Karate and the Martial Arts children? Why?

How is Karate and the Martial Arts good for young children?

• Confident and Resilient Children

  • Children need to be able to develop physically and emotionally, in an environment which allows safe play, but that empowers children to find and establish boundaries. It is no secret that the martial arts allow for physical contact, and rough and tumble. We encourage students to experiment with their physical abilities, but to never invoke violence. In this way students develop the self-confidence to stand up to schoolyard bullies and the self-control to manage their feelings and resolve differences without aggression.

• Persistent Children

  • Karate Kids learn that all things can be achieved with persistent pursuit of excellence. The founder of our style of karate talks about aspiration, diligence in training, and courage to achieve. This means different things to different children; it might mean executing a kick, it might mean learning multiplication tables, it could be wrestling a bigger child to the ground, or it could be walking home from school by themselves.

• Healthy Children

  • By this I mean healthy of mind and body, wellness. The exercise from Martial Arts training helps to calm individuals, reduce anxiety, and improve mood. Karate Kids sleep better due to the high energy of the training. We know that sleep resets our emotions and allow for body repair and growth. Rest and healing become more rewarding as you overcome personal boundaries and achieve your goals.

• Independent and Free-thinking Children

  • When children have confidence in themselves, they know who they are, what they value, and what they will stand for. Karate Kids are less susceptible to peer pressure, especially when it involves negative thinking and harmful activities. Children who are mentally tough are more likely to make their own good choices, guided by their parents and the mentorship of their Karate Instructors.

• Practical Self-Defence

  • The Dojo is a place to learn practical skills and the confidence to use them. Children who learn Martial Arts and have experienced a fight or wrestle in a controlled environment and feel less threatened in the unfortunate event that they will experience it for real. More importantly, however, they will learn how to recognise a threatening situation and ways to avoid, escape or mitigate escalation.

• Besides it’s Fun!

  • The classes are structured to provide a wide range of ages appropriate activities.

    • Speed and Flexibility Exercises

    • Strength and Fitness Exercises

    • Safe Falling Exercises

    • Kicks and Punches

Why choose Kanzen Karate Little Ninjas, or Young Lions?

Kanzen Karate is a complete Karate-Do. Students are expected to learn the etiquette of karate and always be polite and respectful to others. The Little Ninjas Programme is for our youngest children, from about Year 1. The purpose of this program is to promote self-confidence and socialization while having fun. The training tasks are simplified to build on the natural strength and flexibility of very young children in a Child-Friendly environment of equality and fair play. We use a mixture of formal and informal structures appropriate for children of this age and concentrate on physical mobility. We help to build self-confidence and conflict avoidance.

The Young Lions Programme, included in Karate Concepts, is suitable for children from around Year 5 or so, and helps build athletic skills (speed, strength, cardio-vascular endurance, and flexibility) using Kyokushin Karate-do. Students develop the awareness to go out into their world with confidence. We use structured physical tasks designed to prepare students for life-long study of martial arts, or as the building blocks for Martial sports. In this programme we focus on the body and the technical aspects of the syllabus. We want to help young people become resilient to the rigours of life and resistant to bullying. Classes are more structured and have a foundation of respect and etiquette. We like to work with partners, with sparring within the dojo typically based on Light or Non-Contact conventions until students can join with the Kyokushin Karate Group. Competition is encouraged for Young Lions only if its right for the student and Instructor.