Hey Ninja Fam!!
I’m looking for advice and or resources for when an older kiddo wants to join the ninja program higher than White level (Lvl 1).
For some background, our gym requires documentation for any athlete to be in a class higher than a beginner level. For our Ninja program specifically, this means anyone 6yo and up has to start in White unless the parents request a private evaluation. However, I do not promote this option.
My program does monthly progress reports and the data collected from that is input into Jackrabbit (class management system). This allows me to see when a Ninja has mastered a majority of their skills and can be invited to a mission ceremony. I then add a note to the athletes skills and our office team can see that the athlete has been to a ceremony and is cleared to sign up for the next level.
Now, I’ve had an increase of kiddos wanting to start the program between the ages seven and 12. The parents of these kids request to start in a higher level often so I schedule a private evaluation like our gymnastics program does.
Currently, I flip through 4 levels of The Skills Tracker and ask the new athlete to show me skills from each of the 4 worlds and various levels. It often involves more coaching and teaching terms than the athlete showing their abilities. This is hard to accomplish in a 15-20 minute timeframe, but serves as the documentation we need to put that new athlete in a higher level class.
I’m curious, what do you folks do when you have a kiddo wanting to start the Ninja program higher than level 1? If you evaluate to determine the best fit level, what skills do you look for from each of the worlds? Do you have a specific evaluation you use (flipping through 4 levels of skills is rough!)? What is the highest level you would place a new athlete in?
Of course my main goal is to find the best level that the athlete will feel success but still experience the challenges .
Thanks Tyler and Steven! I wish we had trial classes since that sounds like the perfect amount of time to understand an athletes' abilities. I've talked with the owner, and she didn't completely shut down a trial class idea!
I'm considering condensing the code of points from levels 1-4 so that I can evaluate 10-20 key skills that progress through the program. As an example, I always evaluate FW and BW rolls on an incline and the floor. I'm also sure to touch round kick, hook kick, and spin steps to see how quickly they can pick up on skills/instruction.
I've observed the same with kids who already know how to flip or have had karate experience. They have skills and strength, so then its a matter of them getting to know the terminology.
I've placed a majority of those new kiddos in Yellow or Yellow+. I hate to put a new kiddo any higher than that due to safety concerns. I, however, have been told I play a little too safe sometimes 😅 Thanks again guys!