Kid’s Martial Arts and heart

Kid’s martial arts and heart

Working with kids in a kid’s martial arts class there is a certain level where children are always honest. They may not be entirely honest when they think what they say or tell you may get them into trouble but, generally speaking, children are honest about their feelings and what’s going on in their lives. We always hear that honesty is sometimes brutal, it can be hard to hear sometimes, but with children there is little malice when stating the truth about something-it’s very matter of fact, simple, and to the point. I think this happens because many kids have a limited vocabulary and understanding. I’m always reminded of Denzel Washington in the movie Philadelphia when he says “Explain it to me like I’m a 6 year old,” in his cross examinations.

Honesty is a key ingredient to having heart in kid’s martial arts classes. When I did a search to see what “having heart” means, how other people describe/define it, the prevailing definition of someone with heart is someone who perseveres. Someone is said to have “heart” when they accept a challenge, persevere and continue moving forward despite obstacles or hurdles. I most often associate “heart” with underdogs, people who go against staggering odds for what they believe in or what they have a passion to do in their lives. In the search the movie Rudy came up, but there are many other movies that have that same theme…most of them sports movies of one kind or another.

Coaching the kid’s martial arts class

Kid’s martial arts and honesty

Of course, for kid’s martial arts there are many movies out there and I have mentioned The Karate Kid more than once on this blog. For many kid’s martial arts classes having heart, encouraging working hard, and being a good person are all fundamental aspects of what the kids learn. When kid’s are honest with themselves and honest with their coaches that certainly leaves the door open for those kids to accept challenges with and open heart. Every class becomes a challenge, every class becomes a learning experience to learn more about themselves.

 Having heart in a kid’s martial arts class

The great thing about kid’s martial arts class is that the kids all have heart. Watching them try, watching them learn is a joy. I see it in the faces of the kids in my daughters kid’s martial arts class. Kids want to be good at what they are doing and they want to do things really well. In the end having heart is about trying, it’s about learning to push the boundaries and being ready to learn from your experience on the mat regardless of whether you win or lose.

New grey belts in kid’s martial arts class