from the February, 2013 issue of Kiai!

Lessons Learned from the Little Kicks

 

By Danielle Strandburg-Peshkin

Those of us who teach karate are perhaps more likely than those who don’t to find the Japanese concept of sho shin or “beginner’s mind” useful.  Teaching in our new and improved Little Kicks program has been a case-in-point.  Here are a couple of the lessons that I’ve learned from the Little Kicks during the first 2 classes of our first 8-week session.

Let go – control the energy, and re-direct it
4-year-olds are Aikido masters in disguise.  Their energy can and will dictate the class plan, and the response that seems to work the best is to harness and redirect their energy. While this approach may not be ideal in every circumstance, I am using it in the Little Kicks program because it meshes with the overall objectives of the program – to provide kids who are not yet ready for the Juniors program with an environment in which they can begin to learn some of the physical techniques, principles, and etiquette of karate in a relaxed, small group. In this environment, they can engage with karate, with physical activity, and with their peers in a way that complements the inherent curiosity and creativity of early childhood.  The first class introduced some of the traditional stances of karate, but we also worked the undefeatable, “eating stance,” the serene “watching TV stance,” and the totally hardcore “riding-a-motorcycle stance.”  We finished with an obstacle course designed for fighting stance, but how could that triumph when “gorilla stance” was an option?

Empty your cup or no more knowledge can go in
My plan for the second week was to focus on spatial awareness and establishing the ideas of personal space and boundaries.  For three minutes we struggled with definitions of boundaries, until we started coming up with examples, including the invisible boundaries around people and a basic idea of personal space.  After several more games on the same theme, and a review of punches, kicks, and stances, I asked them if they could remember the new idea we talked about.  Someone said, “boundaries”, so I followed up by asking, “and what is a boundary?”  Max raised his hand, “It’s like when you punch someone, and you make a wall between you and the other person, and it’s like your punch is separating between you, but it’s also like a gate.”  After Max’s idea had sunk in for a few minutes I decided to write it down; I thought that in fact Max might want to use it, with a few revisions, as a point in his black belt essay sometime in the not-so-distant future.  Or, with his permission, perhaps I’ll use it in one of mine.

Session 1 is off to a great start, and I look forward to meeting a new group of Little Kicks in the next session, which we will offer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, beginning on April 2 & 3.  Give us a call to enroll, or click here for a flyer.