  4. Have them walk across a second time, this time trying to pop as many bubbles as they can.
  5. Sit them down after everyone has had a turn and explain when they should and shouldn't use power.

Instructor Tips: Teach the Dragons the concept of being soft (e.g., playing with friends, holding a small child or animal) versus being hard (e.g., breaking boards, performing katas).

Drill 3: Dragon Freeze

Goal: Help each Dragon control their motion and respond quickly.

Setup:

  1. Have an instructor stand on one side of the room.
  2. Place a line on the floor across the room from the instructor, giving the Dragons the most space to cross.
  3. The instructor will turn away from the Dragons and count out loud to three while the Dragons sneak up to tag the instructor.
  4. When the instructor gets to three, they will yell freeze and turn around to spot the Dragons.
  5. All Dragons must freeze before the instructor turns around.
  6. Any Dragons moving must return to the starting line. Dragons who freeze without moving start from that spot when the instructor begins to count again.
  7. Repeat until one Dragon tags the instructor.

Instructor Tips: Encourage the Dragons to control their movement. Challenge them by making the Dragons freeze into martial arts poses.

Drill 4: Dragon Master

Goal: Help each Dragon control the power of their martial arts techniques.

Setup:

  1. Have the Dragons line up in front of wave masters.
  2. Place a small square target on top of the wave master that can be easily knocked off if hit too hard.
  3. Have the Dragons take turns kicking the bag with good control.
  4. Each Dragon must strike the wave master two times without knocking the target off.
  5. Repeat until every Dragon has had at least three turns.

Instructor Tips: Ensure each Dragon has good distance from the bag to help their control. This drill helps them have good control in sparring.

Drill 5: Dragon Blocking Drill

Goal: Help each Dragon control their power when swinging the blocker pad at the Dragon in the middle.

Setup:

  1. Have all the Dragons form a large circle.
  2. Give each Dragon a blocker target and a number to remember.
  3. Have one Dragon stand in the middle of the circle.
  4. Call out a number of one of the Dragons. That Dragon kihaps (yells) and swings the blocker pads at the Dragon in the middle.
  5. The Dragon in the middle must block the attack.
  6. Repeat until every Dragon in the circle has had a chance to attack the Dragon in the middle.
  7. Designate a new Dragon to be in the middle until everyone has had a turn.

Instructor Tips: Ensure the Dragon with the blocking target uses control when swinging the pad at the Dragon in the middle. This drill helps with control, blocking, and reacting skills.

Conclusion: Developing control in young martial artists is essential. These drills are designed to make learning fun while instilling important skills in your Little Dragons. At the end of this class, reward each Dragon with a green stripe to show they have passed their control requirement for that belt. At testing time, you can select one or more of these drills to demonstrate in front of the judges. Each drill accommodates all ranks and styles, with higher ranks using more difficult techniques and meeting higher performance standards.