AGES 9-14 Kenpo Juniors
GV Kenpo Family Karate’s Kenpo Juniors program is specifically designed for children ages 9-14, who are entering the transition stage of their life and martial arts study. This is a great age to start training in Kenpo Karate. They are becoming stronger and their ability to absorb information is at an all-time high. Our program is essentially the adult program but we tailor it to their growing bodies and minds. We keep our classes focused and moving at all times. While we do lots of training, we know how to have fun, too! Our drills are often disguised as games and the students don’t even realize we are doing self defense while we play.
Kenpo Juniors will learn to grow their self-esteem, discipline, respect, and confidence all while learning the art of Kenpo Karate.
SKILLS:
Increased Self-Esteem – Your student’s self-esteem level will get boosted with every new move they master and every belt they earn. Students who struggle with a low sense of self-worth usually become more confident as time progresses in Kenpo Juniors. Students develop positive attitude through successful accomplishments of goals. The students can take the positive attitude with them to use in all aspects of life.
Self-Discipline – One of the central tenets of Kenpo is self-discipline. We always say that the first act of discipline is coming to class. Often times parents say, “My child needs discipline! They are acting out at home and we need you to whip them in to shape!” We are not a militaristic dojo. It is not our job to reprimand our students. What we do show them is the importance of goal setting and practice. When students learn this, then they start to enact self-control just naturally. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines discipline as “control gained by enforcing obedience or order.” But it also says, “a training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character”. The second definitio is what we focus on.
Learning Respect – Respect is very important in all martial arts. We start off by calling our brown and black belt instructors by Mr. or Mrs. and their last name. Students learn that when someone has worked so hard to achieve a high level they deserve respect. Also, instructors respect all students in order to gain loyalty from said students. Loyalty goes hand-in-hand with respect. We are loyal to our students, and we demand loyalty in return.
Confidence – The Kenpo Junior program focuses on providing students with a positive atmosphere where they can build their confidence, even after a bad day at school, home, or outside sports. It’s a place where they’ll find support when they feel down or discouraged. We are able to give students the additional support to face life’s challenges. Also, just the act of training and learning the Kenpo material will give students confidence, not just to defend themselves, but to perform other life skills that people often find intimidating, such as public speaking, performing, etc.
Lastly, Kenpo Juniors will practice non-violent conflict resolution, perseverance, socialization, leadership skills, listening skills, goal-setting, and teamwork. This all goes hand-in-hand with the practice of self defense and the martial arts.
THE PROCESS:
We start with two classes each week, 45 minutes each. Kenpo Juniors may also attend classes that are below their rank, such as the beginner classes, and help the instructor. Juniors can also attend any extra classes that are on the schedule, such as open-mat or sparring. Students practice their skills in class (and at home!) and can earn new rank belts with a test. The testing format for Kenpo Juniors is more challenging than the Tiny Eagles’ tests.
CLASS FORMAT:
Each class starts with a warm-up, followed by either skill-building drills or new Kenpo material. We finish with a fun game and stretching.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ADVANCEMENT:
There are seven belt color levels in the Kenpo Juniors program: white, yellow, orange, purple, blue, green, and brown belt. Each belt is a solid color with a black stripe down the length of the belt, indicating that they are below the adult level, but above the Tiny Eagle level. At each belt level test, the student must demonstrate the required skills of their next rank. Kenpo Juniors will be eligible to test for their rank after the instructor is confident that they have learned all of the required material. We will not test a student that we feel is not ready. Our job is to make our students successful.
KENPO SKILLS:
- Basics (single moves)
- Self defense techniques on an attacker
- Empty hand forms (katas)
- Controlled sparring
- Questions and answers