Karate and Children

Many times children gain an interest in Martial Arts due to TV shows, such as the Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jackie Chan Movies and Cartoons, among other things. Some join because their friends are involved in a program also. However the kids don’t realize initially what the Martial Arts can do for them. All they see is the flipping, breaking, punching and kicking as it is on TV. It is therefore the parent’s responsibility to understand the need and benefits of Martial Arts for their children.

First Seijitsu Shin Do Kan does not award black belts to anyone less than 15 years of age, and that is only if they are an exceptional student. Normally 16 is the minimum age for a student to earn the black belt. Our focus is to help the kids develop their learning abilities, attention span, self-discipline and self-confidence, which should come before all else. We feel that training in Martial Arts is a perfect avenue to do just that. These characteristics, among others, are first and foremost when someone is a black belt. We feel that children need sufficient time to develop these qualities so that it makes them a top-notch student and person.

Children develop differently, and we recognize that there are many reasons why they do, but this is the beauty of children growing up. Teaching children is an unbelievable responsibility, but one that is incredibly rewarding. We feel that if you teach a child incorrectly, or provide a bad influence, it can affect them for their entire life. We believe in positive encouragement but so that they also develop a strong work ethic, honesty, integrity, discipline, and focus. This will carry them through life with a great amount of success instead of failure.

Our goal is to teach children to help them develop their minds and bodies, not just to kick and punch. We teach children to accept others, and how to work together with all genders and races, not just their own gender and/or race, and not just their own friends. All of this is done by teaching a child the basics of Martial Arts. It’s truly an amazing thing to see a child develop with Martial Arts training. To see the pride in their face when they accomplish something difficult, to see them improve their grades in school, and see them develop more energy to play instead of sitting in front of the TV or playing video games. We also encourage competition with kids so they learn good sportsmanship and honor.

These are only some of the things we hope Martial Arts can do for a child. But training that is rushed and is only about the color of the belt can leave a bad taste in their mouth forever. We encourage life long study of the Martial Arts so we teach children how to learn and have fun while doing it.