Children & The Martial Arts

We recognize the trend for younger kids to be invloved in the martial arts, and in all of our 3 locations, we have the KinderKicks program. Do remember that Martial Arts Centers are not and should not be Day Care! We are not a Day Care! If you need Day Care go to a properly licenced and trained Day Care facility with licenced & certified Day Care providers.

Our KinderKicks program 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 are first and foremost a Martial Arts Center. At Ooi's Taekwondo we will teach them the martial arts, self defense and the values that go with it: Self Discipline, Self Esteem, Self Confidence, Respect for People and Property, Responsibility, Accountability and Boundaries for their behavior. It is when Responsibility, Accountability and Boundaries for Behavior are not present that we have the problems we face today, not just with young kids but with society as a whole.

It is important for Parents to understand that at Ooi's Taekwondo, our KinderKicks Program is not a babysitting service or play school! The young students are introduced into training in a lighter atmosphere, where "play activities", like running and jumping, are intergrated with kicks, blocks and punches. Martial Arts training can be so rewarding to a child, where they develop all the positive qualites, associated with the Martial Arts. A level of discipline is always expected at all times! At the Streetsville Gym, the KinderKicks Class is run simultaneously with the regular class, as the gym is large enough to be divided. This allows Parents at our Streetsville Gym, the opportunity to train at the same time as their kids and even interact, in some training drills. At our other locations, the KinderKicks Class is usually only on Fridays & Saturdays. Kids should not be in the Kinderkicks for more than six months, after which, they should be weaned into the regular classes.

Parents should also communicate to us, the level of discipline they wish us to instill into their chidren. We fully understand that "Discipline" is relative to culture, beliefs and family values! We will not contradict your beliefs, values etc.. Always feel free, to discuss with us your family values on discipline, like "time outs" and the like. At the same time, do not expect us to conform to your standards. We will accomodate you only to the point where it does not contradict the general accepted standards. Do understand that other families may have different attitudes, and have requested us to be firmer with their children.

Know that there will be some reluctance or even resistance from the child at some point when they face greater challenges in their training either physically or mentally. This is especially true when the child has always been catered to by the parents. Children are craftier than we give them credit for and will manipulate the parent to the max if allowed to do so.

Ultimately our goal is to educate the children, to build character, and instill lifelong values like Respect, Loyalty, Responsibility, Accountability, Courtesy, Perseverence, Self Discipline, Self Confidence and Leadership, together with the skills of Self Defense. These are the building blocks that mould your child for the future, the very reasons why you as a Parent considered the Martial Arts in the first place! Don't lose focus of these important initial reasons you brought your child to us and we as Martial Arts Educators must also not lose focus of these basic elements when teaching the Martial Arts!

Like most things, there are many who have capitalized on the popularity of the Martial Arts and opened Martial Arts Schools that are really just Day Care or Play Schools. I ask all Parents: if you send your child for piano lessons, do you expect them to play the piano, or do you just want them to have "fun"?! As parents we want the best for our children and often say we have to allow them to make choices! Let's be realistic about it! Most times we make them think they are making the choices, it is still your will, that they are following. Is it not so that each time you allow your kids to make a choice of what they want, you are already partial to the options available to them. If you are truly against it, you would not give them a choice in the first place! You must decide to keep them training and make sure they are trained well at a proper martial arts school!

There is no excuse at all, for the poor level of performance of many of the kids I see at the open competitions we go to! Except for cases where there is a physical or attention deficit, it is reasonable to expect a degree of style & correctness. The performances at these events are so bad that the martial arts are no longer taken seriously. Parents, I say to you.. "You do not have to be able to play the piano to know it is not being played correctly -- find another piano teacher! There are still many good schools around. It is your duty to find one and if I am too far or inconvenient to get to, email me and I will give you advice how to find a good school. Our students do extremely well at competitions, and I always remind them, it is not that we are that good... but that the rest are so bad!

Some of the graduates of our KinderKicks program, have been with us for almost 8 years, and can be seen in the gallery page of this website. It is amazing, that they started not even being able to run properly! Look at them today!!! If they were playing in an orchestra, what beautiful music!

Footnote: If you truly want your kids to benefit from martial arts training, you have to let your kids expererience the work ethics and discipline that is needed to improve. Disappointment and setbacks are a part of life and overcoming adversity and disappointment is what makes one stronger and wiser. Unless you are sure you are going to be their employer in the future, keep doing everything for them. Otherwise, let them learn the realities of life's challenges. The following is believed to be quoted from Bill Gates:

He (Bill Gates) talks about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you think you are.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

If you can read this - Thank a teacher!

We turn our children into who they are. It is our duty to teach our children to delay gratification, to tolerate disappointment, to tolerate frustration and that can only be done by giving them a chance to learn and often times it starts by saying “No”