Re: Karate classes?

[Guest guest]

My son 12, is been taking the classes for about 6 mo now. It is martial arts, which enphasis self-defense, discipline, focus. He is enjoing the classes and was very proud when he got his orange belt. When he got up to break the wooden board, I was so nervous that he might not be able to and go into a tamtrum but he did it and it was a great victory for him. Just check it out, take her with you explain to the teacher her condition and you might be surprise. It is an individual effort. When you are part of a "team sport" they have pressure to perform at their level so they can "win". This is her/his effort and doing.

Ide

From: Holmes <jenuhferr@...> Sent: Thu, June 24, 2010 9:02:58 PMSubject: ( ) Karate classes?

I am considering putting my daughter into JKA Shotokan karate classesand see how she does. A lot of the suburban Moms put their typicalkids in these American karate places and having studied Shotokan, I'ma little prejudiced I guess. I don't want to put her in one of thoseclasses because it is more about fighting than self discipline, focus,physical endurance and self defense. I don't want to teach my daughterhow to punch and kick, I want to help her keep her self esteem, avoidphysical bullying if possible and then defend herself if it becamenecessary.Has anyone any thoughts on this?Thanks,Jen HPS. She's 5 and might be entering Kindergarten in the Fall (pending vax waiver)

[Guest guest]

Hi Jen:My son (7) has been going to karate classes for over a year now and it has been absolutely wonderful for him. Our requirements were the same as yours - an experience that centered on focus, self discipline and self defense, not fighting or aggression. The school that he attends is exactly that. They adamantly discourage fighting and they teach the kids how to deal with bullies. We have never once had a problem with using his karate inappropriately outside the classroom. I explained 's situation at the very start and it turns out that they have a lot of experience working with special-needs children. They focus on helping the students be better people, not on turning them into martial artists or fighting machines.The

experience has done a lot for 's self esteem, confidence, and focus. He is now a blue belt and extremely proud of his accomplishments, and it's something he has done all on his own. The instructors do have to keep a tighter rein on him in terms of reminding him to stay focused, but I've come to believe that the obvious boundaries and discipline actually make him feel MORE comfortable. There are days when things have been so chaotic at school that he will ask to go to an extra class just to help get his mind calmed down and organized again.So I would definitely encourage you to explore martial arts options for your daughter. I am not familiar with JKA Shotokan, but if you like it then I say go for it! Talk to the instructors up front and ask them if they are willing and able to work with her, because there are schools out there that want to work with children like ours and the instructors get a huge kick out

of seeing them succeed.Good luck to you!PattiFrom: Holmes <jenuhferr@...> Sent: Thu, June 24, 2010 9:02:58 PMSubject: ( ) Karate classes?

I am considering putting my daughter into JKA Shotokan karate classes

and see how she does. A lot of the suburban Moms put their typical

kids in these American karate places and having studied Shotokan, I'm

a little prejudiced I guess. I don't want to put her in one of those

classes because it is more about fighting than self discipline, focus,

physical endurance and self defense. I don't want to teach my daughter

how to punch and kick, I want to help her keep her self esteem, avoid

physical bullying if possible and then defend herself if it became

necessary.

Has anyone any thoughts on this?

Thanks,

Jen H

PS. She's 5 and might be entering Kindergarten in the Fall (pending vax waiver)

[Guest guest]

Ide:I'm so glad I'm not the only one who gets nervous during testing. Those testing sessions are sure stressful for parents, aren't they? But is the same - he smacks those boards with no problem and the smile on his face afterward is just like pure sunshine! And you said it very well that it's about individual effort rather than team sport. That's definitely a plus!PattiFrom: Idelice A. Haack

<haackia@...> Sent: Fri, June 25, 2010 9:01:03 AMSubject: Re: ( ) Karate classes?

My son 12, is been taking the classes for about 6 mo now. It is martial arts, which enphasis self-defense, discipline, focus. He is enjoing the classes and was very proud when he got his orange belt. When he got up to break the wooden board, I was so nervous that he might not be able to and go into a tamtrum but he did it and it was a great victory for him. Just check it out, take her with you explain to the teacher her condition and you might be surprise. It is an individual effort. When you are part of a "team sport" they have pressure to perform at their level so they can "win". This is her/his effort and doing.

Ide

From: Holmes <jenuhferrgmail (DOT) com> Sent: Thu, June 24, 2010 9:02:58 PMSubject: ( ) Karate classes?

I am considering putting my daughter into JKA Shotokan karate classesand see how she does. A lot of the suburban Moms put their typicalkids in these American karate places and having studied Shotokan, I'ma little prejudiced I guess. I don't want to put her in one of thoseclasses because it is more about fighting than self discipline, focus,physical endurance and self defense. I don't want to teach my daughterhow to punch and kick, I want to help her keep her self esteem, avoidphysical bullying if possible and then defend herself if it becamenecessary.Has anyone any thoughts on this?Thanks,Jen HPS. She's 5 and might be entering Kindergarten in the Fall (pending vax waiver)

[Guest guest]

That's a good point about the lack of competition like in a team sport. She does NOT do well when she views that she lost. Bad news! They do have a free class at this dojo and I'm definitely going to do that before we start them. The best thing is that there is no commitment so if she hates it or can't handle it we can just stop going. Also, she can go as often or as few times a week as she wants to up to 5 days a week. Pretty cool. Bad week, less times. Good week, more times...

Jen HOn Fri, Jun 25, 2010 at 10:01 AM, Idelice A. Haack <haackia@...> wrote:

 

My son 12, is been taking the  classes for about 6 mo now.  It is martial arts, which enphasis self-defense, discipline, focus.  He is enjoing the classes and was very proud when he got his orange belt.  When he got up to break the wooden board, I was so nervous that he might not be able to and go into a tamtrum but he did it and it was a great victory for him.  Just check it out, take her with you explain to the teacher her condition and you might be surprise.  It is an individual effort.  When you are part of a " team sport " they have pressure to perform at their level so they can " win " .  This is her/his effort and doing.

 

Ide

[Guest guest]

My 13 year old son attends a Karate classed organized through our local autism project. The sensei is trained in autism spectrum and is an all around good guy. The classes are small and there are two assistants present to help if the kids have a meltdown or need to stay on track. My son has thrived in this setting. I'm not sure how he would have done in a traditional karate class. Pam

In a message dated 6/25/2010 8:58:42 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jenuhferr@... writes:

I am considering putting my daughter into JKA Shotokan karate classesand see how she does. A lot of the suburban Moms put their typicalkids in these American karate places and having studied Shotokan, I'ma little prejudiced I guess. I don't want to put her in one of thoseclasses because it is more about fighting than self discipline, focus,physical endurance and self defense. I don't want to teach my daughterhow to punch and kick, I want to help her keep her self esteem, avoidphysical bullying if possible and then defend herself if it becamenecessary.Has anyone any thoughts on this?Thanks,Jen HPS. She's 5 and might be entering Kindergarten in the Fall (pending vax waiver)

[Guest guest]

My son took private one-on-one karate lessons in 2nd grade, hoping it would help him listen better, focus more, be a little more in "control" of himself, etc... Well, he had other ideas. He liked to wrestle the karate instructor! The sensei would "go with his energy" for a little bit but then would get him back on track but Dylan preferred the wrestling. He just wasn't cut out for something like karate. It was pretty humorous (mortifying, at the time) when the class of 5-6 boys would come in at the end to wait for their group lesson and Dylan would be wrestling the sensei. I can find the humor in it now, but I was not so amused at the time =) We put him in soccer after that (3rd grade) and although the social dynamics and some motor skills were difficult, we hung in there and he still plays to this day (he's entering 9th grade in the fall.) He really turned a corner with

his skills a year ago and now is considered one of the best (if not The Best) defenders the team has on the field. It's pretty rewarding and he is so proud of himself! He doesn't normally get publicly recognized by his peers but they tell him when he plays good and he usually does. He fouls more than the average kid b/c it's a motor skill/perception thing. When he goes for the ball, he goes for the ball. Having control of his body can be a challenge so he'll get yellow-carded sometimes. But being a part of soccer all of these years has been one of the biggest blessings, ever.

"Over-optimism is waiting for you ship to come in when you haven't sent one out."

From: "ppanda65@..." <ppanda65@...> Sent: Sat, June 26, 2010 5:46:33 AMSubject: Re: ( ) Karate classes?

My 13 year old son attends a Karate classed organized through our local autism project. The sensei is trained in autism spectrum and is an all around good guy. The classes are small and there are two assistants present to help if the kids have a meltdown or need to stay on track. My son has thrived in this setting. I'm not sure how he would have done in a traditional karate class. Pam

In a message dated 6/25/2010 8:58:42 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, jenuhferrgmail (DOT) com writes:

I am considering putting my daughter into JKA Shotokan karate classesand see how she does. A lot of the suburban Moms put their typicalkids in these American karate places and having studied Shotokan, I'ma little prejudiced I guess. I don't want to put her in one of thoseclasses because it is more about fighting than self discipline, focus,physical endurance and self defense. I don't want to teach my daughterhow to punch and kick, I want to help her keep her self esteem, avoidphysical bullying if possible and then defend herself if it becamenecessary.Has anyone any thoughts on this?Thanks,Jen HPS. She's 5 and might be entering Kindergarten in the Fall (pending vax waiver)