Dragon Level 1

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Dragon Level 1 - WHITE

Strength Training

D101- 3 Second Chin Up Hold

Chin Up Hold helps to develop arm and upper back strength in your Ninjas. This skills can be performed in front grip, reverse grip and mixed grip. Vary it up and get more benefit by involving more muscle groups.

The Ninja should not sit on their chin. Begin counting once they are in place and stop counting once their chin goes below the bar.

It's safe practice to teach them to lower themselves down rather than just jumping down. This also involves the muscle groups in a different manner that assists in strength development.

Strength Training

D102-Plank Hold

Plank hold develops strength through the core and shoulder areas. A strong core keeps the Ninja safer and of course helps with skills that will require more strength.

Have the Ninja go into a support position on their elbows. Push against the floor, rounding the upper back slightly, engage the abdominal muscles and squeeze the glutes. They need to hold this shape in a stable position for the duration. They will likely begin to shake or struggle as they reach their maximum. If it causes any lower back strain, they will need to lower the time until they can hold the position without a struggle. This is just an indication they are not yet strong enough.

Strength Training

D103-Wall Sit (15sec)

The dreaded Wall Sit! This exercise engages all the leg and hip muscles and helps to develop their power.

They should be in a seated position against the wall. Ensure that their knees are in line with their feet and that their back is flush against the wall. The hips should be above the knees throughout. Again, as they reach their maximum their legs will shake as they begin to fatigue and this is where the magic happens. How long they hold it will depend on their strength and level.

Strength Training

D104-Push ups- 2

Push Ups help develop the arms and upper back/shoulder area. You can do push ups with the elbows out- which develops more shoulders or with the elbows in which will help more with the triceps. So vary it up for more challenge.

They need to lower their body in a straight position and touch their chin to the floor, keeping their hips in line.

If they struggle with this position, have them put their knees on the floor and gradually increase the number and challenge.

Strength Training

D105-Sit ups- 5

Sit Ups are intended to help develop the abdominal muscles. If you hold their feet you will get some abs but you will also get a lot of hips and quads. So without assistance is the goal.

Ideally, they will have their hands beside their ears and avoid throwing their arms forward to gain momentum. They should be in a rounded shape, both on the way up and on the way down. They may notice fatique in the neck muscles before they struggle with their abs. Number and quality will be dependent on their age and level. Younger Ninjas do not yet have strong abs.

Strength Training

D106-Rope Hold (3 secs)

Rope hold is a great overall strength developer. It will help develop grip strength, arm and shoulder strength, upper back and core.

To begin they should grip the rope with both hands and pull themselves off the ground. They can then use their feet to help keep them on the rope. Later, as they improve, they should use their feet less or remove their feet all together.

They should keep their head at their hands throughout and when they want to come down they should lower themselves and climb back down, rather than sliding or jumping down.

Strength Training

D107-Squats

Squats help develop the legs and hips for power.

The Ninja should squat down similar to sitting in a chair. They should ensure that their knees stay in line with their feet and that their knees don't go in front of their toes. They should have their back straight and slightly forward and their weight distributed through their entire foot. As they push back up they should feel their foot fully on the floor. You can vary the speed and the length of time at the bottom of the squat. When they are ready for more you can have them hold a weight while they are doing the squat. Remember that young Ninjas aren't ready for the added weight.

Strength Training

D108- Side Plank Hold

Side Plank Holds develop the core, balance and alignment. They will get into the side plank position on their elbow and support themselves with the bottom leg. If this is too challenging they can begin with the bottom knee on the ground. They lift their hips to create a straight line and try to hold the position. You can increase the difficulty by raising an arm or even raising the top leg.

Tumbling

D120-Front Roll Down Cheese

Front Roll down the cheese is the Ninja's first attempts at rotations forward.

Make sure the Ninja tucks their head under and lowers themselves to their shoulders as they roll forward. They help to create the rotation by pushing off from their feet and pulling their hips over their shoulders. They should try to rotate to a tuck position first, then to their feet and finally to stand.

Tumbling

D121- Donkey Kick On Low Block

Donkey Kicks help to teach the rotation needed to be able to kick to handstand. They also help develop strength in the inverted position.

Have the Ninja put their hands on a block that suits their height and level. Then they push off their feet and push down on the block. As they improve they will be able to get higher. Encourage strong arms and keeping their head and shoulders over their hands so that they don't fall forward.

Tumbling

D122- Back Shoulder Roll Down Cheese

Back Shoulder Roll down the cheese helps teach the Ninja both a safety roll in the event of an off balance backwards landing and is an introduction to backwards rotations.

The Ninja can sit of the edge of the cheese and roll back. As they roll, they will lift their hips up and over their shoulder, keeping their head to the side and neutral. At first they may land on their knees and as they improve they will be able to rotate to their feet. More speed will come as they improve their technique.

Tumbling

D123-Hop Over Small Objects

Part of Ninja is being able to be agile and navigate complex obstacles. This begins with gaining control and developing their ability to quickly move over and around objects.

Put a series of small objects, like a french fry, foamie, floor beam or other easy object in a line. Then the Ninja should try to hop across the series without coming in contact with the object or falling. You can increase the height or challenge as they are ready for it. Challenge them to do it with both legs or putting the objects in a wiggly line, rather than a straight line.

Tumbling

D124-Positions- Straight, Tuck, Pike, Straddle, Attention

Every Ninja needs to know the various positions needed for the skills to come.

Straight- Body is fully aligned, arms up and legs together

Tuck- This is when the hips and knees are at 90 degrees.

Pike- Hips are less than 90 degrees and legs straight.

Straddle- Legs are apart and straight

Attention- Body aligned, legs together and arms at their side.

Tumbling

D125-Safety Roll Forward

A Safety roll is used when there is an off balance landing that is falling forward.

Similar to a shoulder roll, the Ninja rolls forward over their should to a controlled landing. This can help protect them if they are falling and can't stay standing up.

Ensure that their head is to the side and neutral, putting their shoulder near the ground while pushing off their feet.

Tumbling

D126-Straight Jump

Straight Jump is the beginning of all other jumps on the floor and the trampoline.

They need to push off the floor, straight up into the air, with their body in alignment and their arms up beside their ears.

Watch for good arm lift as they jump and for the feet to push the floor away. As they land, they should absorb the landing to motorcycle or absorb landing.

Tumbling

D127-Shoulder Roll Sideways

Shoulder Roll Sideways is another means of rotating and safely landing.

It is very similar to the back shoulder roll but the direction is more sideways than backwards. They should roll over their shoulder through a laying tuck position and continue to their knees or feet. The head should remain off the floor slightly and neutral.

Swing

D130-Long Hang

A long hang helps develop the Ninja's grip strength and prepares them for future skills.

The Ninja should grip the bar in front grip and have a straight body with their legs together. If you are testing grip strength by lengthening the time in long hang, they may need to regrip by shifting their grip back into position from time to time.

You can also challenge them to hang in reverse grip, mixed grip and monkey grip

Swing

D131-Front Support

A front support can be done on many surfaces. In this example they will perform it on a bar rail.

They should support themselves on straight arms in a front grip. Their weight should be balanced. The legs should be together and straight.

Remember- what goes up must come down. So they also need to learn how to get out of a front support by doing a front roll or pushing back to a motorcycle landing.

Swing

D132-Tuck Hang On Rings

The Ninja will grip the rings with front grip and thumb around the ring. They go into a hang position and then raise their legs into a tuck position, with legs together. Holding this shape helps to strengthen the abdominal muscles and strengthening their grip

Swing

D133-Support Feet To Chin Up

Chin ups are harder than they sound! So to develop a good chin up, begin with supporting the feet on a block to take away a portion of their body weight. Then the Ninja can pull themselves into a chin up position, chin at the bar. Remember not to allow them to hold themselves on their chin.

Gradually lower the block to increase the difficulty until they can pull themselves up without assistance. Lowering slowly also helps challenge the muscle groups.

Swing

Front Roll Down Cheese

Front Roll down the cheese is the Ninja's first attempts at rotations forward.

Balance

D141-Walk On Beam

Walking on the Balance Beam helps develop the Ninja's balance and agility.

Begin on a lower beam and work their way up to a higher beam based on their skill, confidence and ability.

Walking forward, one foot in front of the other with their arms out for balance. Their eyes should be looking forward to where they are going, rather than down at their feet.

Balance

D142-Dominos Flat

Dominos are a great tool for teaching balance, precision and agility.

Start with placing the Dominos flat on the ground, either sideways or long ways- or mix it up. The goal is to race across the dominos and not fall or miss a domino. The dominos can be changed quickly to make the course more or less challenging depending on your group. Don't have dominos? No problem, use small mats, blocks or spots.

Balance

D143-Forward Bear Walks On P Bars

A bear walk is a locomotion involving movement using both hands and feet.

The Ninja will get up onto the P Bars holding onto the rail with both hands (one on each rail) and putting one foot on each rail. Then they move across the P Bars moving one support at a time. This helps with coordination, strength and agility.

Balance

D144-Precision Jumps Close

Precision Jumps are similar in goal to Dominos. They will need to jump from object to object without falling off.

Set up a circuit of several different blocks, panel mats or cheeses. Varying the heights and slopes will help challenge the Ninja's skill.

Ensure that the choices are suitable for the Ninjas in your class.

Spring

D150-Doggie Position

Doggie Position involves the Ninja being on all fours on the trampoline.

They should be ready to support their weight without losing balance and stay in a slightly hollow position (cat shape).

This position is only used as a prep skill or saving skill.

Spring

D151-Stop Bounce

The stop bounce is very important in absorbing the landing on the trampoline.

As the Ninja lands they need to absorb the force through their legs and maintain control of their body. They should be able to do this on demand. Remember to teach the "motorcycle" landing to get control of a landing as quickly as possible.

Spring

D152-Straight Jump

Learning a good straight jump will lead to strong skills later. So don't under estimate the need for a good straight jump!

The Ninja will push off the trampoline equally with both feet, stretch up into the air while circling their arms upward beside their ears.

Tehy should be able to maintain straight body, stay in the same spot and land in motorcycle.

Spring

D153-Tuck Jump

Just like the straight jump, the Ninja needs to be able to stay in control while changing shape.

In the Tuck Jump, the Ninja will push off the trampoline, circle their arms upward and then pull their knees up into a tuck position.

Always ensure they can land safely.

Tumbling

D154-Star Jump

A Star Jump is very similar to the Straight Jump but with the legs open and the arms wider.

Changing the shape challenges the Ninja to retain control while in motion.

As they learn more jumps, always ensure they can remain in the middle of the trampoline and land with control.

Dragon Headquarters

D160-Warp Wall To 4ft

Bring on the Warp Wall!

Climbing the warp wall requires speed, agilty and strength. To begin we have marked the Warp Wall with markers that show the various heights. They will accelerate as they run and push with their legs to get up the wall. They should reach up as they run to try to reach the 4ft marker.

As they come back down, they will stay facing the wall and run/slide back down safely.

Dragon Headquarters

D161-Ring Hang

Ring Hang helps the Dragon improve grip strength and prepares them for future lache and skills in an obstacle.

They should hang in front grip with the thumb around the ring and extend their body out straight with the legs together. They can adjust their grip by pulling with one hand and shifting the grip on the other.

Dragon Headquarters

D162-Pole Hold

Pole Hold is a lot like the Rope Hold, but the pole is more slippery and requires more grip strength.

Grip onto the pole and pull themselves into a chin up. They can use their legs to help support their body weight. They should keep themselves as close the pole as they can.

Climbing down is much better than sliding down.

Dragon Headquarters

D163-Leg To Leg Transfer

Transferring from one obstacle to another is challenging at first, with a leg to leg transfer being one of the easiest.

The Ninja will be in support on a hanging obstacle at Dragon Headquarters. They should take full support on their legs, reach out for the next obstacle and then transfer their weight to the second obstacle without falling off.

The distance between the obstacles and the type of obstacle will be a factor in their success. So choose obstacles that suit the age, stage and development of your group.

Dragon Headquarters

D164-Cat Grab

A Cat grab is a way to maintain balance on a sloped surface like the ricochets or the warp wall.

As the Ninja jumps onto the surface they will support their weight on their feet while grabbing the edge of the surface with their hands.

It's important to look where they are going to ensure that they land ready to grab and balance. As they gain proficiency they will not need to grab for the ricochets.

Dragon Headquarters

D165-Slanted Steps One Side

Use the Ricochets or a series of cheeses to create a course. At first you will put all the slants facing the same way to practice the takeoff and landings.

The Ninja will leap sideways to the next obstacle and quickly recover by doing a Cat Grab. They repeat this action through the course.

Dragon Headquarters

D166-Climb Up And Down Ladder

Climbing up and down the ladder assists the younger Ninjas with their coordination and confidence.

They need to climb using opposite arm and leg, keeping their eyes on the rung above. Reverse the action on the way down.

Dragon Headquarters

D167-Reverse Grip Hang

As above in the Long Hang but with the hands in Reverse Grip.

In reverse grip the shoulders will need to open more to allow the head to be in a neutral position.

Vaulting

D180-Safety Vault

Put both hands on the block, then put one foot on the block beside the hands and pull the remaining leg through to the floor and hop to the other side.

Vaulting

D181-Stand On Low Vault

Climb on to the block, put one foot and then the other foot, when you have your balance you will stand up. Make sure they aren't wobbling and are staying strong.

Climb down or jump off to motorcycle.

Vaulting

D182-Hurdle Onto Board

A hurdle onto the board helps bring all the power to the takeoff. The ninja will push off one foot and land on two on the board. Coordinating all this power takes practice. This include bringing the arms back and being able to lift the arms in conjuction with the take off.

Vaulting

D183-Squat On Low Vault

Now the Ninja will take the hurdle and jump up onto the vault and land in a tuck position on the top of the vault.

They should run, hurdle- bringing both feet to the board, jump up, lift their hips and tuck their legs to bring their feet into position. If the Ninja is struggling you can have them land on their knees first.

Watch to ensure that they have their shoulders over their hands so that they can stay on top, rather than falling forward. Later they will learn to continue the action without stopping.

Spotting is called for if the vault is higher or if the Ninja is new to vaulting.

Vaulting

D184-Running Maintaining Speed

Test the Ninja's ability to run and maintain their acceleration as they approach the board.

Vaulting

D185-Absorb Landing

The absorb landing takes the force of the jump or landing and absorbs it through their legs and down to the floor. So as they land they continue to slow down and move closer to the floor. This can also be combined with a safety roll

Martial Arts

D190-Front Kick

From fighting stance, lift rear knee upwards and forwards pointing it towards target before extending the kick out. Aim to use the ball of the foot to make contact and retract the knee before placing the foot back on the ground.

Martial Arts

D191- Horse Stance

Horse Stance begins with the feet apart, legs braced and the hands in a fist at their hips.

The Horse Stance is the prep position for most of the Martial Arts Kicks. It's important they have a strong stable base to begin any additional movements.

Martial Arts

D192- High Blocks

There are three different arm positions with a High Block. Begin in Horse Stance. Bring arms up above your head strong and forearms facing out. Then take just one hand and do the same and then the other arm. The goal is to block any attacks with their forearms. The positions need to be strong and stable. Remember that the horse stance is key to maintaining balance.

Martial Arts

D193- Low Blocks

For the low block the goal is to block an attack is coming at their lower body. Start in horse stance, take both arms and cross their chest and then quickly down near their sides.
For one arm low block, begin in horse stance and take just one hand up to the shoulder, slide it down the outstretched arm and block at the bottom. As with High Blocks, the horse stance is key to remaining stable during the blocks. The arm thrust should be sharp and strong.

The Dragons need to be taught that Martial Arts is not for fighting, but the opposite. Martial Arts teaches discipline and protecting yourself, not harming others.

Martial Arts

D194- Dragon Code

I live by the code of the Ninja

To be Dedicated, Fearless,

Strong, and Kind

To Always help those in need

To use my skills for the greater good and to always do my best

This is what it means to be a Dragon Ninja

Martial Arts

D195-Standing At Attention

While standing at attention doesn't seem difficult, it becomes an important stance when the Trainer is giving direction. Even the little ninjas can be taught to go to attention as a cool way to get their focus brought back to the Trainer. Stand with legs together and hand directly at their sides. Relaxed listening can be "At Ease" with the legs apart and hands grasped behind their back

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