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Home » Blog » Motivating Children in Martial Arts

Motivating Children in Martial Arts

November 21, 2010 By Sensei Matt Klein

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championship martial arts team

Motivation is the key to helping young martial artists become their best.

Our tournament competition team, Kenpo Freestyle Sydney, is one of the best in the history of martial arts competition in Australia. Winning the top-ranked team in ISKA (International Sports Karate Association) for six years straight is a record-setting achievement that will stand for some time. People sometimes ask me how we did it. At the risk of giving our secrets away, I am going to tell you how to motivate kids to be their best. A team of motivated individuals produces championships.

Recognition is the key to motivating people, especially in front of their peers. We all have a need to be recognised for our hard work and effort. I recognise all tournament competitors, regardless of whether they won a trophy or not. I point out in front of the other kids that this boy or girl must have been courageous enough to go into a competition. This is a real confidence-booster for a child that might have missed out on a trophy. A student who attends two tournaments a year gets a special badge, regardless of their perfomance in competition. The kids are very proud of these badges.

Don’t let them dwell on mistakes. I asked a girl to come up front and demonstrate a kata because she had a pretty good one. She tried it three or four times and kept making mistakes—the pressure of performing it in front of the class got to her. She started to cry. So I took her aside later and said, “Listen, the reason I had you come up front was you had the best kata in the class, and I wanted to show the others how it should be done. Despite your mistakes, your stances were superb and I am sure the class now knows how do do them. Well done”. She walked away with a smile on her face and a look of pride. The lesson here—find something a child does well, and focus on that.

Disguise repetition. Repetition is the key to skill, but mix it up enough to achieve the same result by doing different drills and exercises. This will ensure that your students stay motivated enough to attend regularly. When you can, make a game out of any activity. Kids love games. We play games that leave the kids huffing and puffing, just like running wind sprints, but they don’t feel it, because it’s so much fun.

Emphasise that hard work wins the race. Point out that some students will naturally be more gifted than others, but there is no substitute for hard work. There are plenty of examples in every club of students who, although originally lacking the athleticism, made up for it by sheer hard work and became champions. Use these examples to motivate students with less ability.

Use positive coaching to those who did their best but came up short. If a child performs below par at a tournament, I might say “That was a pretty good kata, especially for your first tournament. Let me show you how to do it better next time. Before I walk away I say, “You know, you are very brave to even come out here in front of all these people and perform. Good job.” False praise, on the other hand, is counterproductive. Saying that they “were great” when they were obviously not is dishonest and the student will surely know his efforts did not warrant the praise.

Make sure each student’s goals are achievable. Getting a first place in a child’s first tournament is not a reasonable goal, and he will get discouraged if he doesn’t “meet your standards”. If the goal is reachable, the student will be highly motivated to achieve it.

Fear or threats do not work. Having a child do push-ups or any other type of punishment for failing to perform at his expected level has no place in sports. In addition, it does not work, as the child will get discouraged and will lose interest in the activity.

Provide a training hall where everyone is made to feel welcome. We all thrive in environments where we feel safe and are accepted for who we are. Your example is followed by everyone in the organisation, so make it one worth following.

Be passionate about what you are coaching. It will most definitely rub off on your students. They will respond accordingly.

Coaches, parents, and students out there, I welcome your own examples of ways to motivate children in martial arts.

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Filed Under: Teaching Martial Arts to Kids

Comments

  1. John W. Zimmer says

    November 23, 2010 at 12:56 pm

    Hi Matt,

    I remember Dick Willett taught us to use to positives and one negative (in a constructive way) when correcting students. Reading your post it looks like you really emphasize the positive AND see great results because of it!

  2. Sensei Matt Klein says

    November 24, 2010 at 9:08 am

    Hey John! Sounds like Dick is an wise instructor. The sandwiching of constructive criticism between two positive comments is a great motivational technique. With kids I thinks it’s especially important to be liberal with the praise.

  3. SueC says

    November 25, 2010 at 2:43 am

    Some great advice here Matt. I will definitely try and use some of these ideas when I’m helping with the junior class. Thanks!

  4. Sensei Matt Klein says

    November 25, 2010 at 3:53 am

    Hi Sue! Thanks. Let me know how you go with it.

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Testimonials

Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
mihir-joshi-kenpo-freestyle-sydneyOver the years, through Karate, I found that my confidence and self-esteem levels had sky rocketed to heights I never thought it would go. I thank Sensei Matt, and all those who have helped me in Karate, for helping me understand such values in a fun and social learning environment.
Mihir Joshi

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Mihir's story.
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
mihir-joshi-kenpo-freestyle-sydneyOver the years, through Karate, I found that my confidence and self-esteem levels had sky rocketed to heights I never thought it would go. I thank Sensei Matt, and all those who have helped me in Karate, for helping me understand such values in a fun and social learning environment.
Mihir Joshi

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Mihir's story.
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
Friendly yet disciplined approach towards karate at Australia’s Youth has helped enormously. It enabled Mihir to build a sense of belonging and improved his motivation to excel. It’s amazing how learning the Martial Arts helps build confidence and improve overall personality.
Yogendra Joshi, father of Mihir JoshiImage
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
I like Karate because it is really fun and I love going on the weekend to see all my friends and Senseis. Karate makes me feel safe because I don’t worry about bullies at school because I know they can’t really hurt me.Tyvian-Macfarlne-Kenpo-Freestyle-Sydney
Tyvian Macfarlane

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Tyvian's story.
09/08/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
The confidence karate has given Tyvian is amazing. He is takes pride in himself and he has matured. The focus, confidence and discipline he has gained through karate has transferred to other areas of his life such as educational tasks, looking after younger children both in and out of his family and demonstrating empathy for others.Robert-Macfarlane
Robert Macfarlane, father of Tyvian Macfarlane
09/08/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
I owe my confidence, strength, fitness and leadership skills to Karate. It has taught me to persist with everything and that the only way to improve is to try harder.Adam-Loader-Kenpo-Freestyle-Sydney
Adam Loader

See our Karate Success Stories Page for Adam's story.
09/01/2014
Australia's Youth Self Defence Karate
Look at what you have achieved Matt, we can’t thank you enough for your contribution to shaping these two young men. We are often complimented about the maturity of the boys and we know their Karate has played an important part in developing that maturity. Brings a tear to my eye!
loadersRobert Loader, father of Adam and Jacob Loader
09/01/2014

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