How to Train a New Coach for a Kids Program (Episode 12)

Episode 12 · May 14, 2026 · Guest: Dan VanDetta, Five Rings Jiu Jitsu

Train a new coach in five steps: they observe, then teach a small group, then assist with the whole class, then lead parts of a class, then lead it alone. Hire for temperament and rapport with kids, because content can be taught. Give coaches a hand in the curriculum and ownership of part of the program, and they show up with more of themselves.

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This is my written companion to Episode 12 of The Youth Enrichment Leader, "After-School Program Business: How to Train Coaches with Dan VanDetta." Dan is a longtime educator and former elementary school teacher who coaches kids and adults at Five Rings Jiu Jitsu and runs its after-school programming. Most of us can't find coaches who arrive ready-made. Dan's team built a way to grow them. What follows is my paraphrase, plus my own notes.

What should I look for when hiring a coach for kids?

Temperament and the ability to build rapport with kids. Dan is less concerned with a candidate's background or formal training in education. His team looks inside their own community first, for people who already share how they treat children: with respect, letting each child grow at their own pace. Interviews start there. Then comes a probationary period before anyone stands in front of a class.

He named the balance well. Require an expert in your activity who also has years with kids, and your hiring pool is tiny. Open it too wide, and you hire someone who quits the day they find out how hard this work is. For interview traits, read my posts on how to hire kids program instructors and who to hire as an instructor.

How do I screen a coach beyond the resume?

Watch them with children. Dan wants to see a candidate on the mats with a group, or simply talking with one child. He watches tone and temperament. Do they get down on the child's level without being told? Do they listen and hear what the child is trying to say? A resume will not show you that.

We also agreed on one filter. Someone who has never worked with kids in a meaningful way often discovers on the job that they do not enjoy it. Dan's team does not try to train from zero there. Hiring people who already know they love working with children raises the odds that they stay.

How do I train a new coach from observing to leading a class?

Move them through five steps and let them grow while they work.

1. Observe. They watch full classes.
2. Small group. They teach a few kids while the lead runs the room.
3. Assistant coach. They support the whole class.
4. Lead a part. They run the warm-up, one activity or the closing.
5. Lead the class.

Dan says this sequence has worked very well for them. It is why they do not need a fully formed professional on day one.

Here is one way to pace it. This is my example, not Dan's schedule. In a 10 week term: weeks 1 and 2 observe, weeks 3 and 4 small group, weeks 5 to 7 assist, weeks 8 and 9 lead one segment, week 10 lead with you in the room. That is 2 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 1 = 10 weeks, and next term you have a lead. Your background checks and paperwork come before step one.

The second half of his method is ownership. He brings coaches into curriculum development and hands them a piece of the program to own. People who feel part of something give more of themselves to the kids. I have seen the same thing at Journey to STEAM. We observe and coach. We ask for feedback. We act on it.

How do I explain a specialized program to parents?

Preview it before the first class and show it off at the end. Families sometimes register for Dan's after-school class picturing a different martial art, with kicks and board breaking. Jiu jitsu is grappling. So his team sends emails that tell parents what to expect, keeps the first few classes gentle so kids ease into close contact, and closes the term with a demonstration parents can watch.

They recently added an appreciation event at the end of each semester. Kids get on the mats, parents get time to ask questions, and families who want to keep training have a natural next step. The after-school version is an introduction by design, since a school room is a different space than a fully matted academy. It gives value first and lets the relationship lead.

In enrops, a welcome email sends on its own when a family registers (see how it works), which is a natural home for a what-to-expect message. Running a studio and school sites? Compare school-based and studio-based programs.

What should teachers know before starting a kids program business?

Lean into the freedom, and don't rebuild school. Dan's advice to educators: think about every time the system kept you from a goal, then go create the thing you care about.

I added two notes from my decade in public education. First, check yourself regularly for recreating your old job. I value rigor, and early on I wanted our programs to be school, only better. When rigor comes first and joy comes second, kids stop wanting to stay after the bell. Parents want real learning and kids who are laughing. Second, test what people will pay for while you still have your job. Evenings, weekends and school breaks are yours. Run a workshop and see who shows up.

Are other kids programs my competition?

Rarely. Dan sees too many coaches treat each other as rivals when the real contest is with screens and kids sitting at home. His picture: the pool is an ocean, and sharing methods gives everyone better gear to fish with. I would add the busy family calendar. In a niche activity, another provider's success creates your future customers.

Who should listen to this episode?

Studio and gym owners adding school programs, anyone about to train a first coach, and teachers thinking about the leap. For the step before this one, read who to hire first.

Listen or watch: Spotify · YouTube · Apple Podcasts

Frequently asked questions

Do coaches need a teaching degree?

No. Dan weighs his read on the person above formal education, then confirms it during a probationary period.

What is harder than it looks about running programs outside your own building?

Logistics. Dan's advice is patience and self-kindness. Things will go a little off plan, and success is getting to next week, then the week after.

What is one thing to set up before launching?

Strong relationships, plural, with the people you handle contracts and daily operations with. Have at least one person you trust to be straight with you when things are not going well.

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Arielle Hammond, Ed.D. is the founder of enrops and host of The Youth Enrichment Leader, presented by enrops.