Kicks Martial Arts

Had a great first outdoor class of the season this morning!

Opening Thoughts from our December 2018 Newsletter:

Magic, Magic, Magic!

Do you ever feel as if you’re out of control? That no matter what you do,m it isn’t right? Here’s something to help you get back on track – MAGIC! Magic is the acronym for five components of successful behavior and accomplishments.

Motivation: everyone is motivated by something, yet few share that information with others. Identify what is really meaningful and existing to you.

Attitude: positive mental attitudes are critical for enjoying life. No one likes to be around a grouch or a complainer. You know the old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” Try to find the one good thing in every negative situation or potentials disaster. When things go right, celebrate!

Goals: set your sights on something tangible. Even the desire to go for a ride in the country is a goal – relaxation or communing with the beauty of nature.

Initiative: your ambitions are your own. When you need to count on others to help you attain your goals, ask them for assistance or tell them what they can do to make your life easier. Don’t sit idly by, hoping someone will offer.

Commitment: dedicate yourself to achievement. Go beyond merely giving no more and no less than what is requested.

When times are tough, or the going gets rough, and you feel like there’s no way out remember – there’s always MAGIC!

Opening Thoughts from our September 2018 newsletter - Letter to Parents

At Kicks Martial Arts we want to make your child’s involvement in the martial arts a very positive and productive one. As always, we encourage your involvement in your child’s training. From time to time, we will keep you informed of your child’s progress as we strengthen them physically and challenge them mentally.
As students move into our intermediate and advanced training programs, we being to place more emphasis on the mental aspects of character, self-esteem, self-control, and concentration, along with the ongoing development of the physical aspects of strength, balance, leverage, timing, and advancement of martial arts skills. As challenges increase and rank promotion begins to require more work, it is not uncommon for young students to become temporarily discourage. It’s up to us as parents and instructors to work together to make the difference between a child who achieves all their goals in martial arts, and one who gives up without fully realizing their potential. Your encouragement of your child’s effort takes on new significance at this time.
Young students need to have realistic goals that mean something to them. They also need our support and motivation to achieve them. Now is the perfect time for you and your child to establish attainable goals. With your help, we maximize the benefits of your child’s martial arts training. If you wish, the instructors at Kicks will be happy to offer our experience in helping you to establish these goals. Please feel free to talk to us whenever your child needs any help with their training.
Kicks is a family-based club, and we are proud of the achievement of our students. Our door is always open if you have any questions, concerns, comments, or requests for your child’s training.
September is a perfect time to establish new goals, and kick start the path toward achieving them. See you all at the dojo soon!

- Sensei Luke

Our small outdoor class crew from a few Saturdays ago. Awesome group!

Stair crew on a Tuesday night after sparring. Awesome job!

Small, but dedicated stair climb crew this morning. Great work!

Opening Thoughts from our 2018 July newsletter:

'Courtesy at the Dojo' -

Courtesy is a word that is inherent to what the dojo represents. In fact, every time we bow at the dojo we are showing respect and courtesy!

We have built our dojo to be a family-oriented space, where we train together to achieve goals and better ourselves and classmates. Part of improving is communicating with each other. However, we must always consider the way we speak and offer advice. Always think, ‘How would I feel if what I’m saying were said to me?’

Courtesy is not just about our interaction with one another. It’s also about how we interact with the dojo. Keeping the parent’s room and change rooms neat and tidy shows courtesy to our school, and those that we share it with.

Of course, courtesy is important in all aspects of our life. Are you being courteous to those around you?

Congratulations to Connor. His name was drawn from those that completed the March karate homework, and he won a gift card to Indigo!

There are no classes tonight. You have one more day to get over the Easter meals! See you back at the dojo tomorrow.

- Sensei Luke

Congratulations to Luca, winner of the Easter basket draw!

March Parent's Week was awesome! Here's a picture from just one class full of parents. We had so much fun welcoming the parents onto the dojo. There are several reasons why we do parent's weeks throughout the year:
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1) The kids get the chance to be Sensei. When they are challenged to teach, they think differently about what they've learned in martial arts.
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2) When parents cross over from watching in the viewing room, to trying moves in the dojo, they gain a new appreciation for what the kids are learning.
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3) Quite often, parents have so much fun that they end up joining the adult program!‍‍‍‍‍‍ ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
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4) It's a great way for parents to get ideas on how to help their children train at home.
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5) It's a lot of fun!
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Parents are always welcome to try class with the kids, especially if you're considering joining. We are a family school, and you can train with your children in any class. We will have another formal Parent's Week again soon.

March Break is over and it’s Bring Your Parents to Class week. Hope to see you all at the dojo soon!