5 Steps to Help You Be a Good Martial Arts Parent

Many martial arts parents wonder what they can do to help their child excel in Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Kung Fu, or whatever martial art they’re enrolled in. The one factor that has remained constant in development,regardless of the sport or activity, is encouraging your child to practice because without practice there can be no progression. Here are 5 easy steps to help you become a better martial arts parent:

1. Watch as Many Classes as You Can

At American Karate Institute we encourage our parents to watch as many of their child’s classes as they can because it’s the most important thing you can do to support them. You may not realize this, but your child knows when you’re watching them. We’ve noticed that when their parents are watching they do their best to impress you, they take a greater interest in class, and they try much harder to get the moves right. Just hearing you clap or seeing you give a big thumbs-up can have a huge impact on children.

Another important reason to watching classes is to stay in-tuned with what your child is practicing or testing and what is happening in the school. You’ll get to see what they’re working on, testing for, or what to improve on in practice. It also gives parents a chance to hear all the announcements or upcoming activities that the academy is having.

2. Positive Reinforcement

One of the best ways to encourage your child to commit, practice, and excel in any sport or activity is through positive verbal reinforcement. One of the best ways, if not the best, is a simple phrase:

– “I love to watch you play” or “I love to watch you practice” –

Nationally renowned coaches Bruce E. Brown and Rob Miller, of Proactive Coaching LLC, performed a three-decade long study speaking with successful collegiate athletes from different sports and found that an overwhelming majority said that the comment from their parents that made them feel the best was “I love to watch you practice.”

3. Designated Practice Area in the Home

Do your best to create a space where your child can practice at home, preferably an area that is 10 x 10. It helps to show that you’re committed to helping them excel, keeps them enthused about practicing at home, and gives them a chance to showcase their moves to you.

4. Set a Practice Time for Each Day

When setting a daily practice time parents should consider scheduling these around homework, dinner, and even a little playtime. This will help your child achieve his/her goals while also showing them how to prioritize and work efficiently.

Another thing to keep in mind is the interval in which they practice. We recommend keeping practices to no more than twenty minutes each day, which you can even split into five or ten minute intervals. This will help keep your children from becoming burned out while still keeping practice short and fun instead of looking at practice as more of a burden,

If you’d like to see some of our training videos or have a student that’s preparing for a belt test, please visit our YouTube channel.

5. Reward Your Child

Incorporating a reward system is a great way to keep your child motivated and enthusiastic about their continuing effort and hard work. You know what motivates your child the best and building a rewards system into their training regimen will help increase the chance of long-term success.

Contact American Karate Institute for 2 Free Trial Classes

At the American Karate Institute, we teach a way of life. Our Miami martial arts school has developed a well thought out curriculum that teaches more than just the art of self-defense. We delve deep into our students’ technique, skill set, intelligence, intuition and overall physical fitness. Contact us today if you’re interested in self-defense classes and schedule two free-trial classes!