Richards Bay Karate / Taekwondo Academy

Day 1
Londeka: Musical weapons 4th; Continuous sparring 3rd; High Kick 3rd; Finalist Traditional weapons

Mla: Creative weapons 3rd; Finalist Traditional weapons

Day 2 was tough!!!
Mla - 3rd Traditional Kata; Finalist points and clash sparring

Londi- Finalist for Traditional Kata, points sparring and clash sparring (ie position 5-8)

Aaryan and Rudi day 1 continuous fighting both 5th. Trad weapons 5 and 6th. Creative weapons both 5th. Creative kata 5th again.

Good luck to the Master Wests Karate/Taekwondo students that left for the 2018 US OPEN today, this event is being held in Orlando. These guys qualified last year and have been training hard! They are part of the official NMA/ISKA sports martial arts group of South Africa. You guys go out and kick some butt!

A bit af beach fun this morning.

A note from one of our martial art parents:

One of my friends asked "Why do you pay so much money and spend so much time running around for your daughter to do martial arts?" Well I have a confession to make: I don't pay for my daughter's martial art lessons. Or her uniform, gloves & shin guards.

So, if I am not paying for martial arts, what am I paying for?

- I pay for those moments when my girl becomes so tired she feels like quitting but doesn't..

- I pay for the opportunity that my girl can have and will have to make life-long friendships.

- I pay for the chance that she may have amazing instructors that will teach her that martial arts is not just about self defense and movement but about life.

- I pay for my child to learn to be disciplined.

- I pay for my girl to learn to take care of her body.

- I pay for my daughter to learn to work with others and to be a proud , supportive, kind and respectful team member.

- I pay for my child to learn to deal with disappointment, when she doesn't get that belt or tip she hoped for , or fell during a move she has practiced a thousand times, but still gets up and is determined to do her BEST next time...

- I pay for my girl to learn to make and accomplish goals.

- I pay for my daughter to learn that it takes hours and hours and hours and hours of hard work and practice to create a champion, and that success does not happen overnight.

- I pay so that my daughter can be in the studio instead of in front of a screen...

I could go on but, to be short, I don't pay for martial arts; I pay for the opportunities that martial arts provides my child to develop attributes that will serve her well throughout her life and give her the opportunity to bless the lives of others. From what I have seen for many, many years, I think it is a great investment!

Mindful Tips to Use When Kids Don’t Want to Attend Class By Melody Shuman

Kids are not naturally self-motivated. When your child’s mindset is not in the right place, even the most fun activities can be a struggle to get to. With that said, here are some strategies to help you work around lack of motivation when trying to get your kid to class.

1. Be attentive to what your child is doing in the moment he/she is supposed to get ready for class. If he/ she is playing or having fun with a friend, then be ready for a battle. With that said, have your child participate in a chore or task that’s not as much fun around 10 to 15minutes prior to getting ready for class. 2. Be attentive to your own projection of emotions as you get your child ready for class. If you are stressed, rushed, or aggravated in any way, this will project the same emotions on your child. With that said, be sure to project positive and upbeat energy as you are getting your child ready for class. 3. Be attentive to how you respond to your child’s overall performance after class. If you are expressing too much emphasis on what he/ she did wrong versus right, then those negative feelings will carry over. With that said, be sure to limit criticism and focus more on productive conversations after class. 4. Be intentional with your goals by communicating with your child’s instructors. The goal is to foster motivation. Let the instructors know about your struggles so that they can be mindful to motivate your child before, during, and after class. It takes a village, so don’t be afraid to ask for support! 5. Prompt motivation by rewarding your child. Remember that children’s brains are still growing, and most of their development comes from positive stimulation and experiences. With that said, pre-frame the proper behavior that you would like to see when going to class, and then set an attainable number of classes he/ she must attend with this behavior, along with a reward for doing so. For example: attend the next 3 classes with the proper behavior and we will grab ice cream on the way home.

These tips are not rocket science, but are often overlooked. As parents, we get caught-up in the daily grind, so we sometimes forget that situations like this require attentive and intentional parenting. I hope this article sheds some positive light on how to help your child get ready for class. Good luck!