Karate Classes in Brampton

Okay, So How Does This Karate Stuff All Work?
(or How We Help Parents Raise Exceptional Kids)
 
This is a common question I get and a very important one for all our parents to understand.  There is a “method to our madness”.  Everything we do has a purpose and objective.  If you understand the process we use and the “stages” of your child’s development you can get the most out of our karate school.  This document will explain the process.
 
Base Concepts
First let me start with a concept called the “Slight Edge” (if you would like to learn more go to the book of the same name by Jeff Olsen).  One of the things it says is 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 and probably will love reading. They will not only do well in school but also be motivated to learn and seek knowledge.  Later that child is highly likely to start carrying a book with them all the time and then start reading on their own every day.  They will also most likely end up going to and completing college.  The resulting work ethic and self discipline can’t help but make them highly success for the rest of their life.  And, it all just began with that small action of reading a book every day.
 
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 “Itis 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 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” There is validity to this statement! However it only touches on the tip of an otherwise huge iceberg.

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. It’s the formation of good habits at an early stage of a persons development that will make these tasks part of their everyday life. That’s where we come in.

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. They will be more likely to apply this base skill to everything they do on a daily basis.

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.

Focus:

Without focus there can be no success. This is something you will hear me say to the students time and again.

How do we teach this? Simple. We put them in an orderly, structured, disciplined, and safe environment. There is an expectation to follow these concepts, which will inevitably develop into good habits. Repetition, repetition, repetition. When they begin to recognize these concepts at the dojo the same behaviour will spill over into their everyday life.

As your child progresses they learn perhaps the most difficult of all tasks:

The ability to stay focused on subject matter that has little or no interest to them.

Sometimes its good for a child to be bored or disinterested. Then we can teach them how to focus and stay on task through the mundane.

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 be built 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. This can be a touchy subject but Ill dive in anyway, because I know all to well the negative impacts certain behaviours at home can have.

1.Sibling bullying: mental and physical bullying by older siblings can destroy all the hard work the student, parents, and we have done.

2.Yelling and disrespect in the home: This will certainly erode any progress, and is unhealthy to say the least.

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. Its objective is to undo everything we have built in the student. Unfortunately, it has the power to do this with 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 use this for conflict resolution, and for 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. Bullies have had some unpleasant experiences with our students both mentally and physically.

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.

The curriculum shifts towards:

Attitude

Effort

Character development

Technique

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 off 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.

Now we have to focus on the things that will separate the student from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The expectations are high, and so are the standards. The parents and the students have developed a higher level of attitude, their work ethic is second to none, and they have the character traits of a highly motivated and successful person. We now redefine pushing their comfort zone, because we know they will not break under the heaviest of pressures.

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 after 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!!!!!