A Wise Athlete Sport and education. Both.
Get the app

Karate · Basic · b2

Balance and flexibility games

At home 8 min 1 to 2 players One room, yard or lane

Ready when: nothing needed.

Start a session

What you are learning

Balancing on one leg and lifting the knee slowly, the way a front kick starts, with no kick. Kicks need balance on the standing leg; stretching from the workonfitness.com link keeps the hips and legs loose.

Words on this card Guard, Mae-geri
Guard
The ready position with the hands up to protect the body.
Mae-geri
A kick straight forward with the ball of the foot.

Set up

A clear space.

Weather: any weather

The base setup for karate

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. Stand on one leg, eyes on one spot on the wall, arms in the guard.
  2. Lift the other knee slowly up in front to hip height and lower it slowly: no kick.
  3. Swap legs.

Your part while they practise

Play along; use the workonfitness.com link for stretches.

Step by step

  1. One-leg balance on each leg for 10 seconds.
  2. Slow knee lifts: the front kick lift with no kick.
  3. Hamstring and hip stretches from the link.

How much: 3 balances and 5 knee lifts each leg 8 min a session 4 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Flamingo

Who can stand longest on one leg.

Who plays: the child against you, or two children.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. Both stand on one leg, hands in the guard
  2. Count the seconds aloud together
  3. The first to put a foot down or touch something loses that round
  4. 3 rounds each leg; the score is your best time
Fair play
A grown-up balances with the eyes closed.
Points
1 point for each second on one leg in your best round.
Fouls
The round ends
  • Holding on to anything
  • Hopping
  • The hands dropping from the guard
Winning
The longer best time.
Stars
  1. 10 points for 1 star
  2. 20 points for 2 stars
  3. 30 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

Hold a wall.

Harder

Eyes closed, or walk a line with a bean bag on the head.

What you will see, and what to say

  • the child falls sideways Look at one spotFixed eyes, still body.
  • they kick hard Lift slowly, no kickThe lift only.

Self-check

10

10 seconds on each leg, 3 times.

Stop and get a coach when

Pain in the hip or hamstring.

Fitness for this

Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.

This card trains balance, flexibility.

awiseathlete.com/sports/karate/karate-b2