Supporting Kids at home

Supporting Kids

Helping them practice at Home to reach their goals.

As instructors we want the very best for our students as parents do. This is our life’s mission and we take it very seriously. This “team’s” goal is to instill the values in life we want for our children and students. When we work together it becomes and team mission to help them strive to overcome obstacles and reach their goals. They may not see the benefit at the time but we know the importance of these lessons that last a lifetime.

It is time for your son to practice and your son/daughter loves Soo Bahk Do, but every time you tell him to practice, you get push back. Whether it’s martial arts or any other activity/skill that requires lots of training, such dance or learning a musical instrument, at home practice is essential. In this case not only do they have to develop the mental understanding, but also physical skills for performance and in this case possible self protection. We want our children to be safe and have the awareness skills needed in life to be safe.

The class and it’s lessons presented are meant for enhancement, correction, and introduction of new material from an experienced instructor. Building muscle memory

and improving aptitude are things that can be, and should be, done at home by the student. Two hours a week will not be enough. They need time to absorb the material mentality and physically.

These are tips that do work and have seen the results over the years for a positive outcome.

1. Short duration's of practice.

Based on their age the best amount of minimal time is 15 minutes. The goal is to focus on one area only, such as kicking with that focus being on the kick as an example that they might be having difficulty with. However, there is no need to do it all in at once. This leads to burn

out and resentment of the activity. Make each day different. Remember, this is supposed to be an activity that brings enjoyment and we don’t want to change that, it should be fun!

2. Avoid stimulating activities immediately before. ( ie: video games or another physical workout).

3. Set a schedule. Make sure it’s a small amount of time each day. Remember d them of the goal and support the effort!

4. Don’t bribe, support them. Hold a pad for them, video it and show it back and point out the improvement. Time them, have them teach you the technique! This works very well because children are always being shown or told what to do. But this switches the role and they take pride and feel in command.

5. Have them fed/hydrated/rested. Avoid snacks and drinks with lots of sugar. They will have a hard time focusing then will crash.

6. Make it fun! There are times to be serious and times to be fun. When it comes to practice, don’t be a drill sergeant making them do knuckle push ups for every mistake. Kids like to be creative. Let them use their imagination to come up with a martial arts game the two of you can practice. Challenge them to a contest like hold the kick the longest. They love this!!

7. Re-enforce the class you watched. We allow and welcome parents to watch class. It’s important to pick up key things you might hear the instructor is talking about. Most times they have a theme the class is covering. Ask the questions about it as if you don’t understand. You will gain great insights in this.

8. Don’t push,motivate through pride. While you don’t want to give in right away, you also need to know when to let it go. Pushing too hard is not going to be beneficial and will ultimately lead to the kid resenting. Know where that boundary is. The key is small consistent victories.

By working with this “team” concept we can help our children feel the support from multiple sides both at home and in the Dojang.