CenturyMartialArts Europe

The Successful Program for Children

Bring your children onto the road of success with the Lil' Dragon Program



  • The underclass program for preschoolers that inspires children and parents!
  • The most valuable children's program ever
  • Already recommended by educators and pediatricians in Germany
  • We will show you how it works!
  • The Lil' Dragon program teaches life skills such as respect, discipline, cooperation etc., safety skills such as road safety knowledge and more.
  • Come with your school into the 21st century!
  • The Lil' Dragon program can be used in any martial arts school

The Success Of Lil' Dragon

What is the reason behind the success of this children's program?





The Start

"In 1998, I flipped through the Century martial arts catalog and immediately fell for the Lil' Dragon articles," Hill recalls. "I thought, 'This would make an awesome trademark for a kids' program. Because back then, it was just a logo and merchandise.... Century agreed with the concept and with the help of school owners Rick Bethel and Ernie Reyes Senior, the Lil' Dragon curriculum was successfully structured and systematized. "When a 4, 5 or 6 year old enters Hills School he or she is invited to register for the Leaping Lizards, a simplified version of the Lil' Dragon program. If a child is already 6, 7 or 8 years old he or she automatically becomes a Lil' Dragon. However, it should be noted that most schools use the Lil' Dragon program as the sole program for their 4 to 8 year olds rather than splitting it into two separate programs. "We divide the children into 2 age groups to specifically identify the needs and abilities of the children," explains Hill. "If our school was smaller, we would bring the two groups together into one. Once the student reaches the age of 8, he or she will be automatically enrolled in the school's regular curriculum."“

A great Program

"This program is great for us," says Kimber Hill. "It's the answer to specialized martial arts courses, gymnastics clubs, and more. I now feel there is nothing that parents can't find in my school. And, instead of enrolling their children in various ...activities, my school has become their only place to go, because my school offers them everything."

The road to success

Even before a child is born, parents plan to enrol in martial arts courses, football or tennis clubs or even boy scouts. If they could, they would register their child before it is born. Why? Because their child will succeed in everything! If a pre-school... sports marketing plan were aggressive enough, school operators could get a signed contract from every expectant mother in town. It may sound a bit extreme, but it's a fact! when the Sports Marketing Survey Group, the world's largest sports survey agency, conducted surveys of pre-school age 3-5 year olds in 1970, it found that 31% of 3-5 year olds were already enrolled in some form of pre-school program. By 1998, this figure had almost doubled. Parents now enrol 61% of all pre-school children in an organised, daily programme. In this survey, parents expressed their desire to prepare their child as well as possible for success in today's challenging world. Furthermore, overweight among children is an enormously motivating factor. Parents now believe that physical activity is one of the most important criteria for a healthy child. Kimber Hill, Century's spokesperson for the Lil' Dragon programme, has noticed this trend and together with her husband Damon has created a child-friendly programme for 4 to 8 year olds. "It's so easy to recruit children of this age because they think they can do everything. They haven't experienced any self-doubt, nor are they even aware of this feeling," Hill said. "This age group is easy to reach because the media, such as the Power Rangers or the Kung Fu Panda, are already encouraging people to try all kinds of "tricks" at home. This also makes parents aware of martial arts and helps them to find a suitable martial arts school for their child. The media play a major role in getting children registered with us. We have an incredibly successful kids program for 4 to 8 year olds thanks to the influence of the media. Kimber and her husband Damon, who jointly own and run the Modern Martial Arts Academy in Deland, Florida, have not always been so successful in teaching children. When they opened their school in 1997, they did what most schools do today. They used the same programs for both children and adults. The children were expected to learn the same material, to meet the same requirements in belt tests and to participate in the same physical training. The turnover was average. However, because Hill appreciates the abilities and potential of children, she soon realized how absurd it is to expect the same from children as from adults. At this point, she realized how desperately needed was a program that would be fun, satisfying for the children, give them positivity and be lucrative for the school.



Challange

The Lil'Dragon program has found its niche in the huge competition out there. You lure even more Lil' Dragons by including Mike Chat's XMA program in their school. "This program is great for us," Hill says. "It's the answer to specialized martial arts... courses, gymnastics classes and more. Meanwhile, I feel there's nothing that parents can't find in my school. And, instead of enrolling their children in various activities, my school has become their only place to go because my school offers them everything." "Also, the Lil' Dragon program is a great prelude to the XMA program, 50% of all XMA program registrations come from the Lil' Dragon program," she says. Another interesting direction that Hill has taken is the perception of the Lil' Dragons of their affiliation with this school. Take the Boy Scouts, for example. The Lil' Dragon program rivals these established organizations because it does exactly what these organizations advertise. The children engage in various activities, earn badges for mental, social and physical skills, have their own suits, accessories and equipment, learn life skills and are supported in their personal development. There is no reason why a martial arts school should not address the market of 4 to 8 year olds. Kimber Hill has observed that this is a simple matter due to media influence and the desire to learn and be entertained. The trick is knowing how to keep this particular age group in line after the first 3 months. The inclusion of the Lil' Dragon program is the first step towards a lifelong commitment of children and their parents to the martial arts.

The Key

"Following the Lil' Dragon curriculum word for word is the key to a successful pre-school skills program," Kimber says. "The program itself focuses on social skills such as sharing, taking turns, when to speak and when not to speak, and of course physical ...activities that include various martial arts movements. The kids work on their balance, coordination, fitness, agility, jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, speed, timing, strength, partner training and collaboration. "The program is designed to develop the children's fine motor skills and help them become confident young people in every area of their lives. Of course, a lifelong love of the martial arts should also be instilled in them. But the most important thing is that the focus is always on having fun," she says. This may sound like a typical program for children, but the differences are enormous.

Positive Strengthening

"We do not yet teach formal katas to this age group either, because they require too much memory. How could an instructor expect a young child to perform a perfect kata or even an exam relevant kata when it might be difficult to coordinate jumping... jacks or even kicking after a ball? Instead we teach positions etc. that are as exciting as the XMA [Xtreme Martial Arts] so that the children can experience the principle. The children playfully imitate the movements of the teacher, whereby it is not so important which arm or leg is used. The children love it! This form of training gives the children a positive experience without the performance and memory pressure," says Hill.



DVDs

In order to ensure that the information in the manual is thoroughly studied, there is also a series of 14 training videos and DVDs. These media visually show everything from the manual and show school owners how best to use their instructors and assistants.... The videos and DVDs also offer variations of each exercise based on the size, age and ability of the students. "It's a great training tool for school owners, teachers and assistants," says Hill. "The videos can be viewed during the weekly team meetings, giving staff all the information they need for the coming week." The Lil' Dragon program also paves the way for the sale of all kinds of items. The program has its own belt system, suits, T-shirts, caps, bags, blockers, training targets, Wavemasters, etc. Hill sells more merchandise and training tools in her school alone than anyone else. "The kids are immensely happy to have their own brand on everything. They feel connected to the identity of the program and the school and develop a sense of pride and belonging. That's the key factor in keeping the kids on," says Hill. New approaches to the 4- to 8-year-old market One of the main reasons the Lil' Dragon program has been adopted by over 1300 schools worldwide is its approach to teaching martial arts. "One of my favorite slogans for the Lil' Dragon program is 'The best way to get them to work hard is to play hard,'" says Hill. "We make them think they're having the time of their lives when they come to classes. We disguise drills and exercises as games so that it's always a positive and exciting experience. We only use positive reinforcement by praising the students when they do something correctly. We don't say "No" or "Don't do it this way." We always recommend and encourage."

A lot of Fun

Football, gymnastics and Tennis Hills concept with a focus on fun hits the mark. If a school owner studies the target group of 4 to 8 year olds, he or she will find that the fun factor is the primary goal and is right in line with the trend of today's sports programmes... for children. "What motivation does a child have to stick with a sport if it is not fun, especially with the huge range of sports on offer in cities? If the child has fun and develops his or her skills enough to satisfy himself or herself and his or her parents, soon you won't have a problem with too few registrations, but with the available space," says Hill. The focus in many sports is on fun. For example, football. According to the Sports Marketing Survey, it is the fastest growing sport for children in America. In most states, the available spots are filled so quickly that it's rare that all children who want to play football can do so. Instead, they find themselves on waiting lists, hoping to find a place before the season ends. Why? That's because "There's just a lot of action and no standing around. The children can play all year round and in football there is always a suitable position for every child who wants to play. And the best is: The children have a lot of fun , so Jim Nicholson, director of the Hattiesburg Youth Soccer Association in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Gymnastics courses are another fast growing market for 4 to 8 year olds. In its action content, it is identical to soccer. Nobody stands around, the children can announce themselves the whole year over and everyone takes part actively and has thereby a quantity fun. Many gymnastics clubs increase their attractiveness through unusual playful incentives such as bouncy castles. They are absolutely visual incentives and colourful, interactive toys that turn a school into a multipurpose facility. Gymnastics instructors use them for open days, information weeks, fundraising and reward days. Imagine a 16m sea snake, a 7.5m dragon maze, a 5m slide and a giant obstacle course in every martial arts school. What a great way to get the attention of new students and keep the current enrolled ones with you. And it simply makes for more fun!

Century as the Pioneer

To ensure that martial arts can compete with gymnastics courses in the future, Century is currently working on gymnastics and matting equipment to support schools that offer such courses and/or wish to integrate them into their martial arts... courses. In addition, Kimber Hill is currently developing a curriculum and manual to help schools work with this equipment. Tennis is yet another sport that offers entertaining programs. One tennis school on Kiawah Island in Charleston, South Carolina advertised: "Learn tennis, soccer, baseball, football and basketball skills by signing up for tennis! A boarding school for tennis pros at the Albany Tennis Club in Albany, New York, advertises as follows: "Make sure that everyone in your community sees your preschool program. Not as a tennis-related program, though, but as a customized, energetic and fun-filled program that happens to be located at a tennis facility.



Your Lil' Dragon

Become a Lil' Dragon program partner with your business, studio, school, academy or dojo without subscription/license fees!
Get the program package now with a one-time investment to get the following benefits.

Advantages of The Lil' Dragon Program

1

Lil' Dragon Label for your homepage and certificate for your location.

2

Discounted purchase of Lil' Dragon products.

3

Present your Lil' Dragon location with your video on the Lil' Dragon site.

4

Area protection and support for your city advertising.

5

Exclusive access and advice from Our Designer for your own Lil' Dragon marketing materials (offers on request)

6

Exclusive seminar offers in various network locations.

7

Location deposit with direct link to you on the Lil' Dragon network website.

8

Monthly packages as pay-per-download offer, without subscription.


For interested parties from the Netherlands and Belgium you are welcome to become an official Lil' Dragon partner on site: Pax Nicolasen, Jiu Jitsu Breda, Email: info@jiujitsu-breda.nl, www.lildragon.nl

Lil' Dragon Locations

Europe-wide you will find more than 120 licensed locations where the Lil' Dragon program is successfully practiced.



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