This section covers two extremely valuable life skills that many adults pay a “king’s ransom” to attain. Adults pay a life coach, business coach, or read plenty of self-improvement books, to gain this knowledge and develop these life skills. However, within a Karate class, children can be molded toward a lifetime of achievement.

Success

There are many types of success such as: The power of influence, mental, physical, spiritual, and material success. A child can get a strong grasp of most of these types of successes, within the structure of his or her Karate class. Each form of success is valuable in today’s world.

The power of influence is learned through social skills, and children have to work together in order to learn Karate. Children work in pairs, or groups, to accomplish a single goal. Sometimes, the highest ranking child will lead a group, while the Karate teacher (sensei) observes or corrects at certain points.

However, the influential Karate student can be observed voluntarily helping others. This is one of many positive qualities that children learn, which are valuable in their Karate training, and it applies to having influence in life.

Mental success can be academic or something as simple as learning a new martial arts technique. The child who learns to apply his or her success, gained in a martial arts class, toward life outside Karate training, has learned one of the biggest lessons a Karate teacher can give.

Spiritual success is really left up to the parents, but many advanced Karate students learn to meditate. Meditation offers the ability to clear your mind and concentrate on one single concept, object, or idea. At the very least, kids Karate students will learn to be quiet and know how to quiet their minds. This is a relief for parents who desperately need some quiet time in the evening.

Material success arrives when all of the other forms of success work in harmony. A child who has the tools for success, learned within the Karate classroom, will be able to apply them toward school, college, and business. For most of us, success, in life, will not be attained without working at it.

Leadership

As a child attains a higher rank within his or her Karate class, the ability to lead a small group of Karate students is learned. To enhance this quality, we developed a “leadership team.” These children, on the leadership team, have displayed leadership and compassion toward their fellow Karate students.

However, every child within our North Providence kids Karate program is taught the value of leadership as it applies to life. There is a time to lead and a time to follow, but children have to learn to think for themselves for their own safety and success. The power of peer pressure is a heavy burden on the minds of children.

Proper conduct is not always popular with children, but the child with strong leadership skills will not follow the negative path of influence. Children have serious daily concerns about peer pressure, drugs, and bullies. Karate training, and the leadership skills that result from it, will carry your child in the right direction.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Yoga: The Key to Self-Mastery http://www.kids-karate.com

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