Martial Arts Curriculum Plan
This document covers the curriculum plan for Cabbagetown Community Arts Centre’s new Muay Thai and Kickboxing class. Children will learn the arts of Thai martial arts, Muay Thai, and standard Kickboxing. It will be a mix of physical activity and learning the basic culture of Muay Thai in respect, strength, learning to count in Thai from 1 to 10 and learning the Thai words for basic techniques. The classes, depending on the semester, will be between 9 to 14 weeks once a week.
Classes
Over the semester, two classes will be available every week. One class will be for students aged 6 to 9 years old. The other class is for students 10 to 12 years old. Both classes will be 45-minutes. Each class will include warm-ups, basic martial arts techniques, physical activities, meditation, and basic cultural study of Muay Thai. The classes aim to encourage confidence, strength, focus, respect, and responsibility. Children will explore the art of Muay Thai in a safe environment with procedures to ensure incidents remain to a minimum.
The classes will be a group learning experience with 15 students per class. If students are attending the lessons above the class limit, an assistant instructor is recommended to help manage large groups and distribute labour. There are expectations for instructors and students to wear appropriate athletic attire and bring water. Equipment like boxing gloves is recommended for students to use for safety precautions and proper martial arts etiquette. Teachers are expected to have gloves and punching pads so students can learn to perform techniques safely. The lessons aim to deliver an educational and fun experience to the students while also prioritizing safety.
What Will Students Learn
Students will learn many martial arts skills within these classes. It is a physical-based class to help students get their daily exercise. Therefore, warm-ups and exercises like jumping jacks, squats, pushups and many other gross motor skills will be taught. There will also be fun activities that energize the students such as relays, obstacle courses, circuit stations, octopus, and more. As a martial arts class, students will learn how to safely perform martial arts techniques such as jab, cross, knees, push kick, swing kick, knee, elbows, hooks, and more.
Along with techniques comes culture. Students will learn the basic culture of Muay Thai of counting to 10 in Thai and basic Thai greetings. At the end of class, there will be a small cooldown and meditation period for the students. It is done to let students calm down after the exercises. Here students will learn the importance of why we learn martial arts and why it is important to not abuse the techniques learned in class. Overall, the martial arts lesson aims toeducate students in a holistic approach covering aspects of techniques, culture, mental, physical, and humility.
Safety Procedures
To ensure that students are practicing martial arts in a safe environment, here are procedures to follow. Students will start with non-contact learning. Therefore, students will not touch each other when learning martial arts techniques.
There will be light contact between students to students when doing activity-based exercises and students to instructors when students perform techniques.
To protect our hands from injuries, both students and instructors should have boxing gloves if the lessons progress to full contact. Instructors will benefit from punching and kicking pads to help students aim and safely perform techniques at minimal risk. Foam Floor tiles are also recommended for a lot of running and movements will be done during class time. Having a soft cushion to break a fall can reduce injuries and incidents. In case of incidents and injuries, an accessible first aid kit will be required. The instructor is trained in Standard First Aid and CPR-C. Finally, students should drink plenty of water and take breaks between activities to regulate their temperature and energy after an exciting exercise.
Equipment
Some equipment needed to start the Muay Thai/kickboxing classes are:
First aid kit
These are basic equipment for the classes to operate at a bare minimum. As time goes on, and the classes start to get popular, more equipment like agility ladders, punching bags, ropes, and more can help elevate the quality of lessons and education. The goal of the equipment is to give variety in lessons, safety precautions, and for the enjoyment and engagement of students.
Equipment Supplied
Boxing gloves
Punching pads
Kicking pads
Swim noodles
Pylons
Skipping ropes
Foam floor tiles