Martial Arts Kicks Practice Plan for 7 and 8 Year Olds
At 7 and 8, kick practice is BALANCE play wearing the dojo's homework: flamingo games (kicking's hidden prerequisite), CHAMBER play (the knee-up position of the taught kicks, held as statues), and the taught kicks themselves in slow celebrated reps. Height stays uninvited; balance and the taught shape rule.
Thirty minutes on carpet, bows framing practice. The house law travels from the stance file (only taught kicks, only as taught), slow-motion is the native speed (the chamber's pause visible), and every kick lands back in its stance (the return trip taught as half the kick from day one).
This plan was written for every 7 and 8 year old. ParentEdge writes one for yours.
Built around their game, their goals, and what they’re working on.
How high should young kids kick?
As high as exactness allows and no higher: the taught checkpoints (chamber, foot position, guard, return) outrank inches absolutely, and most 7-year-old kicks belong at knee-to-waist height. Height grows from the flexibility garden and the dojo's progressions: chasing it early just trades away the art.
Why is the chamber so heavily featured?
It is every kick's engine room: the lifted-knee position where balance, aim, and power all load. Chamber statues build the one-leg strength and the taught shape together, and kids with famous chambers learn every subsequent kick faster: the middle of the kick is its whole foundation.
Should kicks hit anything at home?
Air only at this age, unless the school assigns pad work and a parent holds as instructed: targets, power, and impact progressions are the dojo's supervised domain. Home's slow exact air reps build precisely what pad classes spend: the division keeps little joints safe and instructors happy.