Teaching Children vs. Teaching Adults

Teaching Children vs. Teaching Adults

There are a few different ideas about teaching children martial arts.  One of the old school is that no child under say, 16, should receive a Black Belt.  Others believe it's a standard that everyone can achieve and that they should get it in about a year and a half.  Some schools state that their children do exactly the same program as their adults.  In my opinion that probably means they are teaching a kids program to their adults! 

So, here's my thoughts on the matter.  I know there are people on both sides that will disagree with me, that's ok.  Each person strives for their best in following their beliefs, these are mine.

Just like you wouldn't expect a child to be able to do High School level academics, you shouldn't expect a child to do the same things an adult can do in the martial arts.  Let's break it down further.

In education you have Pre-K, Elementary, Jr. High, High School and College, then Graduate studies.  Each of those sections of education are about specific ages of development.  Each section needs to work on a completely different set of character building traits, develop different study habits, work on completely different material!

Imagine a grade school kid trying to learn Calculus?  Or working in a Shop class?  Or competing against High School level basketball players?  Of course not.  Now, imagine teaching adults how to shake hands properly, to look the Instructor in the eye when they speak.  Imagine teaching an adult which one is his right hand, how to follow instructions and to stop talking and listen when the Instructor is speaking.  I know it sounds silly, but that's a huge part of any children's program.  Teaching them structure and to follow directions and get along with others.

Here's our solution.  Our Little Dragons program is our Pre-K program.  They learn basic punches, basic kicks, basic blocking.  They learn to throw dummies to the floor and establish control positions and how to hit from them.  They learn the basics of ground mobility and agility through different exercises and games we play.  But they also learn to follow instructions, listen to the teacher, get along with others, to play fair, to be a good person win or lose.  We reinforce to be respectful of their parents and to try hard at everything they to do and to be their best.  Things they WON'T learn, punching each other in the face, complex striking combinations, anything that requires control on their part to keep the other person from getting hurt, that it's ok to hurt someone to win, etc.

Our Grade School program is our Little Warrior's Program.  In it children will learn many of the same things we teach Dragons in the beginning.  Follow instructions, listen to the teacher, be a good training partner, etc.  But in this class we will do the material on each other.  They will punch each other, kick each other and learn to block it.  They will learn to trap the partners arms down so they can hit him more effectively.  They will learn to do joint locks and takedowns.  They will learn to spar in kickboxing, grappling and with sticks.  Each of these teach different skill sets and involve different physical abilities which force the child's physical development and martial ability to be well rounded.   Eventually if they make it to the Jr. Black Belt test (It's called Junior Black Belt to denote that this is a "Children's" program and is NOT the equivalent to and Adult Black Belt), then they will be asked to perform all the material in the class, from White Belt to Black Belt.  This takes about 3.5 -4 years to accomplish.  It's not easy, many kids won't make it.  The Black Belt test is long, about 4 hours, and difficult.  The sparring is hard and physically and emotionally draining.  But when they come out on the other side, they are changed.  Every single child says it was worth every bit of effort to reach this standard of Excellence and the parents are proud beyond belief. 

Our High School program is the Teens Class.  This class covers the same material the adult class does, but the training environment is completely different.  Teens still need to have some structure and still need to have fun.  They will learn stick fighting, kickboxing, grappling, throwing, etc.  But we will also work on them in improving their self imagine through accomplishments in the martial arts, which is a huge thing.  It becomes the rock of success that they can lean on when other things in their life, like peer pressure, overwhelming school work and difficulties at home are making them feel awkward, out of place or less than their peers.   This can be a difficult time in a person's life and I am certainly glad to have had my martial arts instructor there to guide me and counsel me through it!

College level would be our Adult Program.  It is a course of study.  To succeed in this class you must take notes, do research and train outside of class as well as inside.  Weekly classes in four different arts from four different cultures is exciting and fun and forces each of the students to be well rounded in their physical abilities as well as their individual fighting skill sets.  By studying different arts from different cultures, students are exposed to different cultures, customs and beliefs which aid them in understanding why a martial arts system trains a certain way or focuses on a specific element.  Adult students will learn to fight with or without a weapon, standing up or on the ground, with a team or against multiple individuals.  To achieve Instructor rank in the adult program takes about 4 years.  Many won't make it.  Those that do gain a skill and knowledge base that is recognized world wide as a level of excellence. 

So, long story short, you can't expect adult training or results in a kids program or even teen program.  Each class must be age appropriate and the expectations on them should be as well.  Can the become excellent, yes, absolutely!  But within the standards for that age group.