MARTIAL ARTS FOR EVERYONE

Lil’ Kickers, ages 3-4, 5-6, & 7-8:

Discover why parents LOVE our Lil’ Kickers Program! It’s the perfect blend of building gross motor skills, life skills, character enrichment, and real-life self-defense strategies! Most importantly, its TONS of fun! This program at Kicks will give your little one the tools they need to thrive at school, at home, and in life! 

Our Lil’ Kickers program is nothing short of world-class.  During a typical class, your Lil’ Kicker will learn all of the skills that the older students learn, but in a way that is fun and engaging for younger children.  We keep our Lil’ Kickers classes small so that your little one will have the opportunity to learn all of the skills that the older students learn with a lot of one-on-one attention from their instructors.  Each class is face paced, so that the attention span required of the younger students is also tailored specifically for each age.   While we do ask that they practice sitting and listening, focusing, and practicing self-control, the Lil’ Kickers are asked to do this for much shorter periods of time than the older students, and then we get their bodies moving again!  

Each class includes a fun and engaging warm up to get their bodies moving, flexibility work, basic skill work with the instructor, forms pattern work, focus bag work, basic sparring, and ninja games and obstacle courses to practice building their gross motor skills.  We also focus strongly on real life safety and self-defense in our stranger danger and bully training.  Every class concludes with proud parent reports and reciting our ninja oath.

Kid Kickers, ages 9-12:

Our Kid Kickers Program gives your child the tools they need to protect themselves, but it also equips them with incredible life skills like focus, discipline, respect, perseverance, and more!

Watch them improve in school, too! Our world-class curriculum will not only help your child learn martial arts and improve their fitness and mobility, but it will also improve their confidence, responsibility, leadership skills, and so much more. Kicks students thrive on and off
the mat.

Our Kid Kickers Program focuses on giving your child all of the tools they need to succeed in martial arts AND in life at home, school, and in the community.

For our traditional practice, we focus on building a strong foundation of skills. Forms pattern practice focuses on strong technique, grace, balance, fluidity of movement, as well as mind body integration. Sparring practice does much of the same, while also improving reaction time, cardiovascular endurance, and real-life application of the techniques. Bag work and board breaking improve power and focus, as well as helping students break through mental barriers and leave them feeling strong and empowered. Weapons training and ninja obstacles are also
fun additions to the classes that help fine tune body awareness and control while having a BLAST.

We focus strongly on flexibility and mobility skills that can grow with the students to give them a lifetime of strong, moveable bodies. We also prioritize time to focus on real life self-defense in our stranger danger and bully training, giving students simple, effective tools that leave them feeling confident and capable in their abilities to protect themselves should the need ever arise. This also leaves parents with invaluable peace of mind!

Much like the Lil’ Kickers, every Kid Kickers class concludes with proud parent reports and reciting our ninja oath.

Aside from the physical benefits, our kid kickers leave classes at Kicks with a strong sense of confidence. Confidence building is a key part of our training, as well as other incredible life skills such and focus, discipline, respect, perseverance, and more!

With all of these wonderful tools for full body and mind integration, students and parents find that the skills learned in Kicks classes greatly carry over and improve their performance in other sports, or in cultivating a lifelong movement practice that carries over into adulthood.

Neurodivergent Learners:
Kicks welcomes all children and their individual learning styles, including neurodivergent learners. We love to work together with their parents to tailor their training for their specific learning style and needs, and have had many neurodivergent learners achieve great successes in our classes!

Proud Parent Program:
Each class at Kicks is finished on a high note with our Proud Parent Program, and one of our kickers’ and parents’ favorite parts of each class!

During this time, parents write out their kicker’s best black belt behavior from outside of class that week, either at home, in school, or in the community. It can be as simple as showing respect to a sibling, making a good grade on a test, brushing their teeth before bed, or volunteering to help others! We want to honor any and all things that parents are proud of! Our instructor then reads the proud parent reports to the entire class and each kicker is celebrated, and receives a ninja chip to collect for their awesome black belt behavior and attitudes outside of class that week.

We find that this is a great way to allow our black belt training and life lessons to carry over outside of the class, and then to bring parents in as a part of the class, in return. It’s truly an awesome program that your family will love!

*Parents are always encouraged to stay and watch as often as possible during their kicker’s classes, both as a great source of encouragement and to help the kickers practice at home, as well.

Jiu Jitsu:

Kicks is affiliated with 4-Jitz Jiu Jitsu Academy and offers classes at our Santa Rosa Beach location with Co-owners, Professor Larry McCallister and Head Coach, Professor Gilmar.  

Professor Larry started training jiu jitsu after wrestling throughout high school and USA wrestling in 2001.  He received his black belt in 2017 under Roberto Kaelin.  Larry also competed and trained under Head Coach Yousef Azareli in wrestling for many years and with humility is privileged to teach and share what he has learned.  Professor Larry is honored to be an instructor and co-owner of the 4-Jitz academy with Professor Gilmar. 

Professor Gilmar is a 3rd Degree Black Belt certified by the IBJFF.  Gilmar has spent his lifetime advancing the art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and has been training in BJJ since 1998 and has been teaching since 2009.  He earned his black belt in 2009, and in 2011 moved from Brazil to the United States to share his knowledge and help others to accomplish their goals.  He believes that BJJ has the best training methods to help each individual reach their full potential, both professionally and in life. 

We offer the BEST birthday parties in South Walton! Give your child an amazing party, while you enjoy a stress free day!  Bring any decorations you’d like, while we provide the perfect venue, entertain the Ninjas, help the birthday Ninja feel EXTRA special, and at the end of the party, WE CLEAN UP! 

Kicks Parties Include:

-45 minutes of beginner Ninja school and Ninja games

-45 minutes for cake, presents, and free play on the Ninja floor

– An honorary black belt ceremony for the birthday Ninja 

– An authentic Ninja sword for cake cutting

– Free class passes for all friends and family who attend the party 

– Clean up 

Call to schedule your Ninja’s best. Party. Ever!!!

Private Instruction:

Accelerate your training by scheduling private, customized instruction with Mr. Alan to reach your specific training goals. 

Ninja Camp:

Join us for our most popular event ALL year!  Ninja Camp is all about FUN, all while giving parents a few blissful hours of free time! Campers will learn basic ninja skills, along with weapons training, ninja games, Ninja warrior obstacle courses, the floor is lava, sparring, combat sparring, and board breaking!  We also offer superfood ninja snacks and learn to fuel our bodies with fruits and veggies that will give us super ninja minds and super strong bodies! Ninja camp dates will be announced on our calendar and our Facebook page at the end of the school year.  Ask about saving your ninja a space today!  ALL Ninjas, including current and future students, friends, and family are welcome! No previous experience necessary.