Every parent I know wants to find some activity for their child that they will be passionate about. Here are some things you can do to keep your child excited and motivated for martial arts class.
4 Ways
To keep kids interested in martial arts
There are 4 ways to keep your child interested
- 1First, Do not focus on achievement. Sometimes this is referred to as helicopter parenting or being "Tiger" parents. Instead focus on all of the emotions you see your child go through. Be happy for their feeling of excitement rather than any type of achievement or failure.
- 2Second, lead by example. If you have a hobby or interest that you do for yourself, stick with it. Show them that even though you go through periods of time where you don't have a ton of motivation you still don't quit. You stick with it. Believe me they will respond to action more than word. Exemplify the traits you want to see in them.
- 3Third, Listen without offering too many solutions. Sometime kids want to vent their frustrations without actually quitting the activity. Be a good listener, and observe what is really going on. It might be something temporary or it may be that that are just feeling really stressed about other parts of their life.
- 4Finally, Make sure they are happy and content outside of martial arts. No one can concentrate on doing well if they are in a home environment that is chaotic and disorganized, Get them on a consistent routine. This by itself is probably the most important thing, as far as getting them not to quit. They need to see progress. Without consistent attendance they will see zero progress and want to quit.
Kids Class at the Kung Fu Academy
We don't want you to enroll if you think a month of classes will accomplish anything.
You want your child to be asking you to come to class every week. Also. we know you are looking at many different martial arts schools for your child. You are trying to find somewhere that will be a great fit, as far as location, pricing, and quality.
However, you should know, we (the instructors) screen applicants to find great students for our academy. We are looking for the right students.
Now, tell me...
Are You And Your Child The Right Students For Our Academy?
Let me be a bit more specific…
We are not looking for any kind of short term student here. Short term students are difficult to teach. They don’t practice at home and don’t even know if they are going to attend next week’s class.
Uncommitted kids in class, brings down the energy of our classes
Look, we pride ourselves on being straightforward with our students 100% of the time. Honestly, there is no way martial arts training will give your child any of the benefits that martial arts have to offer, if both you and they, are not committed to the process..
As you probably know, your child will only start to gain benefits like discipline, respect, self-confidence, focus, and concentration with hard work and dedication.
Kids Class at the Kung Fu Academy
Our Core Beliefs
One of our core beliefs is that you (the parents) should the ultimate decision-maker not the child. Over the years I have seen many parents allow their child to quit martial arts. These parents know deep down inside, that training is beneficial for their kids.
Let me give you an example, these same parents insist that their child does not get to choose whether or not to brush their teeth at night. Also, they say their children cannot choose to eat ice cream for dinner. In contrast, their kids DO get to choose whether they should go to martial arts class today or not.
Let me ask you a question, would you let your child quit school because they didn’t feel like going? Then why should they quit martial arts, because they didn’t feel like going? In our opinion, martial arts training is equally important to the development of your child as going to school is.
Look, we know that all parents desperately want to find something that their kids will be passionate about. The truth of the matter is that all kids (and even adults) go through periods when they feel more motivated, and when they feel less motivated.
The point is, you should expect these periods of low motivation and you should look forward to it happening. Why? Because these events are what we call “teachable moments”.
Teachable Moments
Truth is, if your child is allowed to quit at the first sign of feeling less motivated, how will they ever learn the lesson of perseverance?
The key question you need to ask yourself is “What kind of instructor do I want for my child?”
Honestly, do you want an instructor whose core belief is that martial arts will benefit your child in hundreds of ways, and make a deep impact on the rest of their life? Or do you want an instructor whose core belief is that martial arts training is just another activity?
4 Ways
WE keep kids interested in martial arts
There are 4 ways WE keep your child motivated
- 1First, we have a rotating curriculum that we go through. In fact, every week the students are learning various disciplines - boxing, weapons, self-defense, grappling. Your child will learn new material that will excite and motivate them through every step.
- 2Second, every April and October we host belt testing. Belt testing is something that pushes the kids to stick with it and remain motivated. Each time your child is promoted to the next belt, they get very excited. They are very proud of what they've accomplished and received their new belt. With a new belt comes new expectations.
- 3Third, consistency with their attendance. It is important for kids to be consistent with their training on a weekly basis. Kids that are consistent will continue to progress and see an improvement in their martial arts skills. So that is why kids that are inconsistent with their attendance will lose interest and eventually drop out.
- 4Finally, parents commitment to their child's training. In the end, as long as parents remain committed to their child's weekly martial arts schedule, the child will be able to progress and reach their life goal of obtaining a Black Belt. Throughout the years, we realized that kids don't quit martial arts training, parents do.