Role Of The Family

Once your child has enrolled in Mixed Martial Arts at the American Karate Institute, we want to do everything we can to encourage and empower them to understand the positive benefits of training in this life, art & sport. In order for AKI to be effective in our goal of empowering your child, we feel it is necessary to team up with you, the parent, in order to achieve our goal together. Therefore, we would like to provide you with the following tips that will assist you in your role as the parent of a student of Martial Arts.

Consistent and regular class attendance is a must! Once you and your child have determined the program and how many sessions you plan to attend each week and month, it is very important to create consistency in your MMA training. The more repetitions a beginner gets, the more confidence he/she builds. Attending class should not be an option, but rather a priority! It is also important to know that each student must attend a predetermined number of classes and sessions before they will be eligible to test for their next belt level.

When your child begins their MMA journey, it is important to monitor his/her progress. Your participation in their training can simply be achieved by watching and observing them while they are in class. This encourages them to progress, while you are able to get a feel for your child's strength and weaknesses. It also creates an opportunity for communication about their training on your way home from class.

Our goal at the American Karate Institute is to help develop the character skills that will help your child achieve and reach their full potential in all that they do in their daily lives. Each skill level and belt rank that your child attains becomes increasingly more challenging and difficult. Your encouragement and empowerment will help your child to understand that persistence and perseverance is vital in reaching your goals and is an honorable achievement.

Many times a young student will get very sick and won't be able to attend their weekly sessions. Fever, diarrhea, nausea etc are good examples of why a student would not, and should not attend class. On the other hand, headaches, small coughs, and other mild ailments should not prevent your child from attending class. The same stands true for injuries. Breaks, major sprains, surgery etc. are very good reasons as to why you would not attend class. The frequent playground and recess scrapes and bruises however should not be an excuse or reason as to why your child would not attend class.

Building character means that sometimes we have to go out of our comfort zone and persevere through the small things. Even if your child can't perform at class, they can learn and retain a great deal from watching and still receive credit for attending. This also keeps them consistent with their training. Helping your child work through the little things creates persistence and perseverance in their character. It also gives you the opportunity to help your child discern between being sick and injured and just not feel like coming to class!

One of the most important aspects of our programs at AKI is to stress the importance of setting goals and persisting until you achieve them. There will be times in your child's MMA journey when they will not want to come to class or lose momentum in their training.

There are many reasons for this. The main two reasons are: Techniques and training becomes more difficult, and the other is being too tired or disinterested in coming to class. At these times it is important for you, the parent, to make your child understand the difference between helping them to follow through on a goal that they agreed to, and/or force feeding something on them.

It is unrealistic for your child to not experience these moments in their training. It does however give you the opportunity as their parent, to teach your child the benefits and advantages of not quitting on a goal, and the rewards one can experience by following through. Quitting can become a very bad habit, and creates a lifetime of excuses as to why we never finish what we begin.

When a young person reaches a level of persistence and motivation, they have formed a blueprint in which they can always accomplish and achieve their goals. None of the above can happen if your child doesn't feel motivated. Staying with a goal without quitting is an integral skill that has to be instilled by the parents. Quitting is the foundation of underachieving and failure. Starting something is easy. Finishing what you begin is difficult.

Constant communication with your child about them achieving their goals will help you recognize if they are on track to completing their task or contemplating quitting or stopping. Constant communication and motivation are tools that empower your children to see their visions materialize. Every level of student from white to black experience a moment of doubt in their training and sometimes contemplate quitting. If your child makes it to Black Belt, then you should know that you were a parent that helped your child achieve their goals.

Remember: "A Black Belt is Just a White Belt Who Never Quit"

CONTACT AMERICAN KARATE INSTITUTE TODAY

At the American Karate Institute, we teach a way of life. Our Miami martial arts school and MMA Classes 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 mixed martial arts and self-defense classes and schedule your free-trial class!