Kid’s Martial Arts: Coaches ARE teachers

 Kid’s martial arts: this is Rita Pearson and she says every kid needs a champion.

“Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.'” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.”

I first saw this at work and I immediately thought that it was something applicable to any endeavor in which we are teaching children. It’s not specific to kid’s martial arts or sports and that brought up another idea: coaches as teachers. When I first started coaching I knew plenty about the sport I was coaching but I needed to find a way to convey my knowledge and the head coach said this to me: “A coach is basically a teacher, look to education principles and apply it to what you’re coaching/teaching.” Kid’s martial arts and other sports do not fall under the umbrella of most education subjects unless it’s Physical Education; however, the principles of learning are the same for any subject.

In the above video what struck me more than the idea of teaching why and how was her emphasis on relationships. I love the quotes she uses:

 “No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship” -James P. Comer

“All learning is understanding relationships.” -George Washington Carver

Friend in kid’s martial arts class

Kid’s martial arts and relationships

One of the things I have enjoyed watching as my child has been going to her kid’s martial arts class is the relationships she has developed. She makes friends pretty easily and she is not shy. Her coaches are great at not only teaching but also fostering relationships amongst the kids. They also do a great job of fostering relationships between themselves and the students by splitting into small groups and playing with them before class and in drills during class.

Coaching a small group in kid’s martial arts class

The gym itself does a great job of having socials, picnics, Ninja Nights, and movies in the park for parents to hang out with other parents, the coaches, and other students that take not just kid’s martial arts classes but even the adult classes. As a parent and former coach I know how important those relationships are to building an open environment where kids feel safe to grow, take risks, learn, and have fun.

Having fun in kids martial arts class. One tribe. One vibe.