Tap a friend. The front has two questions you can ask on the mat. The back tells what the trait means. The words on the card stay the same.
Wisdom · W
Wren
Knowledge, insight, and good judgment.
Mat chats
1. What do you know about this drill that a new student does not? Say it in one sentence.
2. When did rushing make the technique worse, not faster?
Wisdom
Wren
Wisdom is not being the oldest person on the mat. It is telling a fact from a guess, then moving. A wise leader can say why the drill exists, not only how many reps are left.
You can see it
Asks one question before correcting a beginner.
Can name the purpose of the drill, not only the count.
Changes the plan when a better answer shows up.
Sits beside
Active listening
You cannot be wise about a person you did not hear all the way through.
Self-coaching
The question you ask with nobody watching is wisdom with no audience.
Knowledge
Unused knowledge is decoration. Wren teaches the new detail the same week.
On the mat. Before the next drill, tell a partner one way to make the rep smarter, not just harder.
Agility · A
Ari
Mental and physical quickness.
Mat chats
1. Agility is not only your feet. Where did your mind change direction today?
2. Change your stance once. Then tell us what you noticed while you did it.
Agility
Ari
Agility is mental and physical quickness in the same second. A fast body with a stuck mind just arrives at the wrong place sooner. The skill is the change, and the clean stop after it.
You can see it
Moves the target when the striker is shorter, without a speech.
Swaps a cue the moment the first one misses.
Can stop. Speed that cannot stop is not agility.
Sits beside
Initiative
See the change while it is still small, and move before you are assigned.
Communication
A short new sentence beats a long one that no longer fits the room.
Energy
Point the quickness at a standard. Noise is not agility.
On the mat. Run the combination twice. The second time, change one thing on purpose and name it.
Resilience · R
Rio
Recover, then go again.
Mat chats
1. What does your face teach the line in the second after you miss?
2. Name the miss in four words. Then do one clean rep. No story.
Resilience
Rio
Resilience is the next right rep, not a tough face you put on. Recovery is public. Younger students memorize the face you make after the fall, more than the fall itself.
You can see it
One breath, then a smaller correction. Not a louder one.
Stays in the drill after a miss instead of bargaining out of it.
Can say what will change, not whose fault it was.
Sits beside
Self-discipline
Regulate first. A flooded leader is a second problem on the mat.
Emotional intelligence
Name the frustration so you do not hand it down the line.
Sportsmanship
A loss is material for the next rep. It is not a verdict on the person.
On the mat. Miss a balance on purpose, reset out loud, and finish the set.
Respect · R
Ren
For yourself, others, and the room.
Mat chats
1. Who in this room have you not greeted by name? Do that, then come back.
2. What does respect look like when you are winning? What does it look like when you are losing?
Respect
Ren
Respect is a set of behaviors, not a word on the wall. It does not go up or down with rank. It includes the person, the opponent, and the room: the bow, the gear, and the student who just walked in.
You can see it
Bow and eyes before a correction.
No joke that only one child does not laugh at.
Gear put back. Leaving the floor messy is a kind of disrespect.
Sits beside
Approachable
If a younger student will not walk up to you, the respect was only a bow.
Sportsmanship
Respect is not saved for the people who beat you, or the people you beat.
Influence
Rank used as a toy spends the trust the next correction needed.
On the mat. Greet three people by name before you hold a pad. One of them should be someone you usually skip.
Integrity · I
Indi
The standard when nobody is scoring you.
Mat chats
1. Where would a small cheat help you today? Say it. Then say what you will do instead.
2. Score your last rep the way you would score a friend. Did the number change?
Integrity
Indi
Integrity is the standard when nobody is scoring you. Pride in a clean bow is welcome. Bending a stripe, a score, or a story is not. The hidden rep counts the same as the one in front of the coach.
You can see it
Same belt, same bow, same effort in the back row.
Tells the truth on a close score, especially for a friend.
Admits the miss before anyone has to catch it.
Sits beside
Leading by example
A standard you will not keep yourself is a speech, not integrity.
Maturity
The pause between wanting to round a score up and the mark you actually give.
Pride
How you leave the floor is part of the score, even after the drill ends.
On the mat. Call one of your own reps not yet, out loud. Then fix the one thing that made it so.
Ownership · O
Opal
Your actions, and what they cost.
Mat chats
1. Who can fix the last mistake? If it is you, say so in three words.
2. What did that choice cost the line, not just you?
Ownership
Opal
Ownership is claiming the action and the cost of it. Blame is a delay. They made me turns a leader into a spectator. The repair should be about the size of the miss.
You can see it
Picks the cone up, then says they were the one who kicked it.
Names the effect on a younger student, not only on their own rank.
The fix matches the mistake. No giant apology, no tiny shrug.
Sits beside
Initiative
Owners move first. Then they tell someone, so it stays a team habit.
Maturity
Make the call, then wear it. The outcome does not get handed off.
Self-coaching
Write the lesson. The excuse does not belong in that blank.
On the mat. Name one thing you walked past today. Fix it before bow-out, and tell a partner what it cost.
Responsibility · R
Rafi
Duty to the people on your left and right.
Mat chats
1. Look left and right. Who is not ready, and what do they need from you in the next minute?
2. If you left right now, what job would land on someone who is not ready for it?
Responsibility
Rafi
Responsibility is a duty to the people on your left and right. It is not collecting jobs so you look busy. It is noticing who is uncovered, and staying long enough that they are not.
You can see it
Counts the line before the drill starts.
Gives a job to someone who has not had one, and stays close enough to help.
The promise and the calendar match. Showing up is the duty.
Sits beside
Commitment
Showing up once is attendance. Showing up the same way is the responsibility.
Leading by example
The job nobody sees still teaches, if you actually do it.
Connection
Introduce the new student to the person who can help them. Then step back.
On the mat. Before dismissal, name one person you are responsible for next class, and the exact thing you will do.
