Karate Kids

Last November, Jordan and Rylan began taking karate lessons.  We heard about a fantastic homeschool class that was offered by a karate studio in Loveland, so we tried it out.  Loved it!!   Northern Colorado Karate offers a class for homeschoolers on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, as well as another class on Saturday - so the kids go three times a week.  It is a lot of driving back and forth, but boy, is it worth it.   The class attendees span three different class levels: Tigers, Eagles and Youth.  That means that the class structure handles multiple ages: from roughly age 5 and up.  I think the oldest student right now is about 11 or 12, and the youngest is 4 (Rylan).  There are typically about 20 students in the class.  The class begins with everyone doing warmups and basic stretching together.  There are 4-5 instructors that then split the class up into the different levels, and if there are a lot of students in a particular level, they then split that class into subgroups based on belt heirarchy.  So the student:instructor ratio is roughly 4:1, which is really nice.  Here is a picture walk through what our experience has been so far....

Rylan began in the Dragons class.  Dragons is for 4-5 year-olds, and is considered "pre-karate".  They learn the basics of Universal Karate/Kenpo as well as work on self-control, courtesy, sharing and kindness.  You can see me in the background taking this picture - ha!  I was taking a picture of our reflection in the mirror to get a shot of Rylan's group as they sat on their bench getting ready for testing.  They all look so cute in their Dragon uniforms.



The first thing they do is stand at attention and shake the instructor's hand as he greets each student in turn.  The Master Instructor/Owner is Mr. Keith Schuett (shaking Rylan's hand).  He is just awesome with the kids!



Attention!



Every class session begins with warm-ups.  Can you guess what they are doing?  (ahem)  Jumping Jacks!



These pictures are from the first testing session that Rylan and Jordan took part in, in mid-January.  One of Rylan's fundamental skills was called the "ice cream punch".  Really, it is a portion of a move called "The Lion".



Crane stance



Rylan earned her yellow tip!  At the Dragon's level, each succession of rank means an additional color on the belt tip.  It is customary for the students moving up in rank to remove their old belt, put it around their neck, and the instructor ties on the new belt.



Rylan's group, after testing.



Then it was Jordan's turn.  Jordan is in the Youth class, and they progress through the junior ranks first.  Jordan is currently going through the basic course, that goes through the ranks to the purple belt.  Then he must decide whether or not he wants to join the Black Belt Club (he does).  Again, this pic was taking during January testing.  Jordan is testing for his advanced white (a belt that is half white/half yellow.  They begin by focusing on what they are about to do for testing.



After warm-ups and basic drills, Jordan is demonstrating a defensive move with a partner.



Jordan earns his advanced yellow!



Jordan's group.  The students with red gis (g-eez) are members of the black belt club.



Now on to the next round of testing, in mid-March (each round of testing is a 9-week cycle).  Rylan is still wearing her Dragons Uniform, but she is testing with the Tigers.  Tigers is the next age group up from Dragons.  The age group is 5-6, and Rylan is almost 5, so we made the switch.  She was mature enough to handle moving up and the instructors thought it was a good idea.

 First, stretching.  Rylan has improved so much in the past two months!



Colin sees his twin!!

A hug and a kiss from Daddy

Now back to the show... Colin watches his big sister as she prepares to do her Star Block Set

Rylan earns her advanced yellow belt!  This belt is a lot different from her Dragons advanced yellow.  The week after this testing round we got a new Tiger  gi for Rylan.  They had to order a size 000.  :)  Rylan is also thrilled to be in Tigers because she is no longer the only girl in her group- her friend Brick is standingto Rylan's right.

Group shot of the Tigers

Jordan's turn.  He is demonstrating the Deflecting Hammer

Deflecting Hammer

Yellow belt!

 

Group shot











The kids are really enjoying the experience.  Some days Rylan complains that it is hard, but I think she has a lot of fun - especially if other friends are there.  It is a lot of driving, but because this is really our only outside activity, I really don't mind.  Some factors to consider:

Pluses:
* It is reasonably priced: $60 per homeschool student, per month.  That is a GREAT deal!
* They provide the (first) uniform (gi). (When you progress to another class level, you need to buy the next uniform.  Which is a reasonable $30 or so)
* They run on-time, and don't mess around - I love that!
* They have high expectations for behavior from students.  Again - they DON'T mess around.  LOVE it!
* The instructors are all talented martial artists and really good at working with kids.  - Many have kids that attend the academy as well.
* They are up-front and transparent about what the program is all about, how much it will cost, what it entails, and what the expectations are  - which is great for a person like myself who has virtually no working knowledge of what the martial arts are all about.
* All sorts of students attend, including special needs.  Awesome!
* There is a nice stadium-style seating area for parents (just wish it was bigger)
* There is a play area for the little ones

Minuses:
* I have to wash white karate uniforms 3xweek.
* Class time on the weekdays is 1:00 - 1:45.  Sometimes it's okay, and other times it falls right during naptime for Colin, or that we are in the middle of an activity.  I wish it were a morning class time instead...
* Each new belt is $35.  Per kid.  Every 9 weeks (if they get approval to go ahead for testing).  That gets a little expensive.
* Saturday mornings are now dedicated to karate.  Sometimes I wish we could sleep in.  But then again, it's a good excuse for Dazbog coffee, which is just down the street from the studio.

What I love most is that this is an activity that the kids can do together.  They can grow with it, and will be constantly challenged for years to come.  Karate is also one of the few activities where they can make strides on multiple fronts: physically, emotionally, intellectually, and yes, even spiritually.  All we want for our kids is for them to be strong, confident and courteous kids.  I think this fits the bill perfectly!