Teaching 10 year olds and younger...

[jfarmer]

Normally, I don't start working with students until they are 10 or older. (And some of them are still rather immature)

However, lately I've had quite a few inquiries to teach classes for children 10 and under. So I'm trying to gather information about what to try to teach, approaches to use, class structure and duration. Since there are a fair number of Y10/Y12 competitors out there, I'm hoping that I can find out what works and what doesn't when teaching fencing to these age groups.

Thanks
John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club

[qatet]

We start taking on kids at 8. (Apparently it used to be 6! Ugh!) My primary age group is 8-12, although I also run teen and adult classes.

This class has the same structure as all of our classes except our elite class. Beginners stay for an hour, working with plastic weapons and learning form and strategic use of distance. Intermediates stay for another half hour, repeating the distance work. When they start to hit with steel then we start to add things like parrying for one partner, and then disengaging for the other partner. Advanced stay for a full two hours. The last half hour is the tail end of their more advanced drills, plus hopefully a fencing game of some kind (Bridge, Pirates and Spaniards, Rat on a Wall, etc.), and then their bouting.

For everybody, the format is pretty much the same. Warm-up and stretching for the first 15 minutes. Some kind of footwork review, with a focus on the patterns necessary for the upcoming distance game. Introduction of this week's distance game. End the first hour with some full-group game (Steal the Bacon, Octopus, etc.)

There's a fine line to tread between repetition and variety. Once they understand the basic warm-up, I'll start changing it - adding new cues, having the same cues mean something new, adding obstacles, alternating between running and footwork, and so on. I don't really change the stretching, since I want them to know that in case they get there late one day, and so they can use the routine at tournaments.

With this age-group, I figure that I have three main things to teach them - enjoyment of sport and physical movement, some kind of control over their bodies, and how to pay attention (to their own actions, to somebody who is talking to them, to somebody who is drilling with them). They're not really built for paying attention for long periods of time, so long lectures are just dumb. If I have three things that I want to fix in their distance game, I'll have them play the game four times, and give a brief explanation and demonstration of one problem between each round. (Play game. Demonstrate problem of falling over in lunge. Play game. Demonstrate utility of extending arm. Play game. Etc.) My biggest advice is to have a clear sense of your curriculum, broken down into easy games, and accept the limits of what you can teach in each game.

An example of a day that I might teach. One of our games is "leader tag." One person leads the distance, but may make no more than three advances at a time. Their goal is to trick their partner into messing up the distance so they can lunge and hit them. The simplest physical actions of the leader are half-retreat, lunge and easy lunge, recover, long lunge. In the footwork warm-up session I would review these ideas, to make sure that they can actually execute them. If I've got a _really_ bright group I might also throw in half-advance, pause, lunge.

Then we move away from fencing entirely, they get a tennis ball between their feet and practice making small hosp forwards and backwards. Game with tennis balls - One person leads distance, tries to trick their partner into messing up the distance. They'll come up with great ideas of their own off of this game - creating a pattern and breaking it, setting a tempo and breaking it, changing the size of their jumps. They usually don't get putting in a pause. After they've come up with these ideas, I have them work the game a few more times, telling them each time to use a different idea, or to use whatever their last partner used to trick their new partner.

Then into leader tag, as described above. My focus in leader tag is getting them to work the drill correctly, and to use the footwork units described above. The smart ones will also bring in the ideas of the tennis ball game. For the advanced kids, I'll have them review leader tag once with no variations. If they're doing well, I'll add a parry with a riposte by thrust for the followers and we'll talk about how that changes the distance (follower stays closer, follower wants the leader to lunge or they're out of distance). Eventually, the leader gets a disengage.

Breaking the class down like this gives me a chance to teach both simple physical control and relatively complicated ideas in the tennis ball game and fencing-specific motions in the footwork game. In the past I've tried teaching the complicated ideas in the footwork game, and the kids' eyes glaze over. With kids this age, it's important to have a variety of games, each with a very specific focus.


As an aside, I know that NAFA takes very young kids for basically phys ed playtime. If Jason still posted you could ask him - or you could try dropping him a PM and see if he gets it. He doesn't actually run that class - it's managed by John or Larissa Gonzales (can't remember which).

[Fencergrl]

Gatet's post covered everything pretty well, the only thing I would add is that I found some structured discipline to be very useful.

We use a yellow, red and black card system. Yellow being warnings, for red card offences everyone gets one point on you all class, black cards the fencer needs to sit on the bench a little and cool off (as they did something dangerous or lost their temper).

The beauty of this is just bringing out the cards and having them visible while talking reminds the kids of the rules and what is expected. It also mirrors what they will come across in a tournament.

We only need to use this system for the under 12's.

[qatet]

I love the carding idea. Dirk talked about that in some other thread.

We use push-ups. We use push-ups in a strangely gleeful way. They're the go-to solution for small infractions (leaning on the wall, getting to the line last, small stuff that just makes the class go a bit too slowly). The great part of push-ups is that it provides a built-in way to immediately praise a kid after you've just censured them.

If something goes really wrong, the kid sits out and the whole group goes to a game, which the kid misses. This means that the kid is missing the fun stuff. It also gives you a moment to go talk to the kid, since games usually don't take as much supervision. And hopefully you can finish up the talk before the game is over and have them join the last bit of the game and go back to the group on a good note.

With the little kids, it seems to be particularly important to seal the criticism with praise or fun. Probably holds true for everybody, but it stands out with them.

[Fencergrl]

Oh yeah praise is a BIG DEAL for these kids. I've always got my arm around some kid at a tournament or practice telling them how proud I am. They really respond to individual and group praise. They NEED to know they are doing a good job. That's much more important for little kids than older ones.

[jfarmer]

Lots of good stuff!

The plastic foils that was mentioned, where can I find them? We have some of the "Wacky Wackers" that places like TCA sell. The idea of 7 and 8 year olds running around with steel blades is one of the reasons we haven't done anything with this age group before.

Are the classes organized as primarily games? What about drills? I'm getting the part about "don't lecture" and keep things in small pieces, but I will have think about how to lay out classes using them.

Thanks

John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club

[Fencergrl]

For our kids we do "Mini Epee". Which is giving the kids foils, but using epee rules (except only hits above the waist). Typically they are not allowed to bang the blades, or parry (until they are taught).

They must use distance and do attacks that go straight in.

If you use a small bit of wire (we use paperclips) around two of the three prongs before inserting it into the scoring machine. The foil works on the epee setting.

This gives the kids the best of both worlds. Easy rules (epee) and light blades (foil).

[qatet]

Originally Posted by jfarmer

Lots of good stuff!

The plastic foils that was mentioned, where can I find them? We have some of the "Wacky Wackers" that places like TCA sell. The idea of 7 and 8 year olds running around with steel blades is one of the reasons we haven't done anything with this age group before.

Are the classes organized as primarily games? What about drills? I'm getting the part about "don't lecture" and keep things in small pieces, but I will have think about how to lay out classes using them.

Thanks

John Farmer
Coach, Oak Ridge Fencers Club

We got our plastic weapons from Zivkovic a while ago. They came with batteries and buzzers. There's an option to get them without the buzzers. Oh Emm Gee, you want the ones without the buzzers!!! (plus, they're cheaper, I think). You can also get plastic masks. Our first generation of plastic masks were from Zivkovic. They fell apart quickly and in somewhat scary ways (the big plastic screws holding the mesh on the face would crack, leaving an less secure corner. Each time you handed out masks you had to check each screw. PITA) I think that our new ones are from Leon Paul, but I could be wrong. A bit heavier, but much sturdier, and a bit size-adjustable - the tongue can move forwards and back a bit.

The plastic gear is GREAT. It's lighter weight, so the kids aren't struggling with even the lightest 0 or 2 blades. The plastic masks are smaller and thus fit better and are a safer way to start. This is a good way to start them off with a bit of strength training before they move up to steel.

Our classes mix games and drills. The drills in the beginner course (the footwork games) are specifically referred to as games. By the time they're advanced (staying two hours, hitting with steel for some time, after a period of working bladework without hitting and then the same drills again with hitting) it's pretty clear that they're doing drills.

Riffing off of your comment about Wacky Whackers, NAFA has a game that they call Sepee, played with Wacky Whackers while mounted on Swiss balls (those big inflatable balls that are used for stability work). Epee target area, can hit with the point or the edge, must stay on the ball and on a strip, I believe. Their kids LOVE it - to the point of hosting sepee parties. Sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. They do claim to be home to the Sepee World Champion, and would probably be delighted to know that there is some challenge for the title. We don't have Wacky Whackers, alas, and so cannot give them a run for their money.

If you want more ideas about building a clear curriculum, Mark Masters loves talking about his system and has acted as a consultant for others setting up the youth programs at other clubs. Drop him an email at maestromasters@msn.com.

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by qatet

If something goes really wrong, the kid sits out and the whole group goes to a game, which the kid misses.

And just think of the learning experience when they discover that collectively they get a lot more play time if they just rotate as the "bad kid" and trigger more games. Development of strategic thinking at its finest!

-B

[oiuyt]

Originally Posted by qatet

We Riffing off of your comment about Wacky Whackers, NAFA has a game that they call Sepee, played with Wacky Whackers while mounted on Swiss balls (those big inflatable balls that are used for stability work). Epee target area, can hit with the point or the edge, must stay on the ball and on a strip, I believe.

I assume feet are allowed to touch the floor? Be much more difficult if it involved staying standing atop a rolling ball a la a circus trick.

Do you know if they're required to stay on the SAME strip? Ie, with a sufficiently large bounce one could hop to a neighboring strip -- is that disallowed?

-B
*somewhat worried that he's taking time to figure out how to game the Sepee rules*

[qatet]

Originally Posted by oiuyt

I assume feet are allowed to touch the floor? Be much more difficult if it involved staying standing atop a rolling ball a la a circus trick.

Do you know if they're required to stay on the SAME strip? Ie, with a sufficiently large bounce one could hop to a neighboring strip -- is that disallowed?

-B
*somewhat worried that he's taking time to figure out how to game the Sepee rules*

Sadly, I only ever got a description of Sepee, no demonstration. Perhaps it's time for another workshop in NYC! Clearly there are important things to learn, with or without the Professor.