Wow, what a fantastic week of martial arts school holiday activities for the kids. We had 4 to 5 really cool activities every day, led by our head trainers in most cases, teaching the crux of the martial art in just over an hour.

We had a group of kids in the morning that hardly knew each other and by the end of the day were exchanging phone numbers (the girls) and the boys were challenging each other to do higher kicks or have a few rounds in the ring at lunch times. When I asked what was their favourite activity of the day?, many said lunch time. That did not mean eating their lunch.

After the big hand got to 3, they were allowed to “kit up” and “fight” their friends in the ring or the cage. They absolutely loved this!

Of course they were shown how to punch earlier in the day, and given some rules about self control, taught some courtesy for each other, like saying if the other was hitting too hard to say so, and show respectful play by adjusting how hard to hit. They could agree with each other whether or not to hit to the head. (It was ok parents, they all had head protectors and were monitored.)

I was interested but not surprised that they loved this activity the most, which was free play challenging their friends to a fight. There is so little tolerance for physical rough play at schools now. That curiosity and desire is so hemmed in, when it does happen it gets out of hand and so when one cries the rough play gets punished. There is no harm in allowing kids, boys and girls, to experiment with fighting in a controlled and safe environment. They are just curious about that activity in itself. Some try it and realise it’s not that much fun after all. Others love it and want to keep challenging their friends. A martial art that lets them do this in a safe environment is a great way to allow kids to release the fighting energy that they are all born with. It is not violence when it is agreed rules on play fighting.

Perhaps after a generation of zero-tolerance for fighting at schools we see this big rise in popularity of MMA and the UFC. We cannot escape our genetics.

Finally one last point, back to the School holiday program: among the many martial arts the kids got to learn over the week we also talked about bullying and practised some strategies to be assertive. A question the “good kids” were unsure about is when they were allowed to use physical self defence to defend ourselves against bullying or actual harm. We clarified that. Kids do know right from wrong. They know when they have done wrong. But some are worried about following rules they are unsure about when to defend themselves against bullying.

Anti-bullying and self defence is always interesting and I think such an important lesson which requires a considered expertise to teach well. Many martial arts pay lip service to this aspect. I am lucky to have as my friend Dr Keith Sullivan who wrote one of New Zealand’s first anti-bullying handbooks. http://www.amazon.com/The-Anti-Bullying-Handbook-Keith-Sullivan/dp/01955...

And now he has released and updated the second edition, The anti-bullying handbook.

I am looking forward to seeing him later this year to review and modify my teaching modules in this area. However over time any child who sticks at learning a martial art will gain in self confidence and find the right answer as to when to use the physical self defence they are getting competent in doing.

So that said, I really love our school holiday program, and know the kids who attended this week had an awesome time and learnt some useful skills.

Christine Young-Jasberg

2 May 2014