Will an 11 to 14 year old in Calhoun train with the five-year-olds, or with the adults?
Short answer: neither. Kids II is ages 9 and up, Wednesday and Friday at 6:30pm, about 45 minutes. Kids I is ages 5 to 8, and that class is at 5:00pm. Adults start at 7:15pm, once Kids II is off the mat.
They will have partners close to their age. What happens in that room is the older kids naturally help and correct their younger teammates.
The program starts at age 5. That is the number that makes a Gordon County parent feel late. The ranks are age restricted, so a kid who starts at 11 will not necessarily be behind a younger athlete who has been training longer. Yellow waits until 7, orange until 10, green until 13. Every belt still takes 16 weeks. Being older does not skip those weeks, and it does not move those ages.
The curriculum for each rank is scaled to what a kid can reasonably retain. Beginners stay in Kids II. A 13-year-old is not moved into the 7:15 adult class to keep up.
Saturday at 9:00am is the kids competition class. Competing is optional. A kid can train Wednesday and Friday and never enter a tournament.
Sit through a full class during the free week. You will see who is actually on the mat.
Your child's first week is free. Call (706) 925-7390.