Are you looking into martial arts as an activity
to bring you child to a couple of times a week to just to give
them something to do, just to get them out of the house a bit?
Is it just another activity, and it doesn’t matter whether
they get anything out of it for the REST OF THEIR LIVES?
Of course not. You want to assist your child’s
growth and development in the best way possible. You want their
activities to be something they feel good about, a part of their
childhood that they value long after it is over.
So do I, in fact that is the only reason we
I am teaching. I really want to create the best possible kids
martial arts program right here in Baltimore. Let me give you
al little back story.
As a child I was obsessed with the martial arts. I begged my
parents for karate lessons and checked out every book from the
library trying to learn what I could. I finally go the chance
to study karate, and I was in heaven! I studied and practiced
hard, and had fun doing it. The problem came when the reality
style matches of the 1990’s started to erode the value
of the traditional training. We could all see that what we were
doing wasn’t as good as it could be. Sure, we were doing
something fun and physically active, but the real value of the
training was marginal at best. (For more info on this, check
out the Adults program page.) Although I feel good about what
I did, there is still that frustrating sense of regret knowing
I could have spent the time much better.
"One of things that we have tried to teach
Brady is that hard work is necessary to succeed. This class
has reinforced this idea. However, Lee has made this hard work
fun for all of the kids at BJJ. Brady looks forward to attending
every class and enjoys interacting with Lee and his classmates."
Brady, age 10, and Steve Goodin, Police
Officer
Don’t let your child
make the same mistake I did!
I realized, along with MANY others, that what
we need is an improvement over the traditional. How can traditional
martial arts(ie karate, tae kwon do, kung fu, etc) teach the
life skills of respect, confidence, and discipline if they can’t
even teach reliable self defense? For all the discipline and
confidence they claim to teach, they certainly under deliver
on the core promise that you will be well better prepared to
deal with a confrontation.
There is a better way!
You can get all the life lessons on confidence
and respect in a much more effective way through ALIVE training.
A child gains confidence through the success or failure of their
actions. This happens in a fun environment where kids can meet
challenges again and again on their own. When they are having
fun and being challenged, you have the perfect place to develop
real confidence
Real lessons through real
training...
All of the other benefits of martial arts are
right there as well. A child learns humility when they lose
a match and realize they have much to learn. A child learns
persistence when they have to get back out there and try again
and again. A child learns respect and team work because you
will get nowhere without a team to practice with.
You don’t learn respect by creating an
artificial structure of bowing, yelling, and quasi military
formations. All that does is make it easier to shut your kids
up and get them in and out of the class. Maybe you have never
heard the term “McDojo” before but it is used to
describe the typical black belt factory: high student count,
low quality of instruction, in a high pressure atmosphere designed
to get you to sign a long term contract on the dotted line.
As long as the money is there, and junior shows up, he gets
a shiny new black belt in a few years.
It is time for a new model that really takes
into account good martial arts and healthy child development.
For kids, the process of learning and growth is through play.
Children must be given the opportunity to attempt to find their
way through increasingly complex challenges. Alive, healthy
martial arts training is an optimal method to allow them to
grow and learn.
Click HERE to see the kids
in action!
Please give me a call today at (443) 850-7224, or email me at
baltimorebjj@hotmail.com to set up a free trial lesson for your
child. I look forward to hearing from you!
-Lee Synkowski
Click
HERE for the current schedule and rates
Frequently Asked Questions:
How could you teach” real martial arts”
to kids? I don’t want to turn my child into a violent bully!
We don’t want your child to be violent
either. Of course, like any other martial arts school the goal
is NOT to use your martial arts in a real life setting. For
children, the training is more like a sport where the child
learns that the only appropriate place for jiu jitsu is in the
training hall. We remove all potentially harmful techniques
for the younger children. What is left is the solid, fundamentals
that all martial artists must know to become successful.
So, how can this be so much better than traditional
martial arts (ie karate, tae kwon do, kung fu) for kids?
You will have to know a little bit about how
other schools train to see the difference. I encourage you to
check out some other schools if you don’t have any idea
of what martial arts looks like.
What you will usually find is kids learning
“kata” or “forms” which are series of
movements performed in the air. The children are lined up going
through the motions in a sequence. It can look pretty, but what
is the real good? If you want your child to take dance lessons,
there are many qualified dance studios in the area.
Rather than force the child to replicate the
movements made up long ago by someone else, we encourage them
to find their own solutions. We want them to create their own
way.
We start the kids out with simple instruction
that seems similar, moving in the air, or hitting pads. But
we don’t stop there. The capstones to each class are the
ALIVE drills and games that the children participate in. A child
can become so engrossed in the game that they are don’t
realize how much they are learning
Through this process, a child learns that they
can accomplish things for themselves. They are not just mere
followers. They develop true self confidence.
What if my child is too shy for something like this?
Martial arts is great for the shy kid who may
be a little intimidated with other sports. The goal is just
to get them playing along in a fun atmosphere. The atmosphere
is very positive, because that is what brings out the best in
the kids.
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