Tag: karate

How Kids’ Karate Teaches Discipline

Posted on | by Jason

This article is about how children’s Martial Arts programs teach kids self-control and self-discipline.

Kids’ Karate at Krav Maga Illinois

Parents bring their children to our unique Karate program for a variety of reasons. Our Martial
Arts programs motivate and lead youngsters to slim down, improve their body image, and increase self-esteem. Martial Arts bolsters their self-worth and helps them learn to become opinion leaders,to resist bullying, and to have confidence in themselves. Most importantly to some parents, our Krav Maga Illinois children’s program is a fun and effective means of teaching better self-discipline.

Studying Martial Arts in Chicagoland is hard work for anyone. Steady improvement requires pushing one’s self to surpass previous boundaries, whether physical, mental, or otherwise. Our Karate program for kids is an excellent means of instilling appreciation for the results that focus, sincere effort, and perseverance can achieve. Many kids come into our school lacking focus or direction. Some have had minor disciplinary issues at home or school. Kids’ Karate teaches even the most rambunctious to use good manners, follow reasonable rules, give and receive respect, and get along well with others.

Martial Arts are physical disciplines as well as mental. To progress to the next rank or level, one must genuinely apply himself or herself on a regular basis, thereby creating a “good” habit. For students to do well in our kids’ Karate program, they must act with focus and determination which many have never before experienced. Many parents happily observe that, after some time in our Martial Arts program for children, their once misbehaved or discourteous kids begin to carry their new-found focus and determination into other areas of life such as their school work.

Krav Maga Illinois offers a curriculum imbued not only with Martial Arts techniques, but also containing a series of valuable life skills. This system was developed in order to help children develop wholesome, productive values such as respect, courtesy, self-discipline, self-esteem, self-confidence, and listening skills. Results commonly observed by parents whose children participate in the kids’ Karate program include improved grades at school and better social skills when interacting with their peers (such as bullying prevention and peer pressure resistance), siblings, and grown-ups.

Our Martial Arts for children program assists students in three fundamental areas off the martial arts mat: at home, at school, and in social settings. We also invite parents to create their own “wish list” to better allow our instructors to target specific problem behaviors and help minimize or eliminate them. And while our kids program is ideal for teaching kids discipline, most kids stay in the program because it is fun.

If you would like to find out more about how our kids’ Karate program can help empower your child with exemplary self-discipline, call today or complete the contact form and we’ll call you!

A Brief History of Karate Styles

Posted on | by Jason

Karate is a Japanese martial art developed in Ryukyu Islands and influenced by Chinese martial arts, especially Fujian White Crane. It predominantly uses striking techniques such as kicking, punching, kicking, elbow strikes, and knee strikes. It also uses open hand techniques including knife-hands, palm heel strike, and spear hands. In some modern styles, grappling, joint locks, vital point strikes, and restraints are also taught.
There are over 75 style of Karate, the four prominent among them being Shotokan, Shito-ryu, Wado-ryu, and Goju-ryu. Of these, the first three styles originated in Okinawa’s Shuri region while Goju-ryu originated in the Naha province.

Shotokan

Shotokan is a defense mechanism style that teaches some basics, forms, and sparring. It is an authorized style of Karate that stresses powerful strikes, sparring techniques, and long stances designed to end a fight quickly. In short, it teaches you to give devastating blows before your opponent realizes that you are even considering such a move.
The credit for Shotokan karate’s birth and popularity belongs undoubtedly to Gichin Funakoshi. As an elementary school student, he learned both Okinawan karate and Shorin-ryu karate. He compiled techniques from these two styles to form an independent style, which came to be known as Shotokan. The name is a combination of his pen name ‘shoto’ meaning pine waves and ‘kan’ meaning house.

Shito-ryu

Shito-ryu style was founded in by Kenwa Mabuni in 1931. Mabuni learnt Naha-te and Shuri-te from two legendary martial arts experts, Kanryo Higonna and Itosu Anko. The emphasis of both the styles were distinct even though both followed hard-soft format. Mabuni combined the two techniques to formulate Shito-ryu style.
Wado-ryu
The style was founded by Otsuka Hidenori in 1920, a student of Gichin Funakoshi. He combined Okinawan karate’s striking techniques with movements of jujitsu, besides focusing strongly on evasion through body shifting. The style has shorter punches and higher stances than Shotokan.

Goju-ryu

Goju-ryu is an Okinawan karate style founded in 1930s by Miyagi Chojun. The term Goju-rye means ‘hard-soft style,’ which refers to the technique it uses. It uses a combination of closed hand linear motion (hard) and circular motions (soft), which resembles Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang.
The history of the style is somewhat vague due to lack of availability of proper documentation. However it is believed that a Japanese martial arts master called Kanryo Higashionna formulated
the Goju-ryu style. In 1873, he went to China and practiced martial arts from various teachers. Later on he returned to Japan and combined what he learned in China with what he already knew about Okinavan karate to make a new style of his own. After his death, his best student, Chojun Miyagi, continued to develop and refine the style. It was in 1930 that Miyagi decided to christen the style

Goju-ryu.

Karate styles keep emerging over time and geography, hence mapping the exact number of styles is impossible. Styles also vary according to the philosophy and guidance of masters teaching them.