What are the benefits of your ‘Kick Start 4 Kidz’ classes?
The time between the ages of 4 and 6 are arguably the most vital years of a child's development. Our ‘Kick Start’ programme enhances this period of development in a positive, fun and encouraging way, promoting your child’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth.
Classes follow a detailed curriculum, focusing on improving your child’s basic behavioral, motor and listening skills. These skills help your child to enter school and society with a more confident and enthusiastic outlook. This enables them to be well rounded children; better students at school, better listeners at home and more ambitious towards the future.
Our ‘Kick Start 4 Kidz’ programme develops the younger child and fully prepares them for the cadets’ class with some of the older and more experienced children.
What skills are the children taught?
Our ‘Karate Kidz’ are taught skills which are composed of not only physical benefits, but mental ones also. These include:
1) Focus and concentration: Our lessons are specifically designed to help your child to become more disciplined and focused. Of course, children do have shorter attention spans, but our aim is to improve this and make your child not only a better listener at the club, but at home and at school also.
2) Co-ordination: This improves your child’s fine and gross motor skills. Practicing the karate moves will give them an attention to finer details and help them to react and aim quickly and accurately. Your child will also learn left from right and become better physical participants is sports and activities.
3) Teamwork: Teamwork is imperative for any young child to develop. The more confident your child is willing to work with others, the more he or she will accomplish his or her goals. Your child will develop character, helping him or her to make new friends and become a better leader in life.
4) Control and Confidence: Having control means making good decisions. Whether your child is handling a pet or handling a problem, he or she will to learn to make the right decisions in life. Furthermore, our program is designed to empower your child. Interacting with the other students and practicing the karate movements gives the children improved social skills and a newfound sense of confidence.
5) Balance: This skill is crucial to develop at an early age. Your child is beginning to participate in many physical activities that are challenging; riding a two-wheel bicycle without stabilisers, for instance. By practicing the movements in class, your child will develop good balance and a better posture.
6) Memory and Problem Solving: Developing a good memory is good exercise for your child's brain. The sooner your child exercises, the smarter he or she will become. Some of our drills are designed to help your child think, solve small problems and make smart, informed decisions.
7) Discipline and Commitment: Our instructors use specialised drills to help your child understand why discipline is important. Discipline is both fun and rewarding. Your child will take pride in doing the right thing and will be able to follow directions better. Discipline in this context is therefore a personal thing also. We encourage self-discipline and commitment in our students.
8) Fitness: It is extremely important for young children to understand the importance of being healthy and physically fit. Our lessons promote health and fitness not only by doing the exercises, but also by encouraging your child to live a healthier lifestyle.
9) Self Defence: In today’s ‘not-so-friendly’ society, learning a martial art gives both you and your child peace of mind. We instill safety and awareness into the children, giving them tips and advice on how to cope in situations that may arise whilst not only at school, but out in public also. This area of practice balances the theoretical and practical elements of self-defence skills, so that your child may protect themselves, should they ever need it.
10) Anti-Bullying: All our lessons carry a strong anti-bullying message. Whilst promoting the confidence and skills to ‘beat the bullies,’ we also remind the children that the skills they have should never be abused; they should be used in defence only. We promote discipline, caring and consideration in our students. Knowledge is power and they are given the power and knowledge to use their karate skills only when necessary.
What about belts and gradings?
Whereas our older children and adults meet at least twice a week, our ‘Kick Start’ group only trains once a week. This way, your child is gently eased into the sport. We therefore adopt a separate curriculum and grading system which suits the younger karate student.
Of course, given diversity and different rates of learning, your child will be assessed accordingly in our lessons and we will create a personalised learning plan that means they your child can develop at their own rate.
The belt system for our ‘Kick Start’ classes is a white belt with a coloured stripe, ranging from a plain white belt to a belt with a red stripe, yellow stripe, orange stripe, green stripe, blue stripe, purple stripe, brown stripe and then finally, a black stripe. A minimum of 5 lessons is required to be able to grade (be assessed) for each belt. Gradings are taken either before or after the lessons and are free of charge. The only cost of the grading is the purchase of the belt if successful, which costs £5.
Once your child has ‘graduated’ in our ‘Kick Start’ class and is old enough and prepared enough, he or she will be advised to start with the normal karate sessions. It is in these lessons that they train for full coloured belts. At this stage, we advise a minimum of two hour-long sessions a week (ask for info) with some of the older and more experienced students at the club.
How much are classes?
Your first lesson is free. Thereafter, classes are £5 for one person or £9 for two siblings.
Where and when are the classes held and who by?
How do I enrol my child?
Classes are starting soon, but places are limited. Please call us or e-mail us for details.