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The Top 12 Self-Defense Skills For Kids

/in bully prevention, Curriculum, Homeschool, Motivation, Nutrition, Recent Blog Posts, Safety, Self Defense/by coachjody

You don’t have to put your child in a martial arts academy to learn self-defense skills. You can teach them at home. I will equip you to teach the top 12 self-defense skills using my online martial arts videos and lesson plans. Learning these valuable life skills might lead to a new interest in martial arts, but if it doesn’t, you can still increase your child’s confidence and courage with this online learning experience.

My online self-defense program at The Great Flip is inspired by the martial art called Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I’ll provide the benefits below. But first, let’s look at the Top 12 self-defense skills for every child age six and up.

To watch a free videos, keep scrolling …

Top 12 Self-Defense Skills

Six Stand-up Techniques

The Break Fall
The Technical Lift
The Break Fall + Technical Lift Drill
Wrist Escape
Choke Escape
Punch Protection from Standing

Six Ground Techniques

The Hip Escape
The Bridge
Ground Protection Drill
Closed Guard + Hip Escape Drill
Mount Escape
Punch Protection from the Ground

online self-defense

Why Brazilian Jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is best for children’s first exposure to self-defense

BJJ is a “grappling sport” introducing children to movements on the ground which is realistic to self-defense situations. Most self-defense altercations (more than 80 percent) finish on the ground. No other martial art addresses the ground game like Bjj.
BJJ allows students to live drill techniques with success.
BJJ empowers smaller-framed people to use techniques and leveraging vs. force to overcome a larger opponent.
BJJ introduces children to physical contact in a safe environment.
BJJ is referred to as the “gentle martial art” giving children a positive martial arts experience.

Do you homeschool? Check out my Homeschool Martial Arts Resources!

Four Reasons Parents LOVE ❤️ Teaching Martial Arts at Home

Children aged six and up can learn these skills.

Every Plan includes:

The Top 12 Self-Defense Skills
Progress Chart
Certificate of Completion

Let’s get started! Three simple steps:

1. Choose an online martial arts plan.

2. Enroll.

3. Set up your training space at home and … let’s train!

Click here to Shop Plans.

Request a Free Video and Lesson Plan.

Every plan includes a downloadable certificate and training track to guide you and your students through the Top 12 Self-Defense Skills. Let’s get started!

Hi I’m Coach Jody

I created The Great Flip to give my daughters a fun, playful and empowering introduction to the martial arts. Your children (girls and boys) will gain valuable character development skills by learning self-defense, safety and faith-filled confidence with The Great Flip resources.

My videos follow this format:

My videos stream from Vimeo.com;
Each video is approximately three minutes in length, easy to watch, rewatch and train with students ages six and older (the whole family can get in on the action too);
I teach one technique per video, you’ll see me teach the technique, then watch students of various ages try the technique. You’ll observe the progression of mastery as the students progress with age and ability.
No martial arts experience is required! Simply watch the online videos and train! I have designed the videos so anyone can watch, learn and train together.

Here’s a link to my public Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/thegreatflip

Yes, you may share a paid online plan with a group of families, co-ops, and schools. I just ask you to not share your account outside of each group to protect my hard work and your passwords.

What are your goals?

For those who want a quick start “videos-only” training experience, I recommend The Empowered Plan or The Strong Plan.

If you want more structure with easy-to-follow lesson plans you will love the Confident and Courageous plans. These plans offer faith-filled talking points with each lesson plan.

Request a Discount Code

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at jody@thegreatflip.com. I answer every email personally. I’m excited to share my ministry and resources with you. We could use more children with self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment skills!

See you on the mat!

Give your child the gift of confidence and courage and teach them the Top 12 Self-Defense Skills.

Request a FREE Self-Defense Skill Video

The Great Flip online martial arts is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance. Coach Jody is a contributing writer for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh and other Christian ministries.

Best Christian Homeschool Resources.

Click on each image and explore these Christian homeschool resources. Contact me to have your favorites listed here.

Summer Self-Defense Starts at The Great Flip

/in Curriculum, Empowerment, Homeschool, Motivation, Nutrition, Safety, Self Defense/by coachjody

By the end of this summer, your children age six and up can learn the Top 12 Self-Defense Skills.

That’s right, you can teach martial arts this summer using my online resources at The Great Flip. Your children will learn self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment skills!

Here’s how it works:

Enroll in any of my martial arts plans at www.thegreatflip.com.

Every plan includes the Top 12 self-defense skills.

For those who want a quick “videos-only” training experience, I recommend The Empowered Plan or The Strong Plan.

If you want easy-to-follow lesson plans, you will want the Confident and Courageous plans. These plans offer step-by-step instructions, valuable safety tips, and faith-filled talking points with every lesson.

Every plan also includes a progress training guide and a certificate of completion.

Once you have a martial arts plan, you gain access to martial arts videos and downloads.

Each video is approximately three minutes long, easy to watch, rewatch and train
I teach one technique per video, you’ll see me teach the technique, then watch students of various ages try the technique. You’ll observe the progression of mastery as the students progress with age and ability.
No martial arts experience is required! Simply watch the videos and train! I have designed the videos so anyone can watch, learn and train together.

Request a free self-defense video and lesson plan here.

Before you jump in the car and head down to your local martial arts academy and spend too much money, you can teach a homeschool martial arts class.

Parents love teaching martial arts at home! The martial arts will accomplish the health-based and skills-based goals of your physical education requirements. It adds strong character development skills and overall self-confidence. This confidence spills over into all aspects of life. Here is a recent blog post about boosting confidence with martial arts. Click here.

Request a discount code here.

Want to know more about the Top 12 self-defense skills? Click here.

Train. Gather your family together for the training sessions and/or get a few of your favorite friends to train. To make the event most affordable, share a plan with other families.

Click here to Pick a Martial Arts Plan

One more thing … I couldn’t resist this flashback tune:

“There’s a hundred and four days of summer vacation,

‘Til school comes along just to end it,

So the annual problem for our generation,

Is finding a good way to spend it

Like maybe” – From Phineas & Ferb Theme Song

Like maybe … teach your children the top 12 self-defense skills!

See you on the mat!

Coach Jody

A faith-filled devotion

Five Surprising Ways To Care For Your Body this Summer.

(okay, maybe six)

Take care of your body this summer. Eat whole food instead of processed food, drink water instead of soda, get enough sleep and exercise instead of prolonged screen time. These are simple ways to decrease obesity and increase our immune system.

But God’s word says something else brings health and nourishment to your body and bones. Check out this proverb:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:5-8

Why trust God? Because he loves you and he is trustworthy!

“For this is how God loved the world (put your name here): He gave his one and only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16.

This is a trustworthy promise for you! Let that sink into your body and bones.

When you trust in the Lord, you have less stress. When you have less stress, your anxiety reduces. When your anxiety reduces, your body becomes healthy and your bones grow strong. When your body and bones are healthy, you desire to trust God and seek after the life Jesus has intended for you through the power of his Holy Spirit.

I offer this proverb, not to increase your list of things to do (I know you have plenty of that). Instead, I offer the proverb as a promise from God. When he says “trust in the Lord …” Remember He is trustworthy.

What are five ways to bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones, according to Proverbs 3:5-8?

Trust in the Lord
Don’t lean on your own understanding
Submit to him
Do not be wise in your own eyes
Fear the Lord and shun evil

Okay, so technically, there are six points there, but I put five and six together.

Now, gather your friends and family to review these tips to bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Grab a journal and/or calendar. If tackling all five is a bit overwhelming. Pick one healthy habit each week and document your progress.

Here are a few words about food, water, sleep, exercise, and a cool tip about reading the book of Proverbs.

Eat whole foods.

If your food doesn’t grow from the ground or eat from the ground, it’s probably not whole food. (Oh, how I wish I could grow Oreos in my garden.) Learn how to cook something healthy. Go to the grocery store together and pick a fruit or vegetable you’ve never tried before. Eighty percent of your health and wellness is determined by what you eat. Only 20 percent is a result of exercise. Here’s a helpful hint when searching for a new health recipe; I always put the word “easy” in my search.

Drink water.

Reduce your intake of sugar and/or caffeine. Find a water intake calculator and refillable sports bottle to reach your goal. Squeeze fresh lemons in your water. Yum! Put fun stickers on your water bottle as a reward.

Get enough sleep.

Tweens and teens need 10 or more hours of sleep each night. What time should you go to bed to get enough sleep? Try to wake up at the same time every morning. Your body functions better when you have a set bedtime and morning time routine.

Physical exercise.

Reduce screen time and exercise. Create a fitness experience. Start a fitness challenge with your family or friends. Play a new sport. Run around the house. Do jumping jacks. Do something active for at least 30 minutes every day. What will you do to achieve this goal?

The Top 12 Self-Defense Skills fit right here. Just saying!

Request a free video and lesson plan at www.thegreatflip.com )

Read the book of Proverbs.

There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. There are 31 days in the month. Read one chapter of Proverbs each day! It’s okay if you don’t understand everything you read. Keep reading and receive faith. (Remember Romans 10:17 and here’s a good one from Isaiah 55:1 “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

This devotion was featured in part at True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh.

Click on these to browse Christian Homeschool resources.

You are God’s Great Treasure

/in Curriculum, Empowerment, Homeschool, Motivation, Nutrition, Recent Blog Posts, Safety/by coachjody

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew‬ ‭13‬:‭44‬

Where do you insert yourself into the parable of the hidden treasure? Do you imagine yourself as the one who finds the treasure? Do you feel God’s call on your life to sell everything to attain the treasure?

There’s nothing wrong with responding to this parable with a desire to sell everything and/or serve with all your heart.

But here’s “the great flip.” The man in the story is not you. The man in the story is Jesus, and you are the treasure. You are God’s great treasure. Jesus sold everything, even his life to have you.

Remember, we serve and love one another not to get God’s love, but because we already have His amazing love through Jesus Christ.

Feel free to share this devotion with someone who needs to know that they too are God’s great treasure!

Welcome to The Great Flip!

The Great Flip is more than faith-over-fear devotions! The Great Flip is online martial arts for ages six and up. Families and educators can teach martial arts at home and school teaching student self-defense, safety and faith-filled empowerment skills.

Request a free self-defense video and lesson plan. Click here.

Shop online martial arts plans. Click here.

Do you homeschool? Check out my homeschool martial arts resources. Click here.

Teach your children the Top 12 Self-Defense Skills with The Great Flip! Click here to learn more.

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program alliance. Coach Jody is a contributing writer True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh. Would you like Coach Jody to write devotions and/or content for you? Click here to contact Coach Jody.

Are you a Classical Conversations Family? Click here.

Learn more about my favorite Christian Homeschool Resources. Click on each image below to discover something new for your homeschool journey.

“The Deep Magic will be Appeased” and Three Lenten Devotions

/in Curriculum, Empowerment, Motivation, Nutrition, Recent Blog Posts, Safety, Self Defense/by coachjody

The season of Lent, for me, is a time to remember God’s amazing grace, mercy and sacrifice for me. I know a lot of people give up things like food, drinks, activities, etc. to create time to pursue more of God. There is nothing wrong with fasting during this season. Those activities are meant to help us return to the Lord in a spirit of repentance.

But consider “the great flip” in this way of thinking. Instead of “doing more for God” try remembering all that God has done for you. Put yourself in a position to recognize all the gifts the Lord continues to give you every day. Consider that even the act of repentance is a gift. Remember, the top priority of the Lenten Season is the cross. Christ crucified for you. Then the joy of forgiveness and Easter morning will be all the more spectacular!

Here are three devotions to share with your children for the season of Lent:

The Deep Magic will be Appeased.

But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

{ Hebrews 9:26 }

Have you read Narnia’s “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe?” There’s a difficult scene where the lion, Aslan, appears to be defeated by the white witch. All because the boy, Edmond, was selfish, stubborn, and made a terrible mistake. The boy should have paid the price for his sin. Instead, Aslan sacrifices himself and saves Edmond. What appears to be a terrible defeat turns out to be a great victory. (Spoiler Alert! Read the book for the full story!)

“Narnia” written by C. S. Lewis, is also a story of the sacrifice of Jesus. We are selfish, stubborn people. We make horrible mistakes. We deserve punishment for our wrongdoings. But God in his great love for you, sent his son Jesus, to pay the price for your sins. It’s a difficult scene to watch Jesus die on the cross. But his great sacrifice is now your greatest victory.

Action Point: Write a letter or say a prayer to Jesus and confess your sins. Say you are sorry to him. Spoiler Alert! He is faithful to forgive your sins because of His sacrifice for you!

Restore me, and I will be restored.

The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

{ Psalm 51:17}

Have you ever done something so terrible you thought it was unforgivable?

King David did. He had committed a terrible sin. David was crushed for the bad thing he had done. He saw no way to make himself right before God.

When your heart is broken, God will not reject you. You are experiencing a beautiful gift from God. It’s called repentance. To repent is to turn away from the bad and to turn toward the good. In Lamentations 5:21, the people realized only God can turn them back to him.

“Restore us, O Lord, and bring us back to you again! Give us back the joys we once had!”

And when God restores your broken heart, he also restores assurance of His forgiveness.

“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9

Action Point: How is God turning you back to him? Repent and read Psalm 51.

How to sit at Jesus’ feet.

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.

{ Luke 10:17 }

How do you like to worship? Do you like to sing songs? Do you enjoy praying and reading the Bible, Or how about serving as an act of worship?

If your worship is more about what you do, then you might like the Bible story about two sisters who worshiped Jesus. One worshiped by focusing her attention on what she was doing for him. One worshiped by focusing her attention on what Jesus was doing for her.

There is nothing wrong with singing, praying, reading, and serving as acts of worship. Jesus instructs us to do those things, not to earn God’s love, but because we already have it.

The kind of worship Jesus seeks is the acknowledgment of his gifts to you, not our gifts to him. Jesus was so sweet to both sisters when he explained the simple truth that worship is more about receiving from him than doing something for him.

Action Point: Next time you are in church, pretend to sit at Jesus’ feet and listen to all the ways you receive God’s gifts as an act of worship.

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, online martial arts for ages six and up. She writes devotions for True Girl, a ministry of Dannah Gresh. The Great Flip is a national program alliance for American Heritage Girls.

Request a free online self-defense video. Click here.

You can teach online martial arts! Shop plans here.

Join the Top 10 Christian Homeschool Resources.

Click on each image below to discover more Christian homeschool resources. Want me to mention your favorite? Contact me.

Empowering Parents to Teach the Top 12 Self-Defense Skills

/in Curriculum, Empowerment, Homeschool, Motivation, Nutrition, Recent Blog Posts, Self Defense/by coachjody

I added two empowering products to every online martial arts plan here at The Great Flip! How can two simple PDFs be so exciting? These two documents will empower you to track your student’s training experience and master the top 12 self-defense skills.

First, shout out to my current customers who have offered feedback and amazing ideas for their online martial arts experience. These two ideas are from and for you!

A Progress Chart and a Certificate of Completion

Every plan now includes these two downloadable PDFs. The progress chart will encourage your students to practice each skill. It will give you a designated deadline to “test” your student’s progress and ability. Keep in mind each student’s age and development for testing the skill. A six-year-old skill will look different from a sixteen-year-old. Each year, your students can continue to advance in their skills.

The Top 12 self-defense skills will increase your student’s confidence, courage and character. At the end of the training, you can reward your students with a personalized Certificate of Completion.

Win a Free Sticker

And of course, there is a fun incentive at the end of the training. Your students can choose two extra skills. You can video their technique and send the video to me for my evaluation. I will review the skills and reward your students with a free sticker! Yah!

To learn more about the top 12 self-defense skills and to choose a plan, click below. See you on the mat! – Coach Jody

Click Here to Shop Online Martial Arts Plans

Four Tips for Empowering Homeschool Martial Arts

The martial arts will accomplish the health-based and skills-based goals of your physical education requirements in your homeschool. In this blog, you will learn the four tips for an empowering homeschool martial arts class!

Physical education, aka PE, should be an important part of your homeschool routine. Giving your children physical activity of any kind will create a positive attitude toward fitness. This will cause them to value their health. Regular exercise reduces chronic disease and many health problems related to lack of exercise. Physical movement will improve cognitive function which promotes learning in other areas.

PE gives your child a place to explore skill-based activities such as team and individual sports. They will learn sportsmanship and competition while improving their social skills.

But the martial arts check every PE box plus some. Not only does it create positive health and exercise benefits, but it adds strong character development skills such as self-defense, safety awareness, and overall self-confidence. This confidence spills over into all aspects of life, for a lifetime.

Before you jump in the car and head down to your local martial arts academy, you can teach a homeschool martial arts class. Here are four tips to consider:

Choose a Martial Art

Not all martial arts are created equal. If you want a martial art that addresses self-defense, I recommend Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Bjj is a “grappling sport” which means there is a lot of ground movement, much like wrestling.

The overall strategy of Bjj is to control your opponent. It focuses on skills to take an opponent to the ground, controlling one’s opponent, and using a number of techniques to force them into submission.

Studies show that 95 percent of street fights end on the ground. The techniques learned in Bjj enable participants to escape, attack, or get into a more dominant position.

Bjj is also a martial art designed for a smaller, weaker practitioner to subdue much larger and stronger opponents. Participants use techniques and leveraging skills instead of relying on brute force. All martial arts provide confidence and courage, but only Bjj connects the sport to self-defense in a way that everyone, of all ages, can learn.

Create a Martial Arts Class at Home

You don’t need a large amount of space to train at home, but to protect the lamp and china, you might want to create a training/fitness space. I purchased interlocking mats. You can also find inexpensive three-fold gymnastic mats. If you want to get fancy and go all out, you can purchase professional BJJ mats. I spent $40 on two sets of interlocking mats. I have a basement/lower level in my house for my exercise space. Some people use their garage or a spare bedroom. Many homeschool families get together in their co-op and/or church to purchase mats and find a communal space to train together.

Here’s a glimpse of my little training space at home.

Here’s an introduction to a homeschool martial arts class structure.

Get a Training Partner

You can begin with a few “no-contact” movements and warm-ups, but in order to get the most benefit from the experience, you need a training buddy. Learning a martial art with your child can be a fun and rewarding experience. Inviting your child’s best friend and a group of friends enhances the experience.

Bjj is referred to as the gentle martial art. You and your child can simulate real techniques in real-time with a low risk of injury. Of course, there’s always some risk, but Bjj lends itself to learning real self-defense skills with low risks. My instructional videos focus on escaping, controlling, and submitting techniques inspired by BJJ movements. My teaching style is fun, playful, and empowering for everyone. Click here to request a free video.

Subscribe to a Professional Online Martial Arts Resource

I created an easy-to-follow online martial arts resource called The Great Flip. No experience is required. No high-cost uniforms or belts are needed to participate. Simply download the lesson plans, watch the videos, and train. Everything you need to run a martial arts class is at The Great Flip.

My daughters inspired me to develop an online martial arts experience. After seven years of training BJJ and earning my purple belt, I took a leap of faith to bring the martial arts to everyone with an online learning platform. My daughters appreciated the opportunity to train at home and feel empowered. Children as young as first grade through high school can benefit from my introductory approach. Make your homeschool PE class fun and functional for everyone in the whole family. Request a free video here.

More About the Author:

Coach Jody Token

Jody Token is the creator and coach of The Great Flip, faith-filled online martial arts. Request a free video at www.thegreatflip.com.

Click here to choose a faith-filled online martial arts plan.

Click here to contact Coach Jody and/or request more information.

Click here to see this blog as featured on homeschool.com

The Great Flip is an American Heritage Girls national program partner.