A couple of days ago I had a mom walk in with her 2 boys (about 7 and 8 years old)... they were all excited to start their first karate class
We started off as we always do showing a few basic moves, we played a self control game and covered a few rules about where and when we do karate. After that we got right into the fun stuff! Before you knew it the two little guys were kicking pads in the air, high-fiving each other and just having a genuinely GREAT time.
After their 1st lesson the boys were PUMPED to get their uniforms and belts... but as I listened to their mother she seemed torn...
At first I saw the excitement in her, she was soooo happy to finally find something that her boys both enjoyed and would truly benefit from... But there was a little hesitation so I asked her does this seem like a good fit?
"Yes! I think the youngest could use the structure and the discipline" she whispered... "but I guess I'm nervous that they might start doing karate on each other..."
"You're not alone!" I replied... "but here's the thing... your boys are going to be physical anyway.. they are going to want to yell jump kick and punch stuff.. that's just what kids do! They WANT to be superheroes! So our classes will not only give them the space to do it but we'll teach them the fun and safe way to do it.. meanwhile providing rules about WHERE and WHEN they can practice their karate.."
BOOM.. it clicked... she got it... and the kids are now full fledgeed "Karate kids".. In fact they are both about to earn their 1st character stripe for keeping their room clean for a whole week!
I figured I'd share this with you since many parents wonder if Karate classes will make their children violent or if martial arts for kids is even a good idea at all.
Well I'm here to tell you it's a fabulous idea.. IF you find a great school with great teachers and an awesome reward system then give it a try. Usually what happens is children that are already very physical get the reinforcement about "hands to yourself, respect and self control" that you've been looking for...
If your kid is the shy type... putting them into a Karate class just might bring them out of their shell... what we've found is that frequent physical accomplishments paired with positive feedback and awesome rewards like belts stripes and other goodies makes kids feeling AWESOME about themselves.. and rightfully so.
This is how martial arts programs builds confidence.. and I hope maybe I cleared some things up for anyone wondering if Karate is a good fit for their kid.
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