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Gentle Karate??


© Amy B. Jeanroy

Aug 9, 2000


We finally found a Karate instructor that we like. He is a master and teaches...errrr..I cant remember exactly but will get back to you on that.

The problem with Karate up to this point is that Nathanial is afraid of fighting. He has always said that he doesn't want to learn how to fight. I have impressed upon him that Karate was not about fighting but virtually anything you see or hear about it seems to highlight how *deadly* you are when you know how to do it.

Through a roundabout way, we discovered that there is a man in hte area who teaches classes to children that focus on staying safe and how to get away from a confrontation. I found this man and watched a couple of classed that he taught as well as talked WITH him extensively.

Jim has had over 20 years experience in Karate and working with kids. He has an extensive proven history of being a child safety advocate and is well known for helping out any child in need.

As Nathanial went for the first class, I was hesitant only because I didn't know if he could concentrate for and hour and a half but my worries were unfounded. Jim kept Nathanial involved with the class even when N was loosing interest and worked a bit of running into Nathanial's routine so that the boy could just run and then participate, run and participate. It was actually very impressive to see how this man, in the center of town, could hold a class of 15, ages 5 to 45, entranced and actually moving through excercises(I KNOW that is not the name of the movements) and all the while he was teaching many different levels. It was amazing.

His focus for the younger kids was personal space and empowerment. He says right away that they are too little to overpower any adult who was trying to hurt them but they were faster by far than any adult and if they could get away for 10 feet, then they were in the clear. He showed different ways for the kids to get the adult to let go of them and the weaknesses in different ways that they are grabbed. Although scary to imagine, I was choked with emotion to see another adult give my child the tools he will need if he is ever in a situation like that.

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Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: View all related messages
1.   Oct 3, 2000 2:08 PM
Great article, Amy. Our kids never expressed interest in karate but Judy and I had talked it over and were ready to give them quick approval if they wanted classes - for the discipline, the respect, ...

-- posted by Dan_Ellsworth



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