How Karate Teachings Can Positively Influence Integrity

Changing Lives Martial Arts

How Karate Teachings Can Positively Influence Integrity

Karate is often viewed solely as a method of physical self-defense, but it teaches mental discipline and values as well. One of the main things our students take with them from classes is a strong sense of personal integrity.

karate,integrity

Instilling values like integrity in children and adults is an important function of Karate that cannot be ignored. When properly taught and practiced in self defense, Karate imparts integrity and other such values to students that can carry over to other areas for the rest of their lives. In addition to teaching our students how to deal with dangerous aggressors, Karate teaches integrity through positive reinforcement.

By learning in a safe, friendly environment, we give Karate students a unique perspective on how their actions directly relate to what they get out of life. This, in turn, leads to a self-reliant sense of integrity additionally fostered by the fact that Karate affords students personally noticeable rewards. Also, because the testing system that lets students earn belt rankings by proving their Karate skills is built around a system of accountability and integrity, students learn to see and track their progress and increase their self-image of their own accord.

Our Karate is based around mentally preparing oneself to respond to physical situations. While there is a great deal of physical training, you will be forced to adopt integrity as part of your mental attitude if you want to make progress. Almost two decades of teaching Karate to students made it apparent that self motivated integrity is the only way to change lives and make the Virginia Beach area safer for everyone.

The fact that you can practice advanced Karate with integrity doesn't mean that it's always necessary or right to do so outside class. Our dynamic hybrid Karate curriculum therefore extends your knowledge beyond kicking, punching, grabbing and gun defense; it also teaches you how to make the decision to act. You must learn the meanings of your actions and have the integrity to take responsibility for the consequences.

Integrity isn't something that just comes automatically. Our "Karate Safe" reality training carefully measures your proficiency so that you can develop a personal sense of integrity as well as learn to defend yourself and those around you. Integrity is about doing the right thing, even when no one else will, and by studying Karate, our students build the self confidence to act in response to an infinite range of situations.

Our integrity is founded on a long history of professional Karate instructor certification by the American Taekwondo Association. We maintain our integrity proudly by ensuring our CPR certificates are up to date and that we are highly rated in all areas of instruction.

The integrity and honesty you learn about in Karate class will help you in school, at home or on the job. Karate that focuses on integrity is a 24/7 affair, and while you may not spend that much time in the dojo, the mentality sticks. Learning more about how you and your family can benefit from the intense, yet fun, integrity and self esteem based Karate training we offer is easy. Just call us at 757-471-9002 or get in touch via our website at www.atakick.com for more info.

Changing Lives Martial Arts

Master Instructor Tracy Lee Thomas

7^th Degree Black Belt

Affiliations: American Taekwondo Association

                      Krav Maga Worldwide

How Karate Can Help Teach Respect In The Home

How Karate Can Help Teach Respect In The Home

This article explains how the respect learned in karate class carries over to other areas of a kid's life. It focuses on the home but also touches on school.

karate,respect

Most of the parents who bring their kids into one of our Virginia Beach area martial arts studios, discover that there are a number of benefits to our Karate for Kids program. The benefits of karate are many and obvious: helping overweight children to slim down, improving self-esteem and raising the overall fitness level of a child. However, karate has many benefits that are slightly subtler than that. One of the key principles we instill as part of our Karate for Kids program is that of respect.

Respect has different contexts and can mean many different things. There is respect for authority, respect for others and respect for yourself. Our karate program is designed to increase a student's level of respect in all these various areas.

One particular aspect of our karate training program that parents are often pleasantly surprised by is how karate increases a child's level of respect around the house. Our Karate for Kids program is designed to be active, engaging and of course fun. Along with that fun comes a level of discipline and structure with karate. In karate, talking back to the instructor or misbehaving towards fellow students is not tolerated.

In my twenty years experience as a Martial Arts Instructor, I have found that the sense of respect we instill in our students at the karate studio often carries over to a greater sense of respect at home. Peer pressure on kids is enormous these days. Talking back and bad behavior are considered just as "cool" now as they were when we were kids. One of the goals of our Karate for Kids program is to show kids a different path while using karate: the path of respect.

Having respect for their instructors, fellow students and the martial arts as a discipline, has a surprisingly powerful effect on our students. Nearly all of our students end up taking that sense of respect with them when they leave a martial arts class. In our karate program, we demonstrate that respect for others is a virtue and that bad behavior has no place in the constructive confines of the martial arts dojo.

Learning martial arts requires discipline and hard work. Many people come to martial arts for one reason and find that they end up staying with martial arts. Kids who come to class because they want to learn to do flashy kicks like they've seen in the movies often find they enjoy the discipline and hard work entailed in karate. That new found sense of self-discipline coupled with the courtesy we adhere to in all our classes carries with it an inherent level of respect that most karate students will end up taking home with them when they leave class.

If you'd like to find out more about how our karate programs definitely increase your child's level of respect at home, give us a call at our headquarters in Virginia Beach at 757-471-9002 or visit us at this website: www.atakick.com

Changing Lives Martial Arts

Master Instructor Tracy Lee Thomas

7^th Degree Black Belt

Affiliations: American Taekwondo Association

                      Krav Maga Worldwide

3 Ways That Martial Arts Improves Confidence In A Child

Changing Lives Martial Arts

3 Ways That Martial Arts Improves Confidence In A Child

This article identifies three basic ways that martial arts improve a child's self-confidence. Those reasons include: redefining self-image, physical fitness leading to mental fitness, and not needing to be afraid of bullies.

martial arts,confidence

In my twenty years of experience as a martial arts instructor in Virginia Beach, I've found that parents bring their kids into my classes for a number of reasons. Obesity is a growing problem in this country and many parents bring in overweight children because martial arts helps them slim down. Bullying is also rampant and other parents appreciate martial arts because they want their child to know that they don't need to just take it. However, more than bullying or weight problems, the main reason parents bring their kids into one of our Virginia Beach area martial arts facilities is to help build their confidence.

Many children, even those who are not bullied or overweight, develop low self-esteem early in life. As a seventh degree black belt with a lifetime of experience, I've found that martial arts is one of the most powerful tools available for improving self-confidence in children. I think that this comes down to three basic factors.

Redefining Limitations

Mastering martial arts is hard work. Kids come in and find that they are asked to do things that seem difficult to impossible at first. However, through hard work and continued application, they are able to make the impossible possible and ultimately routine. Being able to master difficult martial arts techniques shows kids that they are more capable than they previously believed and makes them feel better about themselves. Generally, this carries over into other areas of their lives and improves their confidence overall.

Physical Fitness Equals Mental and Spiritual Fitness

There is an old saying that goes `A sound body equals a sound mind.' And you know what? It's true; especially in martial arts. As martial arts refines and reshapes a child's physique, making them stronger, more flexible, faster and more graceful, it has a transformative effect on their mental state. Physical flexibility leads to mental and spiritual flexibility. The physical challenges of martial arts help a child to feel more relaxed and at ease with themselves, and this provides a tremendous boost to their confidence.

Self-Belief

Beyond all of its spiritual benefits and philosophies of non-violence, martial arts is a self-defense system. As kids study and improve in martial arts, they begin to walk taller with the knowledge that they need not fear bullies or let themselves get pushed around. We have a strong code of conduct in all of our martial arts programs for kids. Under no circumstances do we encourage using martial arts aggressively or to provoke a fight. However, if push comes to shove, martial arts provides our students with the tools they need to handle themselves confidently. In 99.9 percent of the cases, it will never come to that; however, just knowing that if it did, they would be okay would be a big confidence builder for kids who attend our martial arts classes.

For more information on how martial arts can help your child improve their confidence, contact us via our headquarters at: 757-471-9002 or via our website: www.atakick.com

Changing Lives Martial Arts

Master Instructor Tracy Lee Thomas

7^th Degree Black Belt

Affiliations: American Taekwondo Association

                      Krav Maga Worldwide

Master Tracy Lee Thomas Martial Arts Master Instructor Virginia Beach

CHANGING LIVES MARTIAL ARTS

3 Ways That Karate Can Help Your Child Enhance His Or Her Self-Discipline

This article explains what attracts kids to karate and why it can be a good idea for parents to enroll their kids in a program. It breaks down three ways karate is likely to enhance a child's sense of self-discipline: through practice, respect, and mastery.

karate,self-discipline

Children are often attracted to the art of karate because of what they have seen in movies like "Kung Fu Panda" or the "Karate Kid." The high flying kicks and punches they see onscreen excite them. Parents are often apprehensive about enrolling their kids in a sport that, on the surface, seems to be all about kicking and punching people. However, karate contains an inherent code of conduct that offers many benefits to a young child, not the least of which is a greater sense of self-discipline.

Of all the various martial arts programs that are available to kids, karate is among the best. Motor skills take time to develop, and karate, with its broad, sweeping blocks and kicks, is easier to master for young children than other martial arts. Parents will appreciate the enhanced sense of self-discipline that goes hand in hand with the physical aspects of karate training.

Practice Makes Perfect

Karate, like any martial art, requires hard work to master. While our Karate for Kids program at Changing Lives ATA Martial Arts is a lot of fun, we demand that our students work and apply themselves to improving as martial artists. The sense of satisfaction children gain from setting and achieving goals in class offers a valuable lesson in self-discipline. In today's culture of instant gratification, karate helps make kids aware of the potential rewards of sticking to something even when it is difficult.

Respect, Self-control and Self-discipline

In our Karate for Kids program we practice a culture of respect. That includes respect for our teachers, our fellow students and our selves. One of our ultimate goals is for students to carry that sense of respect with them outside of the karate studio into the world. We have seen that this sense of respect leads to kids developing a better sense of self-discipline in many different aspects of their lives including schoolwork, interactions with peers and even around the house.

Mastery of Technique and Mastery of the Self

As children work to master the techniques taught in our Virginia Beach karate classes, they become more in control of their bodies. Kids who may have been awkward or ungainly before can suddenly move with a grace and ease. Parents of children who might have been overweight see those same kids begin to slim down and move with a newfound lightness and finesse. As children improve and begin to master these karate techniques they often discover a new kind of mastery over themselves. Part of it is physical, but that often carries over into a mental and spiritual awareness of the importance of self-discipline.

I have been teaching martial arts in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, Virginia to adults and children for over twenty years now. My experience has taught me that karate is one of the most powerful tools available for helping children to enhance their sense of self-discipline.

To find out more about our Karate for Kids program, contact us via our headquarters at: 757-471-9002 or via our website: www.atakick.com.

Changing Lives Martial Arts

Master Instructor Tracy Lee Thomas

7^th Degree Black Belt