A martial artist knows…..If you expect to succeed, embrace hard work.

Photo courtesy of Kris Hughes - all rights reserved.

Every generation of humanity has benefited in many positive ways from the technological advances of that generation.  The most tangible evidence of this is the advancements in the medical field. Illnesses and injuries that just a few decades ago would have debilitating or terminal are now diagnosed and treated with ease. These advances not only increase the quantity but also the quality of life. The development of the mechanical engine has allowed a single individual to do the same amount of work as scores of men in previous times. The increase in productivity has not only benefited the individual but his community as well as the individual has been able to bring an ever increasing variety of goods and services to his neighbors.  However there is a potential downside to these advances.

When technology allows us to do more with less effort, the desired byproduct should be for the individual to channel that freed time into additional productive pursuits. Instead we often see the opposite; where the individual is only focused on completing the task at hand and not focused on what he or she can still accomplish in the time they have made available. This is not to say that we should not enjoy the benefits of this increased productivity by investing additional time into our families, hobbies and personal interests. 

The challenge arises when the individual who has committed to a certain amount of time to work, rests on his laurels when technology allows us to accomplish the same tasks in less time. Instead of recommitting themselves to accomplishing more in the time they have allotted to work they say “job done, I can take it easy”. When this happens on a consistent basis the individual gets accustomed to spending less time working and more time taking it easy.  We as a society are seeing this more and more often particularly in our children. 

Today’s children seem less capable of self motivating themselves to accomplish their own tasks.  Technology has made it easier for the tasks to be done, and we as parents have not filled in the work void with additional tasks to accomplish. The children have gotten accustomed to maximum benefit for minimal effort on their part. This has imparted upon them a lazier attitude than previous generations, and we as parents are the culprits. 

We need to teach our children the beneficial attitude of hard work, not just the material benefits of hard work. The person who embraces hard work will succeed in life, regardless of the circumstances they find themselves in.  We all face hardships at different times in our lives; how we attack those hardships is the ultimate deciding factor of the final result. Those that embrace hard work lift themselves up by their boot straps when they find themselves in difficult times and immediately begin working on a way to resolve their problems.  Whether it is loss of a job or natural catastrophe those who have embraced hard work will resolve their problems much faster than the person who waits around for someone else to solve the problem for them.

We need to cultivate this attitude in our children in as early an age as possible. In our family there is an expression “When we work we work, and when we play we play”. When there are projects to be done all hands, regardless of age, chip in.  Everyone works at the task until the task is done. Growing up in this environment teaches children that adults value hard work and if they are to be respected by their elders they should do the same. 

If you want your children to embrace hard work you have to give them age appropriate tasks to accomplish.  As they succeed the tasks get more involved and more challenging. Hmmm… kind of sounds like progressing in the martial arts. Helping our children to understand good time management; budgeting appropriately for both work and play along with fostering an attitude of accomplishment will go a long way to putting them on a path to future success. Teach them to focus on how much they can get done, instead of how little they can do to make their boss/parent happy. Those who embrace hard work will always rise above those that only want to get by.  Which do you want for your child?

Tang Soo!

Master Homschek

Pre School Karate Really?

So your preschooler wants to learn karate – now what.  As the parent you of course have lots of questions:

“Is this an appropriate exercise for my preschooler?”

“ What are they going to learn?”

“How will this help them?”

“Will this turn them into a bully?”

“Are there other kids in their age group doing this?”

Of course there are many additional questions that can be asked, but these are the most common we experience when someone inquires about our Little Dragons program.

As a martial arts instructor for over 25 years, including close to 15 years working with Preschoolers,  I can put your mind at ease.  Age appropriate martial arts instruction is fantastic for preschoolers.  Children in these programs gain by learning: improved muscle coordination, better balance, patience, focus, proper listening skills, respect and self control.  All this is accomplished in a manner that is fun and exciting for the child while laying the foundational building block for a lifetime of learning. These skills not only will improve their overall health they will help them be better prepared to enter into school and be a focused positive learner.
 

A good preschool martial arts program will use the basic techniques of the martial arts in a way that develops gross and fine motor skills while programming muscle memory that will carry over as the child get older and enters into a more advanced martial arts class. In a well formatted program the basic martial arts skills are also supported by other activities to build stronger bodies and sharper minds. This includes other coordination and strength building activities as well as learning the language and protocols of the traditional martial arts.
 

Parents are often hesitant to start a child in a karate program for fear that this will teach them how to be a bully and start fights. The exact opposite is the truth.  Preschool martial arts will teach them when it is appropriate to use their self defense skills and when it is inappropriate.  The goals of the program is self improvement while also giving them the skills necessary to resist a bully’s advances and later on the ability to do the right thing when peer pressure wants to lead them down the wrong path.
 

We have literally taught hundreds of preschoolers in our Little Dragons program.  Many of our teen age Black Belts started as Little Dragons. I see them now as leaders not only in their karate classes but as leaders within their peer groups and communities.  Their academic records demonstrate that they have learned the importance of cultivating the mind as well as the body.  

As our first Little Dragons are getting ready to move onto college now we are eager to see how they will continue to excel academically, and later in their professions and the communities where they will someday decide to establish their own families.
 

To see some of our Little Dragons in action please visit http://www.rvtsda.com/little-dragons.html

Master Scott C. Homschek is the owner and Chief Instructor of River Valley Tang Soo Do Academy.  His journey in the martial arts began at age 11. Today he brings more than 30 years of experience to his students of all ages. The Little Dragons, preschool martial arts, program at his studio has been used as a model for many other martial arts studios around the country.  For more information about his programs please visit: www.rvtsda.com