Karate is an excellent program for kids that provides a number of benefits. It teaches them patience, discipline, and leadership. Most importantly, it also shows them that through perseverance and hard work they can achieve their goals. These life lessons can spill into the classroom, home, and eventually into daily living. It is important to find the right kind of karate school for your child, and knowing what to look for can greatly help.
Programs Specifically for Kids
Some schools will have a separate program for children while others include them in the adult classes. Children who are very mature may do fine in an adult class, however, most benefit from a class specifically designed for kids. There are a few reasons for this.
First, kids can easily fall through the cracks when they are in a class of adults. Kids tend to need more instruction and time to learn basics and techniques. While an instructor can show an adult how to do a sequence of moves and then leave them to practice on their own, this is not the case with a child. They simply need more attention. Without it, it will take them much longer to learn their requirements. This can become very discouraging for a kid.
When the class is designed for children, there will be much more time and emphasis placed on instruction. The requirements for each belt rank are most likely going to be modified somewhat. Some schools break down the requirements and use a stripe system. For example, a new student may need to master twenty different requirements for their new belt. Children may accomplish the first five before they are rewarded a stripe on their belt. After the next ten requirements are met, they get another stripe. Finally, after accomplishing all the requirements, they are awarded their belt. This shows kids that they are progressing and meeting their goals by rewarding them for their hard work. It eliminates the year or more it often takes to move through the belt ranks. Other schools will modify their requirements, so a kid may not have to learn all the techniques that an adult is expected to master.
Perhaps the most important reason for separating kids from adults is for safety. There are two components to this. First, self defense for a child is very different than self defense adults. For example, kids need to learn how to thwart someone who is trying to scoop them up. They also have very different access to targets. An adult is taught to strike the eyes or throat of an attacker, while a child will not even be able to reach an attacker's head. A program for kids will focus on stranger danger and ways for them to protect themselves. The second safety issue has to do with size and control of the students around them. While no karate student wants to hurt a child, it can happen when teens or adults are paired with kids. Not everyone has perfect control over their speed and power, and accidentally kicking too fast or hard can result in a kid getting knocked over or injured.
Student to Teacher Ratio
Ask how many teachers are at a given class, and if they are certified black belt instructors. Also ask how big the class sizes tend to be. Huge classes with only a few instructors will not give the individual attention kids need. It is also important to know how many of the teachers are black belts. Some schools will have advanced students do much of the teaching for their kids program, and this is not ideal. Every kid deserves the quality instruction that only a black belt can provide. Advanced students make great assistants, but they should not be doing the majority of the teaching.
The Junior Black Belt Rank
No quality school will award a true black belt certification to a child. There are a few reasons for this. The testing for black belt is too intense for children, and putting them through it is simply not right. If they are not able to go through this experience, then they do not really earn the rank of black belt. It is also not possible for a child to do the teaching expected of a certified black belt, since most adults will object to being instructed by an eight year old. Finally, the true rank of black belt requires a level of discipline children are not capable of achieving. A quality school understands this and will offer something called a junior black belt. This is a special rank for students who meet the requirements, but are too young for the discipline and responsibilities of a traditional black belt. The age range for this will vary from school to school, but most award it to students under sixteen. This belt is traditionally black with a white stripe going through it. A junior black belt is stilled called Sensei, and is given the respect any other black belt would receive. Most schools allow a junior black belt to go through the actual adult testing procedure once they are older and ready for it.
Consider Your Goals
Some schools are sporty and participate in competitions, while others are more traditional. Finding the right martial arts school will require some work. It is important to sit in on a few classes, and to talk with the instructors. If your child is interested in winning trophies and loves being competitive, then you need to find a school that participates in competitions. If you are looking for a school to teach your child discipline and leadership, then a more traditional school will work better. Parents who are concerned about safety must ask about the self defense program the school has to offer. Also consider price. Some schools are for profit and are very expensive, they will also usually ask you to sign a contract. A non-profit school will be less expensive, and may even have a scholarship program or other discounts for qualified individuals.
Take the time to find the best karate school for your child. Martial arts require a great deal of time and effort, so finding a school that works for your child is vital. Children can truly benefit and blossom from karate training.
J. Lee Phelan - Hello Readers! My name is J Lee and I currently reside in New York. I'm a freelance writer and artist, which is exactly what I wanted ...
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