The 7 Day Coaching Fix Toolkit

–Evolving Edition–

One page. Seven days. Fast wins. Real training upgrades.

Welcome, coach — and congrats on deciding to be a part of the 7 Day Coaching Fix!

This isn’t just a “course.” It’s a toolkit built for volunteer kendo coaches who want to stop running sessions on autopilot and start running trainings that actually work — for kids, beginners, and seniors alike.

Each section below gives you:

A dojo-tested coaching tweak
A 3-minute audio briefing (listen anywhere)
An action, drill or resource to use tonight
A reflective prompt to deepen your thinking

Try one per day, or work through it in one go. This is your page — come back anytime!

Day 1 – The Problem with Coaching

(And How to Fix It)

🎧 Today’s Fix: Recognizing The Problem with Coaching (And How to Fix It)

The STRIKE model is your tool for turning stale drills into purposeful, adaptable training. Start here — your future self will thank you.

Why This Fix Matters

Are your coaching sessions stuck in a rut?

Chances are, you didn’t set out to be a coach — it just kind of happened. One minute, you’re helping a new member tie their men-himo… and next thing you know, you’re running the warm-up, explaining kirikaeshi, and wondering why your students are zoning out mid-training.

Sound familiar?

It’s not just you. Volunteer coaches everywhere end up inheriting “the way it’s always been done” — usually based on the same set of rigid drills, top-down instructions, and predictable kihon routines. And when you’re juggling club comms, parents, your own training, and life… who has time to rethink it all?

But here’s the hard truth:

Predictable routines create predictable disengagement.

If your sessions feel repetitive, if students stall out, or if you catch yourself just going through the motions — this is your wake-up call. It’s time to shift from auto-pilot into purposeful design.

That’s why I built STRIKE.

S.T.R.I.K.E.: The Model That Lets You Coach Smarter, Not Harder

Space – Control how students move, engage, and adapt
Time – Use pressure or pacing to build urgency and precision
Rules – Shape behaviour through clever constraints
Intensity – Keep students challenged, without breaking them
Kamae – Develop adaptability through varied stances
Equipment/Environment – Make training real, fun, and sticky

You’ll explore each of these over the next 6 days.

Reflect & Reset

Take a breath and be honest:

Which parts of your training sessions are running on fumes?
Are you repeating drills for them — or for you?
What would need to change for your training to feel dynamic again?

This course won’t ask you to throw everything out.
It just helps you tweak what you already do, so that:

Training is more fun
Learning is more effective
Coaching is less exhausting

Try This Tonight

Pick one drill you run every week.
Ask yourself:

What is this drill really for?
What does it fail to challenge?
Could you add a constraint, tweak a rule, or change the space?

We're not here to fix everything. We're here to question the status-quo in the dojo, and begin to tweak things in ways that are geared to keep people (young and old) engaged, and importantly, coming back for more each week!

Next Up...

Next up we start where every bout starts: with Space.

You’ll see how a few adjustments in distance or angle can transform even your most basic kihon drills into decision-rich, shiai-ready challenges.

Day 2 – Space

The Simplest Way to Shift Focus, Timing, and Intensity

🎧 Today’s Fix: Space Is Your Silent Coach

Where your students stand, move, and strike from changes everything. This fix helps you make that space work for you — not against you.

🔗 Today's Download: Turn & Burn Drill

A fast-paced movement drill that sharpens timing, spacing, and directional awareness by forcing students to re-engage after a directional reset.

Why This Fix Matters

Have you ever noticed your students zoning out during training?

They’re going through the motions, but their energy is low, and progress feels stuck. It’s frustrating, right?

That usually happens because traditional drills fail to reflect the realities of actual matches. In real fights, openings come from unexpected angles and distances — but in practice, students repeat the same predictable movements, in the same direction, from the same maai.

This is where STRIKE begins: Space.

By changing the size of the training area, shifting directions, or adjusting starting positions, you can force students to make decisions — instead of just executing muscle memory.

'Space' in Action

Small tweaks in space can fix big problems. Here’s how:

Fix bad distance: Start drills closer or further apart to train proper maai judgment — not blind charges.
Force smarter movement: Set up at an angle so students have to adjust footwork and targeting.
Make basics “live”: Change the space mid-drill so students can’t go on autopilot — they have to read and react.

The goal is not chaos — it’s adaptability.
With the right tweaks, even kihon drills start to feel like real fights.

Reflect & Reset

Where do your students usually start drills from?
Are they always in the centre, always facing forward, always the same setup?
What would change if you flipped the angle? Tightened the space? Forced them to cut from an awkward start?

Try This Tonight

Choose a basic drill — even something like men-uchi.

Now ask:

Can I shrink or expand the space to focus on a specific skill?
What if I change the angle or direction?
What if students have to recover position before striking?

Try the Turn & Burn drill if you want something dojo-tested. It uses movement, spacing, and timing pressure in a way that builds adaptability on the fly.

A Note on Safety and Judgment

Every group is different.

Use your best coaching eye when making space adjustments. If you're working with beginners or kids, keep the changes small and observable. If you're working with advanced students, push the envelope a little further. The goal isn’t confusion — it’s relevance.

Next Up...

Time changes everything — especially under pressure.

Next up we’ll look at how to apply clocks, countdowns, and tempo tweaks to make drills more realistic and decision-driven.

Day 3 – Time

Create Pressure, Decision-Making, and Urgency

🎧 Today’s Fix: Time Pressure, Real Progress

Countdowns change behaviour. This fix shows you how to build timing, urgency, and better decision-making into your training — without overwhelming your students.

🔗 Today's Download: Mental Math Drill

A timed, decision-based challenge that helps students practise scoring valid points under pressure while balancing speed, control, and clarity.

Why This Fix Matters

We’ve all seen it: students who look sharp in kihon but freeze up in matches.

They’ve got clean cuts when there’s no rush — but the second time pressure kicks in, everything falls apart. They hesitate, miss opportunities, or swing wildly just to “do something.”

The reason? They’ve never been trained under time pressure.
They’ve drilled for technique, not for decisions. That’s where today’s STRIKE fix comes in.

Time isn’t just about pacing — it’s a powerful constraint that shapes how your students move, when they strike, and how they react when it counts.

'Time' in Action

When you introduce clocks, countdowns, or time-based challenges into training, you force students to:

Make quicker decisions
Take ownership of their timing
Manage pressure while maintaining form

You’re building both urgency and clarity — the twin pillars of effective match performance.

Reflect & Reset

Do your drills include natural time constraints — or do they go on forever?
Are your students learning to sense opportunity windows — or just waiting to be told?
What happens when the clock is ticking — panic or precision?

Try This Tonight

Add time pressure to a basics drill:

Set a 30-second timer. Challenge students to score 2 valid points.
Add stakes (if appropriate):
- If they succeed: less footwork next round
- If they miss: repeat the drill, or reflect on why
Prefer not to use consequences? No problem — use group reflection:
- What helped you succeed?
- What changed when the clock was on?
- How would you pace yourself differently next time?

Try the Mental Math drill from today’s download — it’s a structured, dojo-tested way to build tactical thinking into basic technique under pressure.

A Note on Safety and Expectations

Not every group is ready for this kind of tempo — and that’s okay.
Start small. Set achievable time windows. Reward effort, not just results.
Your job is to help students grow under pressure — not get crushed by it!

Next Up...

Next we shift from pressure to precision — by tweaking the Rules of your drills to shape specific behaviours, without saying a word.

Day 4 – Rules

Coach Smarter By Saying Less

🎧 Today’s Fix: Coach With Constraints, Not Commands

You don’t need to lecture more — just tweak the rules. This fix helps you shape behaviour and sharpen strategy through simple, targeted constraints.

🔗 Today's Download: Rules in Action

A quick-start guide with example constraints you can add to any drill to encourage smarter decision-making and targeted skill development.

Why This Fix Matters

Ever feel like you’re saying the same cues every week… and they’re still not landing?

Sometimes, telling isn’t teaching. Your students might nod, try, even repeat your words — but they’re not thinking. They’re following.

Rules give you another path — one that’s often more powerful.

By adjusting the structure of a drill, you guide behaviour without saying much at all. A small rule can highlight a strategic goal, punish bad habits, or stretch your students into new territory.

'Rules' in Action

Here’s how rules can be used in practice:

Double points for underused techniques – Encourage experimentation (e.g., hiki-waza, oji-waza)
Countdown to escape a corner – Build urgency and ring awareness
Offence/defence role-switch – Train students to adapt mid-match

The point isn’t to overcomplicate the drill — it’s to make the right things stand out.

Reflect & Reset

What do you want your students to focus on more?
What do you want them to stop doing?
Could you coach that with a rule, instead of repeating yourself?

Try This Tonight

Take a drill you already run — and tweak it:

Emphasise a behaviour with a bonus-point rule
Introduce a countdown to force action
Switch roles between rounds to shift mindset

Start small. Observe what changes. Then reflect with your group — what did they notice? What did they change?

Download the Rules in Action guide if you want quick examples to copy or build from.

A Note on Flexibility

Don’t let a rule get in the way of learning. If something’s confusing or stalls out the drill — simplify. The goal is guided discovery, not gamification for the sake of it.

Next Up...

Next we’ll talk Intensity — and how the pace, group size, and recovery time in your sessions can change engagement more than you think.

Day 5 – Intensity

Keep Everyone Engaged Without Burning Them Out

🎧 Today’s Fix: Dial Up (or Down) the Challenge

Today’s fix shows you how to adjust pace, group size, and recovery to keep students switched on — without pushing them past their limits.

🔗 Today's Download: Intensity Adjustment Guide

A practical resource with real examples for tweaking pace, group size, and recovery to keep your students challenged, focused, and engaged.

Why This Fix Matters

Let’s be honest — not every student in your dojo needs the same level of challenge.

Some are cruising on auto-pilot. Others are barely keeping up.
The trick isn’t to go harder. It’s to go smarter.

That’s what today is about — using Intensity as a deliberate tool to keep people engaged, challenged, and improving.

Done right, it builds mental focus, tactical awareness, and physical resilience.
Done wrong, it burns people out — or worse, switches them off entirely.

'Intensity' in Action

Here are a few simple ways to shift intensity:

Group Size: Use smaller groups to increase reps and focus. Larger groups add complexity and unpredictability.
Speed: Start slow to build control, then dial up pace for pressure.
Rotations/Rest: Adjust rest-to-work ratios. Shorter breaks = sharper focus. Longer = recovery and reflection.

You don’t need new drills — just varied delivery.

Reflect & Reset

Which students in your group are zoning out — and which ones are drowning?
How often do you adjust the tempo of your session on the fly?
Could you use intensity, instead of volume, to challenge your students?

Try This Tonight

Pick a drill you already use. Now tweak one of these variables:

Group size: Run in threes instead of pairs
Speed: Begin slow, ramp to full pace over time
Rotations: Shorten breaks to sharpen focus (or lengthen them to recover)

Watch how the same drill produces very different outcomes.

Download the Intensity Adjustment Guide if you want examples you can apply right away.

A Note on Balance

Pushing too hard too early helps no one. The goal is that productive discomfort zone — where students are a little stretched, a little focused, and totally engaged.

Watch their energy. Adjust accordingly. Keep them challenged, not crushed.

Next Up...

Next, we’ll talk Kamae — and how different stances, fighting styles, and opponent roles can stretch your students tactically and mentally.

Day 6 – Kamae

Build Adaptability Through Stance Variation

🎧 Today’s Fix: Shake Up the Match-Up

Today’s fix uses stance variety — jodan, nito, high/low chudan, and blockers — to build adaptability, tactical awareness, and real-time problem solving.

🔗 Today's Download: Crack The Kamae

A flexible set of stance-based tweaks to help students adapt to jodan, nito, blockers, and unorthodox styles by practising against unfamiliar opponents in controlled scenarios.

Why This Fix Matters

Most students get comfortable facing the same thing every session — chudan vs chudan, clean and safe.

But then they hit a shiai or grading and come up against jodan, nito, or someone with an awkward, defensive posture… and suddenly they freeze.

That’s what today’s fix is here to address.

By mixing up stances — whether your students are fighting in or fighting against them — you train the ability to read, adapt, and problem-solve in real time.

'Kamae' in Action

Try using Kamae variation in one of these ways:

Fight as jodan or nito: Assign one student a different stance. Their partner must adapt.
Seme high/seme low & switch mid-drill: Begin in chudan, then call “change!” and adjust the role or stance on the fly.
Simulate a blocker: Have one student take a low, passive, or unorthodox chudan posture that changes the tempo or forces patience.

This isn’t about perfect execution — it’s about building the mindset to adapt.

Reflect & Reset

Which stances are your students comfortable against?
Which ones do they avoid or struggle with?
What would change if you forced variation into every round?

Try This Tonight

Run a drill where one partner must fight from jodan or nito.
The other adapts, tests ideas, learns.
Then switch.

You can also use “blocker mode” — assign a student to be unorthodox on purpose: low kamae, minimal movement, or erratic seme.

The aim is to stretch perception and strategic flexibility.

Download the Crack The Kamae activity for structured tweaks to use right away.

A Note on Adjustments

If your group hasn’t explored these stances before, introduce variations slowly.
Start with a clear posture and clear rules — then layer in more as confidence grows.

This isn’t about mimicking another style perfectly. It’s about preparing your students for the moment things don’t go as expected.

Next Up...

Next we wrap the STRIKE model with Environment and Equipment — and how to make training more realistic, more engaging, and more fun without dumbing it down.

Day 7 – Environment & Equipment

Make Training Feel Real (And Fun)

🎧 Today’s Fix: Bring the Outside In

Today’s fix is all about simulating real conditions and using the right tools to keep your training engaging, realistic, and adaptable to any group.

🔗 Today's Downloads:

1. Walking Into Pressure

A focused visualisation and execution drill designed to help students build calm, confidence, and control when stepping into high-pressure environments like gradings or shiai.

2. STRIKE Summary Guide

A complete reference sheet that pulls together all six STRIKE elements with examples, reminders, and prompts to help you keep applying the model long after this course ends.

Why This Fix Matters

You can’t prepare students for pressure if you never train with it.

And you can’t expect focus and energy if your sessions always look the same.

That’s where Environment and Equipment come in. They’re often overlooked, but they’re what tie everything together — turning your drills into experiences that feel more like competition and less like rehearsal.

'Environment/Equipment' in Action

Environment: Simulate Real Pressure

Venue familiarity – Train at the venue, or recreate its size/layout if possible
Noise simulation – Have others cheer loudly for one side only
Psychological scenarios – Create a “home vs away” feel in drills

Equipment: Make It Engaging

Chambara gear – Great for kids or beginners to build courage and flow
Balloons/tenugui drills – Tie to targets, feet, or backs for games that build movement, focus, and timing
Specialised props – Reflex balls, weighted shinai, cones, timers — use what works

These aren’t gimmicks. They’re ways to bridge the gap between drill and real performance — especially for students who don’t get much match exposure.

Reflect & Reset

Do your students ever feel like they’re in a match — or just a routine?
How often do you train with noise, pressure, or unpredictability?
Could you make drills more engaging without adding complexity?

Try This Tonight

Pick one idea from each category:

Environment idea: Simulate shiai noise — have one side get “crowd support” while the other has to block it out
Equipment idea: Use props in a tag game (tie balloons or tenugui to students’ feet and challenge them to pop or protect)

Then ask: did students focus more? Move differently? Rise to the moment?

Download the Walking Into Pressure to see how this approach can bring a new level of engagement well beyond this week.

A Final Note

You made it through all 7 coaching fixes — and hopefully you’ve seen how small tweaks can create big shifts. But, when in doubt, use the STRIKE Summary Guide as your cheat-sheet.

You don’t need to do everything at once.
Just keep experimenting.
And when in doubt: constrain to afford. Let the drill do the teaching!

Next steps…

Thanks again for being part of this — and for doing the hard work to coach with intention. This is a big step in moving kendo and our clubs forward!

Up next: keep an eye out for something special. I’ve got a full audio-based course coming soon that dives even deeper into STRIKE, Play-Coach-Play, and the tactics that build better dojos — and better kendoka.

Until then: stay sharp, stay curious, and keep coaching forward.

– Blake

P.S. I’d love your feedback! If the 7-day Coaching Fix course helped you, would you mind sharing 30 seconds of feedback? Please click here!