Children & The Martial Arts

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ImageWe recognize the trend for younger kids to be invloved in the martial arts in Mississauga as well as in Toronto, and in our Mississauga location, we have the KinderKicks as well as the After School Program.
The After School Program (available only in Mississauga) picks the child up from school, takes the child to the training center, where they train, do a bit of school work and then be picked up by the parents, on their way home from work.  I remind parents that we are not Day Care and our program insists that the child follow the rules and values of Discipline, Respect and Courtesy, abide by the rules of martial arts protocol and behave accordingly.

Our KinderKicks program available in all 3 locations and is specially designed for our younger members (3-6 years), to be introduced to the martial arts, in a lighter atmosphere with some degree of fun. Parents are not discouraged to be present at the child's lesson, however if we find it is detrimental to the child's progress, we recommend staying out of sight. Sometimes we get the parent to join in and interact with the child, especially when the child is not confident to be by him/herself. Discipline is always expected, and is gradually introduced to the child. The lessons are structured towards building confidence, coordination, balance, focus, taking instruction, fitness etc. It would be much easier for us to simply keep the kids happy with just play activity, as in a Day Care, but you chose the martial arts for what it can do for your child and that is what we intend to do. Know that since the kids are as young as 3 years old, it will take at least 2-3 months before you see any progress in your child. At that age, the child simply has no real concept of what is being taught and our objectives are just to introduce the child to structure and developing motor skills. Do not expect too much and if you do not over indulge your child, by about the 4th month you should be able to see progress.  We always try to encourage the child to "graduate" to our regular programs as soon as possible, as it is more structured and more in line with martial arts training.

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Parents and the Martial Arts

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Martial Arts training for your child is more than just an activity that your child gets into.  There can be lifelong skills and values that may give your child an edge in life.  With that in mind, choose a martial arts school as you would choose which private school you would send your child to.  Take time to pick a school that actually teaches the martial arts instead of a glorified Day Care.  I realize we are all on a tight schedule but take time to be present periodically and observe your child's classes and especially promotion tests.  Assess the performance of your child in relation to your childs potential and the time spent.  There must always be progress and improvement!

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MMA vrs Traditional Martial Arts

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Today MMA schools are gaining widespread popularity in Mississauga as well as in Toronto among the older teens and twenties.  MMA punched, kicked and grappled its way into the Martial Arts world when the Gracie family launched the UFC on TV in the late 1990's and into the start of the new millenium. It rocked the martial arts world and it certainly grabbed my attention. It made the public at large take notice of the martial arts again. In the early 90's I believe the martial arts was on the decline and becoming somewhat of a joke to many people in contact sports like hockey, basketball, football etc.  Martial Arts self defense schools were so commercialized and many were run by unqualified and inexperienced instructors out to make a quick buck.  Black Belts were churned out a dime a dozen without really knowing what it took to be one and worse still, what it meant to be one!  They could not hit effectively nor could they take a hit, but they strutted around with their black belts completely deluded that they were able to protect themselves.  The only good thing the black belts were good for, was to keep the uniform in place & the pants up!!!   

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Adults & The Martial Arts

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With all the stress of daily life, more adults can benefit from training in the martial arts but do not do so.  Our instincts as parents are to put our children first before ourselves.  We fail to see the importance of keeping ourselves fit and healthy so we can provide for our familly.  You must first take care of yourself so that you can take care of your Family! I am often reminded of this when I'm on board a plane.  One of the safety protocols should the cabin pressure drop is to put the oxygen mask first on ourselves, before attending to our children.  The reason behind this is that we need to remain conscious for if we were to blackout because we were attending to our kids first, we would not be able to help our kids furthur.  So it is too with our health!  If we don't keep ourselves fit and healthy, we would not be able to support our family or may not be able to enjoy an active and productive relationship with our children.

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