Martial Arts for Children
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Character development is something that we not only teach, but model in our lives. How character is taught varies with the age of the student. Character is a benefit of training in any complete martial system, taught by any reputable and conscientious instructor, as without character we are reduced to uncivilized behavior. At Coquille Martial Arts, we consistantly have high expectations for all of our students, working with each student to develop his or her potential to its fullest. We believe that the best "fight" is one that ends without coming to physical blows and without name calling, bullying or other agressive action. To this end we teach our students, how to "not be there." This is not the same as running away. This means your child learns a proven system for standing up to a bully, while not allowing physical or verbal blows to land and while being able to maintain their honor and integrity. These systems have been developed for use by law enforcement professionals over the last two decades, and have been recently modified to be learned by civilians, including your children.
Your child will learn to identify potential danger and to protect themself. At the same time, they will be learning the traditional and effective martial art of Tae Kwon Do. Traditional martial arts teach respect for self and others, and the benefits of setting, working toward and attaining their goals. A recent study found that 641 out of 1000 school children felt they could NOT reach their expected goals. The ability to reach goals is one of the biggest indicators of success in children. Other benefits of Tae Kwon Do include increased focus and proper exercise, all of which will result in better grades, better discipline and more respectful behavior.
Tae Kwon Do is also an Olympic sport, and competition is another possible aspect of your child's training. Children who for whatever reason are not well matched in team sports, usually do well in martial arts.
As with anything that is worth doing, martial arts training is a long term commitment. However, many children train in both martial arts and the more traditional team sports. The benefits of cross training include:
Our Pre-school TKD classes are for children ages 3-5 year old students. Your child will learn personal safety focusing on stranger avoidance, how to work cooperatively and politely with others, basic martial Arts moves, and tumbling are all taught in a traditional structured atmosphere proven to improve discipline and focus, while your child has fun learning. Class is 30 miinutes long, a perfect length to allow this age group to learn without being overwhelmed. Your child will move from this class to the 5-6 year old class when they are ready.
Kids age 5-6(Coquille location): A 45 minute class that acts as a bridge between the pre-school class and the age 7-13 class and with a low student/teacher ratio. This class teaches all the elements of the regular kids class while the smaller class size allows for time left over for a game or two, and allowing the child to increase his or her attention span in order to increase the discipline and focus required for an hour class.
Kids age 7-13(younger or older, depending on the individual): In addition to learning all the traditional aspects of Tae Kwon Do, the kids' classes teach kids to learn how to diffuse the bully and speak up for themselves and others in a polite and acceptable manner, using our copyrighted KidSpeak program.
Use of the KidSmart program teaches basic safety and skills for handling a variety of emergencies.
Martial arts and especially TKD teaches respect for self, the need for goal setting and goal obtaining.
Martial arts promotes fitness and healthy living.
Learning games and drills are incorporated to give a more dynamic class
Martial arts promotes the development of a person's greatest asset: their mind, while at the same time learning the martial art of Tae Kwon Do.
Teen TKD: Teen aged students begin to transition into the adult classes based on their skills, body size and emotional capabilty. The adult classes teach on real life self defense as part of the traditional TKD curriculum, while maintaining honor and the safety of the participants.
Other available classes
Kids weapons
Your child will participate in the weapons class when he or she shows an aptitude for learning forms at a faster rate than average. This class offers an extra hour of instruction a week for approved students in our Tae Kwon Do curriculum, with in depth work in weapons' forms starting with kama and bo and advancing at the individual pace of each student.
Musical Forms
For students who want to take their tournament experience to the next level. Your child will learn a basic musica form in order to understand the dynamics of integrating movement with music. Then will progress to a form and music more suited to the individual. We highly recommend co-enrollment in capoeira for the tournament bound students.