A parent on the mat. 45 minutes. Real moves.
Most martial arts schools near you start at age 3. Our Mighty Warriors class starts at 18 months — because with a parent beside them on the mat, toddlers can do far more than people expect. First kicks, balance games, and listening on cue, at three New Jersey studios.
If your child is under 3, most schools will tell you to call back next year. We won't — as long as you're willing to get on the mat with them.
That's the trade. A toddler can't take direction from a coach across a crowded room yet. With a parent right there, they can. It's the reason this class works at 18 months, and the reason it's built the way it is.
Four things that make martial arts workable at an age most programs skip.
You are beside your child for the whole class — not watching through glass. That is the single thing that makes 18 months workable, and it is why we can run this class at all.
Short bursts, constant movement, and a new thing every couple of minutes. The class is designed around a toddler attention span instead of fighting it.
First kicks and punches on a soft target, a ready position, a first bow. Big movements a two-year-old can actually do — the same techniques, scaled down honestly.
Head coaches with 10+ years on the mat who know what a two-year-old can and cannot hold onto, and who never spotlight the kid having a hard morning.
Nothing in a Mighty Warriors class runs longer than a toddler can hold onto. There's a new thing to do every couple of minutes, the energy stays high, and the structure underneath is real martial arts.
You and your child line up side by side. The first bow is the first bit of structure most toddlers ever get — and they love it.
Marching, stomping, balance, obstacle work. It reads as play; it is coordination and body awareness being built on purpose.
Real technique on a soft target. Your child runs off to throw a kick, then runs back to you grinning. That loop is the whole class.
Eyes up. Freeze. Go. Three cues, drilled as a game, that most parents start using at home within a few weeks.
The six questions every parent of an 18-month-old has before they book.
For this class, yes — because you are on the mat. 18 months to 2 is exactly when balance, coordination, and the “I can do it” feeling start forming. What a toddler cannot do is take direction from a stranger across a room, which is why the parent-on-the-mat format matters more than the age does.
Both, honestly, and that is the point. The games are the delivery method; the content underneath is real — first kicks, a ready position, a bow, listening on cue. Nobody is sparring at two. But your child is learning actual technique, not just running around a padded room.
You move with them. A coach leads, you hold the soft target, you do the kick alongside your child, you are the safe base they come back to. No martial arts experience needed — most parents on our mat have none. Comfortable clothes, bare feet, that is it.
It happens most weeks, to somebody. Sitting on the edge of the mat in your lap and watching is a completely acceptable first class — plenty of kids do exactly that and are running the drills by week three. Our coaches will not call out a kid who is having a hard day, and neither should you.
Contact is on soft targets and pads only, never on another kid. Class runs on a matted floor, the movements are big and gross-motor rather than joint-loading, and you are within arm’s reach the entire 45 minutes.
Then it is too early, and we will tell you that. Some kids are ready at 18 months and some are not ready until 2 and a half. The free intro exists so you can find out without committing to anything — and Mini Warriors (ages 3–4) is waiting whenever they are ready.
Toddler classes run at every Warrior studio. Book a free intro at whichever is closest — class times vary, so we'll match you to a session that fits your nap schedule.
177 North Ave, Dunellen, NJ 08812
848-280-7650
Visit This Studio →130 South Plainfield Ave, South Plainfield, NJ 07080
908-293-7446
Visit This Studio →34 Worlds Fair Drive, Building 1G, Somerset, NJ 08873
908-895-6644
Visit This Studio →Once your child turns 3, they move up to Mini Warriors — their first class on the mat on their own. See the whole path on our programs page.
Yes. Our Mighty Warriors program takes kids from 18 months through age 2, with a parent on the mat for the whole 45-minute class. Most martial arts schools in the area start at age 3 — we built a real class for the littlest ones because 18 months to 2 is when balance, coordination, and the “I can do it” feeling start to form.
18 months. Below that, a class like this does not do much for a kid, so we would rather tell you to wait. From 18 months on, with a parent on the mat, toddlers can genuinely follow a coach through movement games, first kicks, and listening cues.
Yes — that is the format, not an option. You are beside your child the entire class, holding the target, doing the movements together, and acting as the safe base they run back to. It is what makes starting this young work at all.
45 minutes, structured in short bursts so nothing runs longer than a toddler can hold onto. There is a new thing to do every couple of minutes, which is why kids this age stay with it.
Completely normal and completely fine. Sitting in your lap on the edge of the mat and just watching is a legitimate first class — a lot of kids do that and are running the drills a few weeks later. Our coaches never single out a kid who is having a hard morning.
It is real technique taught through play. Your child learns first kicks and punches on a soft target, a ready position, a first bow, and listening on cue — the same foundation the older programs build on, scaled honestly to what a two-year-old can do. Nobody is sparring at two.
Comfortable clothes they can move in — a t-shirt and shorts or sweatpants — and bare feet. We provide everything else for the free intro. When they enroll they get their official Warrior uniform.
All three New Jersey studios: Dunellen, South Plainfield, Somerset. Class times vary by studio, so book a free intro at whichever is closest and we will line you up with a session that fits.
Comfortable clothes, bare feet, and a parent ready to get on the mat. That's everything you need to bring. Come find out whether your toddler is ready — no pressure either way.