Coach Every Kid. Win Every Room.
Put Me in Coach is the complete playbook for youth karate leaders — covering technique, child development, safety, and team culture so you walk into every practice ready, confident, and equipped to change young lives on and off the mat.
"The best thing you can put in front of a young athlete is a coach who's prepared — and that's exactly what I'm here to help you become."— Leigh Baumann
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Design age-appropriate karate practice plans and drills that build the core 20% of skills responsible for 80% of athlete success on the mat.
- Apply proven child-development communication strategies to keep kids of all ages, abilities, and attention spans engaged, motivated, and feeling valued.
- Create an inclusive team culture that supports neurodivergent athletes, players with disabilities, beginners, and advanced competitors side by side.
- Recognize and respond confidently to common injuries and medical emergencies, and execute a proactive safety and equipment protocol at every practice.
- Implement youth protection best practices — safe boundaries, mandatory reporting awareness, and one-on-one situation avoidance — that protect both athletes and coaches.
- Partner effectively with parents, set clear expectations, and build a supportive community that extends skill development and confidence beyond the dojo.
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 27 lessons
Know Your Role, Know Your Athletes
Establishes the coaching mindset, helps coaches self-assess their experience level, and introduces child-development fundamentals across every age group from age 3 through high school.
- 1.1The Coach in the Mirror: Self-Assessment and Coaching IdentityIncluded
- 1.2How Kids Grow: Development Stages from Tiny Belts to TeensIncluded
- 1.3Tailoring Your Approach: Age-Group Selection and Coaching AdjustmentsIncluded
- 1.4First Impressions: Setting Up a Positive Dojo Culture from Day OneIncluded
Karate Fundamentals: The Language and Skills of the Mat
Builds coaches' mastery of core karate terminology, rules, equipment, and the essential techniques that deliver the greatest competitive and developmental return.
- 2.1Speaking Karate: Terminology, Rules, and the Competitive FrameworkIncluded
- 2.2Gear Up: Equipment Selection, Fitting, and Age-Appropriate UseIncluded
- 2.3The 20/80 Skills: Core Techniques That Drive Athlete SuccessIncluded
- 2.4Teaching Technique: Breaking Down Strikes, Stances, Blocks, and KicksIncluded
- 2.5Drills, Practice Plans, and Game-Day StrategyIncluded
Coaching Every Child: Communication, Engagement, and Inclusion
Equips coaches with proven communication strategies and inclusive teaching methods to keep every athlete — regardless of ability, background, or learning style — engaged and growing.
- 3.1Reaching Every Athlete: Communication Across Ages and Ability LevelsIncluded
- 3.2Attention on the Mat: Managing Attention Spans and Keeping Kids EngagedIncluded
- 3.3The Whole Team: Coaching Beginners, Advanced Athletes, and Every Body TypeIncluded
- 3.4Neurodivergent and Exceptional-Needs Athletes: Adapting Without ExcludingIncluded
- 3.5Conflict, Behavior, and the Art of Staying CalmIncluded
Building a Winning Team Culture
Develops the skills coaches need to create a cohesive, confident, and inclusive team environment built on positive reinforcement, shared purpose, and every athlete feeling valued.
- 4.1Positive Reinforcement: Encouraging Effort Over OutcomeIncluded
- 4.2Teamwork and Belonging: Creating a Dojo Where Everyone MattersIncluded
- 4.3Managing Rotations and Playing Time on Competitive TeamsIncluded
- 4.4Confidence, Character, and the Lifelong AthleteIncluded
Safety First: Injury Prevention and Emergency Response
Prepares coaches to proactively prevent injuries, recognize warning signs, and respond confidently to common and serious medical situations on and around the mat.
- 5.1Safe Space: Pre-Practice Safety Checks and Equipment ProtocolsIncluded
- 5.2Preventing Injuries Before They Happen: Warm-Up, Conditioning, and Load ManagementIncluded
- 5.3Common Injuries: Recognizing and Responding to Sprains, Breaks, and Head InjuriesIncluded
- 5.4Medical Emergencies: When to Call 911 and What to Do FirstIncluded
Youth Protection, Parent Partnerships, and Beyond the Dojo
Covers the responsible-coaching practices, child-safety frameworks, and parent-engagement strategies that protect every athlete and build a thriving community around the team.
- 6.1Safe Boundaries: Youth Protection Best Practices Every Coach Must KnowIncluded
- 6.2Recognizing Abuse and Your Mandatory Reporting ResponsibilitiesIncluded
- 6.3Safe Digital Communication: Texting, Social Media, and Online BoundariesIncluded
- 6.4Partnering with Parents: Setting Expectations and Building CommunityIncluded
- 6.5At-Home Training and Family Skill-Building ActivitiesIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
First-Time Volunteer Coaches
You said yes before you felt ready — this school gives you the technique, safety knowledge, and communication tools to lead your first class with genuine confidence.
PE Teachers Adding Martial Arts
You already know how to manage a gym full of kids; this school layers in karate-specific fundamentals, age-appropriate drills, and inclusion strategies to round out your program.
Parents Who Became the Coach
You signed your kid up and somehow ended up with a whistle — learn how to set boundaries with other parents, build real team culture, and coach every child on the roster, not just your own.
Experienced Instructors Leveling Up
You know the techniques cold, but this school deepens your toolkit with child-development science, neurodivergent-athlete strategies, and a youth-protection framework that protects everyone in your dojo.
Church & Rec League Organizers
Community programs run on passion and thin margins — this school gives you a structured safety protocol, parent-partnership playbook, and inclusive culture model that makes your program one families return to year after year.
Coaches Working with Exceptional-Needs Athletes
You're committed to making the mat a place where every child belongs — the dedicated inclusion and neurodivergent-athlete content here gives you concrete adaptations, not just good intentions.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Leigh Baumann
If you're reading this, there's a good chance someone handed you a clipboard and a room full of kids — and you want to do right by them. Maybe you've been coaching for years and just want a sharper framework. Maybe you started last season and you're still figuring it out on the fly. Either way, I want you to know: the fact that you're here, looking for ways to be better, already tells me you're the kind of coach these kids need.
I built Put Me in Coach because the gap between "I love karate" and "I know how to coach a seven-year-old who's about to cry, a teenager who's checking out, and a kid with ADHD who's never stood still for three minutes straight — all in the same class" is enormous. And almost nobody talks about how to close it. Technique matters. But how you deliver that technique — how you read the room, adjust your voice, structure the drill, and handle the moment when things go sideways — that's what separates a practice kids dread from one they sprint to every week.
This school is a complete coaching playbook, not a highlight reel. We go deep on karate fundamentals — the core techniques and drills that build real athletes — but we spend just as much time on the human side: child development, communication, inclusion, and the kind of team culture that makes every kid feel like they belong on that mat. We cover safety and emergency response in plain, actionable terms. And we take youth protection seriously, because a coach who creates a truly safe environment is a coach families trust with their children for years.
Here's the honest truth: the best coaches I've ever seen don't just know their sport. They know their kids. They know how to encourage without coddling, challenge without crushing, and build the kind of confidence that follows an athlete off the mat and into every room they walk into for the rest of their lives. That's what I want for your athletes — and that's what this school is designed to help you build.
You don't have to have all the answers on day one. You just have to be willing to learn, stay consistent, and show up for your kids. Put Me in Coach is the resource I wish someone had handed me early on. I'm glad it's in your hands now. Let's get to work.
— Leigh Baumann
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- 6 modules, 27 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed