Kids martial art and Focus

Kids martial arts and focus

It’s incredible sometimes to see the capacity children have to learn. They are sponges. They see and absorb things around them in their environment. They can repeat back to us things we have said and model behaviors we ourselves have demonstrated. The hardest part for all of this is figuring out how to get them to pay attention, to stay focused. Kids are easily distracted and easily re-directed. They don’t always seem to follow things and their attention span is akin to a stream of consciousness narrative in a James Joyce novel.

Working with kids in sports and seeing my child in her kids martial arts class I know how difficult it is to keep a group of kids on task. The skill comes in recognizing when you have to let the kids release their “wiggles” and when they can listen to you with intent. The other art to teaching is keeping the information concise. When you’re coaching something like a kids martial arts class-an art that involves thinking, recognizing, and reacting accordingly it’s difficult to get all the things they need to know in a small package.

I also believe that focusing is learning in 2 different ways-it’s paying attention to what is being taught but also, when practicing, being aware of what is happening in the moment. I think many of think of it as being a singular goal and working towards that goal but another part is being aware and being flexible to work around obstacles while keeping the goal (your focus) in sight. This is difficult enough as an adult that understands the concept and reasoning, how do you you express it to a child who is experiencing it for the first time…?

Kids martial arts classes are FUN.

Some tug-of-war games in the kids martial arts class

Kids are fascinated with things that are fun. Parents know that if you want a child to clean up their room you can make a game out of it, make a race when walking home from school and all of the sudden the legs aren’t tired anymore. I’m sure some of the parents understand. The more the kids see something as playing the more they will invest in it.

My daughter loves the Jiu-Jitsu “virus” game that is played in her kids martial arts class and it’s great because she runs around avoiding “contamination” from the coaches who start chasing the kids while crab-walking. She also loves the lessons she learns in her kids martial arts class-she’s always asking for permission to climb my back and then explain that she’s putting her “hooks” in and what a “seat belt” hold is.

The coaches in her kids martial arts class are great at working with them, giving them the space they need, and coaching them through the matches. One can see that the kids are paying attention, focusing on what the coaches are saying. The coaches are great about asking the kids questions about what they just learned to keep them focused. In a kids martial arts class it’s important to keep the kids engaged and on their toes-both figuratively and literally.

The real fun for me as a parent is watching how my child is learning and listening to the coaches in her kids martial arts class. Sometimes she doesn’t pay attention-kids won’t be riveted every moment. When she does focus, when I see the other kids feed off of each other’s learning, rooting for each other, helping each other, and coaching each other I can’t help but feel that sense of wonder, that sense of being in the here and now…it’s a lot of fun.

 Kids Martial Arts Class Jiu Jitsu “Virus” Game: