Seven to nine-year olds are what most people in martial arts consider "the golden age." They are emotionally stable, yet they are not at the age where they want complete independence from adults. This makes the teacher-student relationship stronger than ever. The problem we discovered is they still lack core skills, and although they are highly proficient in their vocabulary and problem-solving skills, they struggle to keep up with pre-teens and teens in many areas, especially physically.
Below are milestones that martial arts can help accomplish:
Top PHYSICAL development milestones:
- Demonstrate TECHNIQUE in blocks, strikes, kicks, and stances while applying SPEED and power.
- Demonstrate AGILITY by applying proper motion to movements without looking sloppy.
- Demonstrate FLEXIBILITY by applying proper mechanics to stretching.
Top INTELLECTUAL development milestones:
- Demonstrate CONCENTRATION by focusing on the task at hand despite other distractions.
- Not give up on tasks that initially appear difficult.
- Retain simple information without trying to put excessive thought into it.
Top EMOTIONAL development milestones:
- Show INTENSITY in their efforts, even on basic tasks.
- PERSEVERE through challenges, especially when they initially feel like giving up.
- Show COURAGE by facing their fears when trying something new.
Top SOCIAL development milestones:
- Address problems and challenges properly without interfering on the overall flow of the class.
- Keep trying hard and control their emotions, especially when they do not get their way.
- Demonstrate the desire to be the best, not because they want to hurt others feelings, but because they want to improve as an individual.
By understanding the milestones of this age group, we can then provide drills and curriculum that properly target their stage of development to generate MAXIMUM results. At the same time, we can translate the benefits of your drills and curriculum to you the parents.
For example:
Skill: Technique
Drill: Cat and Mouse Board Break Challenge
Description: In this drill the students will build technique in their board breaking skills. The students will compete in a fun game of cat and mouse while breaking boards.
This is a fun way to teach the students how to PHYSICALLY develop technique in their strikes so that they break the boards in as few shots as possible.
This is a great way to improve INTELLECTUAL development because they need to concentrate on their breaks and not their opponent that is quickly chasing after him/ her.
This is great for their EMOTIONAL development as they gain the courage to hit boards.
This is great for their SOCIAL development to improve their abilities through healthy competition.
For more information about all of our age-specific kids martial arts programs please visit our main children's martial arts website:
http://www.kidsmartialartcenters.com/school/index.php?location=extonpa
If you're not in the Exton, West Chester or Downingtown area, check out the directory of SKILLZ schools that all offer a similar developmentally based martial arts curriculum:
http://www.kidsmartialartcenters.com
