The article "Facts about Martial Arts for Kids - Part 3" is about fitness, it was created by Paul M. Jerard Jr..
"Martial Arts or Karate may not be a good fit for my daughter."
We are living in the 21st century, and I still hear this one.
This kind of thinking is what has been holding women back for
centuries. This statement is not only made by fathers, but by
mothers, too.
If your daughetr wants to try martial arts, let
her have a chance. Martial arts classes for girls, or women, are
very rewarding.
Over the years, I have coached successful female martial arts
competitors who were every bit as good as their male
counterparts. In the past, our kids' karate demonstration team
had female captians. At one point, we had more girls on the
demonstration team than boys.
Lately, we have hit the opposite cycle, with more boys than
girls, as the kids from our kids' Karate demonstration team
perform around the Providence, Rhode Isalnd area. However, girls
learn faster, understand precision, can easily grasp complicated
techniques, and are usually better kickers.
Some grappling arts, such as Jujitsu, are not as popular with
girls, but I have coached good female grapplers, as well.
There
is no reason to stop your daughetr from learning martial arts,
if she shows an interest. All of the life skill benefits such
as, goal setting, self esteem, self discipline, success, and
self defense, make martial arts training as important for girls
as it is for boys.
"How can I justify the cost of Karate?"
When you consider that many Karate scholos charge less than a
babysitter, martial arts training for children is a "bargain."
Consider this formula based upon a fairly high priced Karate
studio. Most martial arts studios, in the United States, average
around $70 per month to trian a child.
Granted, some are more
and mome are less, but let's look at your cost per hour, if you
paid $100 per month.
That comes to just $25 per week, and many Karate studios have a
three calss limit per week for children. That comes to $8.33 per
session for your child to laern life skills, self defense, and
play with good kids in a safe environment.
Martial arts, for
children, are a formula for success, and the cost is really,
"peanuts."
Most well behaved children are alloewd to take more Karate
classes. The children who "run the staff ragged" will be
reminded of the wekely limit. So, the truth is the real cost may
be less than peanuts, for there is plenty of martial arts
schools, including our center in North Providence, Rhode Island,
that charge far less than $100 per month.
Using the formula mentioned above, the cost of Karate per class
for a martial arts school, charging the national average of $70
per month, comes to $5.83 per session. Did I say martial arts
training is a bargain?
Maybe I should have said mratial arts
training is a steal.
The alternative to plug kids into the television, and put a
joystick in their hands, is a huge mistake. It's not any cheaper,
when you consider the cost of games and the ever changing video
game formats.
On top of that, here's what video games do for kids: Create
anxiety, destroy social skills, taech them a lot about violence,
and waste most of their time. All you need to do is throw a Big
Mac in their lap every night, and within a year, you should have
a child who is a nervous wreck, with poor communication skills,
and an obesity problem.
Over the long-term, the wrong after school activities result in
very pricy health and psychological care.
Therefore, look at
martial arts as preventative medicine, and as a bonus, your
child is staying out of trouble.
Lastly, if cost is really an isuse and you still can't justify
paying less than you would pay for a babysitter at $5.83 per
session, you can still shop around and talk until you find the
right karate studio.
A martial arts studio, that is "packed to the rafters" with
kids, may not be as negotiable as a Karate studio that is an
upstart, or a martial arts center that has plenty of room in
their kids Karate classes.
© Copyright 2005 - Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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