How your child can benefit from karate
The RECORD recently visited sensei Karyn Smith (5th Dan), who is the dojo head and senior instructor of the JKA South Bassonia and Alberton, to find out what the benefits of karate are for children.
Smith shared the following information with us:
Why should children do karate?
“Sport is unquestionably good for children for a great many reasons. We believe karate is even better than most,” she said.
“A lot of children are referred to us by occupational therapists as the benefits for children with behavioural problems, attention and learning difficulties have been proven time and time again.
“For example, children who have difficulty or are unable to cross the mid-line, who have difficulty or are unable to mimic physical movements (especially mirror-image) and children with spatial orientation problems.
“Karate also teaches a multitude of life lessons, with one of the main ones being what you put in, is what you get out. “The harder and more you train, the quicker and further you will progress through the belt system. But that is by no means the only lesson.”
In addition to being a great way of combating bullying, karate also teaches:
• Not everything is fun all the time. As in life, worthwhile things require hard work as well.
• Perseverance, commitment and dedication. Karate improves
• Self-discipline
• Self-esteem
• Self-awareness
• Stranger awareness and personal safety
• Attention/concentration difficulties
• Gender equality
• Non-violent conflict resolution
• Listening skills
• Compliance with verbal instructions
• Good decision making
• Concentration
• Behaviour
• Responsibility
• Humility
• Overly aggressive behaviour
• Overly passive behaviour (lack of self-confidence)
• Stillness
• Social skills
• Mental focus
• Respect
• Poor/low muscle tone
• Weight control
• Agility
• Flexibility
• Endurance and stamina
• Fitness and body conditioning
• Healthy living
• Speed
• Memory sequence skills
• Pliometrics
• Gross motor skills
• Balance
• Co-ordination
• Eye-hand co-ordination
They also learn
“What it is to take a hit whether a literal blow or a disappointment, like failing a grading or an exam. “To win with grace and to lose with dignity. Whether you win or lose is not as important as you participating. “The only person you have to be better than is yourself last week,” said Smith.
• Goal-setting – whether it be for grading or competitions.
• How to follow the correct path to accomplish those goals.
• Brute force is not the answer to everything.
• Karate is also a neverending-season sport, being practised all year round, so there is not a lull in physical activity as there are in some other sports.
Who can do karate?
According to Smith, everyone can do karate. “A lot of children do not have the mental or physical aptitude for team sports and sometimes they are bad at it, which leaves them on the sidelines feeling dejected. Some simply do not like them, preferring individual sports.
The make-the-team model often favours the more physically developed players, while alienating some late bloomers.” Karate focuses on individual achievement and doesn’t leave anyone on the bench.
Karate is primarily an individual sport, although there are team event competitions where each member of a team competes as an individual and the results of all members are calculated together as a team.
This allows all children, even those with poor physical abilities, to participate in a sport. “There is no minimum standard, so anyone and everyone can do karate.
They don’t have to be able to do certain things or have specific physical abilities to do karate.
Everyone sets their own performance bar – they don’t have to be better than the child next to them; they only need to be better than they were themselves last week.
Everyone can earn a black belt, it just takes hard work, commitment and dedication. That is more important than natural ability,” she concluded.
