How Karate Works
Base Concepts
Simply put…… the small things your child learns early in life compounds over time. One seemingly small insignificant thing done today can pay off huge in the future.
An example is reading. Reading to or with your child for just 10 minutes every day from the day they are born may seem small. If you miss a day nothing bad will happen. But over the years that small habit will probably develop a child that likes or possibly loves reading. They will not only do well in school but also be motivated to learn and seek knowledge. This is the base foundation for forming “good habits” or “SELF DISCIPLINE”
The resulting work ethic and self discipline can’t help but make them highly success for the rest of their life. The little things matter…..A LOT!!!
A second fundamental concept is one child development experts agree on that your child will form much of who they are between the ages of 0-8. These early years are crucial. Like we say “It is better to raise an awesome kid now than try to fix them later.” Now while it is optimal to start children before they are eight, we can still mold them into awesome children at later ages. It just takes more work. (Trust me, an unmotivated, disrespectful, rebellious and failing teen is a parent’s worse nightmare.)
THE BEGINNERS PROGRAM COMMON CONCERNS PARENTS HAVE ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN:
- Shyness or fear of trying new or difficult things.
- Difficulty focusing and staying on task.
- Lack of self confidence, and self control.
- Bullying.
Forming Good Habits:
“Everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten”
While I agree with the concept of this statement, not everyone can actually follow its teachings. Not because they don’t want to, but because they don’t know how.
You need the focus, discipline, and confidence to apply this to regular life. DISCIPLINE is just good habits, and if we can form them in the early stages of a persons development they will have that advantage over their contemporaries.
For example, if a child has the discipline to tidy their room and make their bed everyday it brings order to their lives. It also forms a habit of self respect and removal of chaos.
Another example is reading every day. The ability to focus on daily reading will eventually turn into a habit of collecting and assimilating knowledge. Knowledge is power!!!! No matter where you are in this world.
Confidence comes from repeated success resulting from the culmination of good habits!!
Proper manners: proper manners are crucial. Karate begins and ends with respect.
We will teach the student how to harness these traits and turn them into a part of their “good habit” skillset.
Without focus there can be no success. This is something you will hear me say to the students time and time again.
How do we teach this? Simple. We put them in an orderly, structured, disciplined, and safe environment.
Repetition – Repetition – Repetition
Self Confidence:
We develop this by giving the student every opportunity to succeed. We carefully lay out the expectations for new students and walk them through the process.
Mistakes are OK, so long as we endeavor to learn from them. Patience on the part of the parent and child is crucial during this phase. Students can be vulnerable in the early stages, and therefore we must build them up before we can toughen them up. Fighting skills are not at the top of the list during these steps. What is at the top is not being afraid to make mistakes, putting forth their best effort, and never giving up!!!
The building of self confidence is perhaps the first opportunity for the parent(s) to take an active role in the students success at the dojo.
We only have the student for 3 hours a week. We enrich, and reinforce the positive behaviours students learn in the home. If there is a positive nurturing lifestyle at home, we can more easily partner with you in achieving your goals.
Our family has disagreements, but we always treat each other with courtesy and respect. Take what you learn from the dojo and apply it to your home conflict resolution.
Shyness and Fear of New Things:
We make learning fun!!! In order to get a new student to engage it is important that they see other students actively and willingly participating. We incorporate games, role playing, and rewards into the karate curriculum to stimulate the students desire to accelerate their active participation. Before you know it, they’re running out on the floor interacting, and engaging. This is one of the rewards that is especially gratifying for us as teachers to see. This behaviour will spill over into everything they do outside the dojo, and is directly linked to self confidence.
Bullying:
The bully; the common enemy in our midst. Their objective: “To undo everything we have built in the student.”
Unfortunately, they have the power to do this with just one interaction. We have a strategy for that, and the means to render it powerless. The most powerful weapon anyone possesses is their mind. We teach students to define clear and firm boundaries with their peers for conflict resolution, and defeating bullies. It should always be the first line of defense. There may be a time where reason and circumstance calls for physical based defense. Our anti-bullying module features a comprehensive set of physical techniques, that when applied, are extremely effective in defeating bullies.
INTERMEDIATE STAGES
OK. So now the student has an understanding of the basics of our karate program and has “cut their teeth” in the beginners classes. This usually happens at about the year to year and a half mark of training with us. They are ready to take on bigger challenges. That’s great!!! They will need to apply all the lessons learned in the beginners program to accelerate their development as Karate Ka.
GREAT LEADERS ARENT BORN AS SUCH. THEY ARE FORGED IN THE CRUCIBLE OF HARD WORK, PERSEVERENCE, AND THE ABILITY TO OVERCOME ADVERSITY.
We intentionally push the student to achieve a higher level, and they are held to a higher standard. The refinement of technique is heavily emphasized, as is refinement of character. One difference you will immediately notice is the classes are more disciplined, and require a lot more effort. You may also notice that the time between gradings becomes longer. This is were the parents have gone from beginner parents to parents that actually realize, and have seen the benefits of what we do here, and what it takes for the student to be successful!!!
Adversity:
The student will be subject to a higher level of physical fitness, discipline, and attention to detail. Their previously learned ability to focus and never give up pays huge dividends here. We teach them to push through the tough parts of the curriculum, and how to meet their challenges “head on” I like hearing parents and students say; “Wow they are finding this really difficult”!!! That means we are pushing them past their comfort zone, and beginning to teach them grit and determination!!! Exactly what it takes to be uber successful in this world.
We all want something better for our children. Sometimes we can confuse a better life with making things too easy. You wont find that at our dojo. While the goals are definitely attainable, they require an appropriate level of effort to achieve them. Everyone works hard, Nothing is free. The student will begin to get out of the program exactly what they are putting into it!!!
Remember This: It is my personal goal to see every one of my students succeed in our dojo and in life. I will constantly open or kick down doors for them, I only ask they go through them.
ADVANCED STAGES
So now you can see the black belt on the horizon!!! Excellent! This stage typically begins after about a year and a half to two years of intermediate level training. The student knows what it takes to achieve at a higher level, and the parents are becoming “black belt parents” as well.
These are the students that are high performers. They have grit, determination, and resilience. Success or failure isn’t defined by how many times we fall. Its defined by our ability to get up every time we fall.
This stage is also where, under intense pressure and heat, we turn coal into diamonds!!!! The culmination of all the student’s efforts and the efforts of the parents pay off the biggest dividend of all. I bet your thinking “getting their black belt” and indeed you are correct. However, the biggest payoff of all is a student who is ready to meet the world with confidence, self respect, manners, positive attitude, unbreakable spirit, and the ability to conquer life’s challenges no matter what they are!!!!!
HOW DO I GET STARTED IN KARATE?
This section will help you determine if karate is right for you and your child.
Here are some helpful tips to aid in your decision.
Make sure you check out all your options in the area. Call and visit every school in the area. There are some great schools in Brampton. It’s not a question of whether one school is better than the other, the real question is which one is the best fit for you and your child.
Step Two: Schedule first visit…..
After you’ve checked out your options, and feel you are ready to learn more about our school, we suggest you contact us to book your two part parent/child orientation session. These “Introductory Sessions” are well designed to help us determine if your child is ready for our program, and for you to fully understand all the information about our school. There is no cost or obligation for these sessions, it is just a great way to see if this is the right time, and if we are the right place for you and your child to start karate. We do not want you to start here unless you are absolutely sure this is the right thing for your child and your family.
Step Three: Initial call or email
You can call us at the number below or feel free to reach out to us via email by clicking on the email link.