You don't need the whole system to begin — you need ten foundations and three tools: a band, something to jump off, something to hang from. Three short play-sessions a week. Land soft, hang strong, twist with power — and let the rest grow off it. This is the base everything else stacks on.
The 3-week plan → The 10 foundationsThe body's base — the ten capacities every physical skill (and, on top of them, the mind's skills) grows off. We start here, with the body. Each is built with a band, a jump, or a hang — and each runs from a toddler's version to elite.
These ten are the body. The mind's foundations — number sense, spatial, focus, language — grow off the same play (rhythm is the bridge) and come next, once the base is in. Broad and deep later; the base first.
3 short sessions a week (~10–15 min), or micro-doses most days. Every session = one band, one jump, one hang, then a play finisher (where it all shows up). Each week keeps the three slots and progresses the movement. Quality over quantity — a few crisp reps, keep it a game, stop before form gets sloppy. Every drill scales: a young version (~2–4) and an older one (~5+).
Land soft first. Quiet, low, forgiving surfaces — the soft landing before the hard bounce. Hangs: feet near the ground for the little ones, deep/soft surfacing, no ballistic drops onto a straight arm; save inverted hangs for ~6+ with a spot. Bands: light, playful — it's a movement, not a max effort. Technique-first bodyweight training is growth-plate-safe (AAP). Keep it play, keep it short, stop on pain — the hazard is bad landings and fatigue volume, never the child's age.
Full drills, tools, cost & safety in FOUNDATIONAL-HACKS.md. This is the isolate side (build the block); the Play is the test (where the blocks combine).
Three weeks isn't a finish line — it's the habit. The whole method is: build the block, master it, and the outcomes come. This is the on-ramp — the base that everything (speed, strength, agility, and later the mind's foundations) stacks on. Run it, watch your kid, and you'll see the base go in: softer landings, longer hangs, more power in the twist.
Week 1 feels clumsy — that's the point (they're learning to absorb & hold). Week 2 it gets rhythmic. Week 3 it starts to spring, and you'll catch it showing up in their play. Then we go broader — more foundations, the mind's blocks, and the next rotations.