FIVE WAYS TO GET THE MOST
OUT OF MARTIAL ARTS LESSONS
How young is too young – starting at the right age: Adults can start training at any age, their success is based on how willing an adult commits to their training. We teach many beginner students in their 40’s and 50’s.
For children, starting at the right age is key element to their success. There is a saying “the sooner the better” but this attitude can backfire and be a negative. If a child is put into lessons too soon they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated and want to stop training. The last thing we want to do is create a situation that fosters the culture of quitting. Waiting an extra year can sometimes make for a better experience and more enjoyable training time. Children who are older than the suggested earliest starting age do very well. The following are guidelines we have found to be successful.
4 years old
This is a wonderful age to start a child’s development in martial arts. At this age children have the capacity to accept challenges both physically and mentally. Our experience has taught us that half hour classes work the best. In this time frame we cover motor skills, co-ordination drills and focus exercises while still making the classes enjoyable to child and parent alike.
Take lessons in a Professional Training Environment: Learning martial arts is not just having a certified instructor, but also having an environment that is focused on martial arts training. In a professional training environment students cannot be distracted, with only a few hours a week of training time a professional school environment will produce better results. Students in a school environment are also motivated by their training peers who are at different levels of development. In a professional school the lessons are not just a hobby or sideline for the teacher but a responsibility which is taken very seriously.
Set aside a special place in the home to practice: A students consistent development will
depend on practicing at home, therefore the creation of special practice area is essential to a student’s progress. Being able to practice or review the daily or weekly material will greatly assist every student in their goal to achieve their next rank. Practice at home will vary as to a student’s age; for a 4 – 6 year old no more than 5 – 10 min. maximum with parental supervision or permission, 7 – 11 years old 15 – 20 minutes would be sufficient. This could be done on the day’s the student does not attend classes. The time is not the key factor but rather the number of repetitions of the techniques learned.
Designate a time to practice at home. In setting aside a place to practice it is vital to establish
specific times for that practice to take place. One of the many benefits of martial arts is discipline, setting aside a place for practice and establishing specific times for practice helps to reinforce the discipline that will help to bring about the students success. These times should be on day’s the student does not attend class. The encouragement and support of the parents is a vital key to the success of this endeavor
Use recognized teaching materials. In many martial arts schools the knowledge being passed along through the training was from the mind and memory of the chief instructor, those days have passed. There have been improvements to our understanding of how to improve our physical training so that injuries are kept to a minimum as well as improvements and changes to how we can study and incorporate the mental aspects of our training.
The greater majority of our physical training material is contained on DVD’s, this covers material from White belt all the way through to 4th Degree Black belt. This library gives our student resources to use when they are away from the academy, i.e. training at home.
Our Life Skills Program has been developed over the past 25 years, our Masters Council has worked to provide the best manuals to each and every instructor. This program forms the foundation of our mental training.
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1430 Johnston Road
604-531-4881 
