| my child become more violent from learning | | | | can think of far worse violence.All you have to do |
| karate, jujitsu, or another martial art?"In a word, | | | | is watch the news, cartoons, listen to the radio, |
| "No." Children learn self-control by practicing martial | | | | or read a newspaper, to see things worse than |
| arts; and the code of conduct that is enforced, | | | | unsupervised hand-to-hand combat. So, the |
| within the studio, is carried outside into every day | | | | self-defense methods taught to children actually |
| life. The average martial arts school works with | | | | pale in comparison to school shootings, bombings, |
| parents, and academic teachers, toward the goal | | | | wars, and drive-by shootings.Karate was created |
| of optimum student success.When you see a | | | | by unarmed civilians on the island of Okinawa and |
| Karate demonstration team perform, that is not | | | | was taught in secret among family members for |
| an indicator of the life skills taught within the | | | | their personal protection. The philosophy, within a |
| Karate class. It is the "flashiest" component of | | | | martial arts school, will not always be the same, |
| Karate training, presented to capture the public | | | | but the seeds of violence are not sown within a |
| attention. Ten minutes of kids using ancient | | | | martial arts setting.All you have to do is look |
| weapons, breaking, and working in synchronized | | | | around you to see more, and far worse, violence |
| choreography, is more interesting to the public, | | | | than learning self-defense - integrated with |
| than a lecture, by me, about dealing with bullies | | | | constructive life skills. The fact is a martial artist is |
| without violence.However, let's take a closer | | | | not a "street fighter." If that were a requirement, |
| look at the ten minutes of flash. The next time | | | | we would recruit the toughest kids in North |
| you see a martial arts demonstration team, | | | | Providence.As I explain to the children in my |
| remember those children have to practice those | | | | Karate and Jujitsu classes, "Never forget the |
| techniques over and over again. This requires | | | | word, "artist," means to be creative, to be an |
| self-discipline, goal setting, perseverance, and each | | | | innovator, and to think for yourself." Children who |
| child being a team player.There is no room for a | | | | learn martial arts are more apt to be well |
| "one way" personality on any martial arts | | | | adjusted and defuse a potentially violent |
| demonstration team. Such a personality would | | | | situation.On top of that, most children who study |
| work against a good public performance. In a | | | | Karate, or any other martial art, will not be |
| typical Karate class, all of the above-mentioned | | | | "trouble makers." The children we teach from the |
| life skills are learned and much more.Children learn | | | | Greater Providence, Rhode Island area have |
| much more about violence on the television, | | | | learned enough about leadership, in our Karate and |
| playing with video games, and dealing with daily | | | | Jujitsu classes, to think for themselves. For |
| life, than they will ever learn in a karate class. | | | | parents, the gift of martial arts training to their |
| Even if a Karate teacher was the classic "evil | | | | children has many rewards, right now, and into |
| sensei," that you may have seen in the Karate | | | | their future. |
| Kid movie or on Kung Fu Theatre, most children | | | | |