Our kids classes lay the foundation for a lifetime of development both inside and outside of the dojo. We are sincere when we say this. We raise excellent young human beings who learn to value themselves as well as others.
In this pursuit, we emphasize what we call the Five Shaolin Principles, which we talk about often and in this way:
Effort: How you behave when you are tired and want to quit something that is important to you. Effort, we emphasize to the kids, is exemplified when you try even harder when faced with fatigue or adversity.
Etiquette: Learning, respecting and honoring the rules of the dojo. There are many, but as white belts they’ll learn to bow when entering and leaving the dojo, raise their hands and wait patiently to be called upon and keep their hands to themselves unless otherwise instructed.
Given the challenges presented by the pandemic, this type of program has become of exponentially greater value in 2022.
Self-Control: Managing the movements of one’s body, whether standing perfectly still, kneeling and breathing slowly and quietly, or while executing the challenging movements of the martial arts.
We implement breathing and feeling identification/management techniques here as well, as feelings are the precursors to actions. As the kids transition from one group to the other by way of Little Ninjas to Kids, Kids to Juniors and Juniors to Adults, we explore the art in ways that are appropriate for their maturity level.
While we teach the little ones stances, blocks and basic strikes, we do not introduce them to Kempo as a way of fighting. Rather, we reward the kids for their progress in the way of the Five Shaolin Principles, in conjunction with picking up the basics of the art. Indeed, you will be discussing things like self control, etiquette and character with your child at home as our goal is to make the physical martial art indistinguishable from their self identity, which we hope becomes anchored in these principles.
Sincerity: Doing and meaning what you say.
Character: (My personal favorite and the one I explain to the kids is often the most challenging)
When we talk about character to the kids, we like to simplify it as telling the truth especially when it is hard to do. This conversation leads into the concept of the conscience, what it is and how important it is to listen to and operate on its behalf. Subsequently, the kids learn that the most challenging person to be honest with is oneself.
Over the course of time the skill of identifying one’s feelings, in this case the conscience, becomes a pertinent cornerstone of the martial artist who, over time, develops dangerous skills with their bodies.
When making the decision to implement one’s martial art in real life, whether in efforts to confront a bully, abusive partner or a stranger, one’s relationship with the conscience in conjunction their skill in the art, will refine the ability to stop an adversary in real time and without hurting them if possible.
We do our best to train the kids to only use their self-defense skills when they are being attacked and are afraid. Absent the sensation of fear, there is virtually no reason to engage in your martial art. But fear is different than anger. We hope that our breathing techniques and mentorship go a long way here. Our experience over the course of watching our kids grow from four year olds into young adults is that it does. Our kids tend to care about their actions, particularly in the way of their martial arts.
All that said, we have a lot of fun in our kids classes. We might be the most effective in the nation at running a fine line between disciplinarians and fun-loving mentor figures.
We have taken care to expand our staff to include multiple, experienced and talented instructors, who have known each other for many years, in some cases decades, who are all on the same page and who execute our service in true family fashion. We invest a lot in our efforts to deliver and we remain unparalleled for a reason:
We care about the next generation and we feed off of the family vibe. If you want the best for your kid, you’ve found the folks with the highest standards and most sincere hearts. We hope you come see for yourself.
