When I was looking for a gym that teaches kids martial arts…

Finding a gym for kids martial arts classes.

I just read this great post from SBG black belt Cane Prevost about diversity in a gym called   Evaluate a gym in 5 minutes or less. It’s a great post! In the piece he writes a little bit about the history of the gym here in Portland, but more importantly he succinctly shares and describes the marriage of coaching and curriculum.

Warm ups in kids martial arts class.

When I first started looking for a kids martial arts class I wasn’t sure what I would be looking for in a gym. I knew it would have to have certain standards that I think any gym would have in it’s best practices i.e. cleanliness, a standard curriculum, etc… I searched and checked out the gyms close to our home. At that time I didn’t have Cane’s blog post to read and apply but I understand the sensibility he writes about and was very fortunate to notice it when I visited SBG. In the post he writes about a few different models out there and, though it’s not exactly the same, I came across the archetypes he talks about in his piece often over the years. He brings up three distinct models: the
“tough test’ class, the “encouraging effort” class, and the class with tough tests and encouraging effort. Reading the piece it was nice to see someone articulate what I had been looking for in a gym.

Kids martial arts and diversity in the kids class

When we first started taking kids martial arts classes, she was only the 2nd or 3rd girl in her class and it was nice for her to be able to have someone to bond with in her kids martial arts. I have seen that the group has flourished and also grown in size since we started taking classes.This has been a boon to the the coaches in the kids martial arts class. The coaches can now work with small groups of kids to help with their skill levels appropriately. The group has also bonded together at social’s, Ninja Night’s, supported their coach Amanda at Pan Am’s, and other teammates in getting ready for tournaments.

Coach Amanda with a small group in her kids martial arts class

Kids martial arts class and fun

In the end, the diversity and chemistry of the group, coaches and kids, is a boon for everyone. The coaches can develop and refine their coaching skills and the kids can grow and learn at good paces with the right coaching. Kids in out kids martial arts class learn to help and support each other. The real fun is how the whole group welcomes new students and helps guide them on the mat, and that is always lots of fun!

Having fun in kids martial arts class