These days finding a tough, hard nosed child is the same as coming across a unicorn in the wild. It’s just becoming more and more difficult. Let’s face it; it’s not like it once was when you or me grew up.
The world is producing too many soft kids that run from a challenge. I teach my kids to be tough and enjoy the challenge. Enjoy the fight it takes to get to the top. In the world we live in, being tough is a good thing.
That’s one of the issues I’ve got with traditional martial arts/Karate schools. Their students lack toughness. In truth I can’t put the blame on just these martial arts schools. That lack of being tough seems to be plaguing American kids in general.
But in the end I think the job of a good martial arts school should be to make it’s students tougher. Tough classes teach the kids to stand on their own two feet and embrace the challenges life is surely going to throw their direction.
If martial arts teaches life skills then you better believe that toughness and dealing with tough situations should be a part of those life skills.
Our kids here at Ivey League will tell you that my classes aren’t easy. I make the kids work hard. That doesn’t mean I scream and yell all the time or that we don’t have fun.
We’ll have a ton of fun during the classes. We laugh, tell jokes and play games. But when the time comes to get that work in and go hard, everyone knows to get in gear and do what needs to be done.
The harder the kids train, the tougher they become. It’s that simple. We skip the kata’s and dancing. I’ve got no need for that. We focus on realistic martial arts, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Old fashioned, tough training sessions involving Kickboxing, Wrestling, Judo and Brazilian “Gracie” Jiu Jitsu.
Below you can find some videos showcasing fighters that I know work hard and have paid the price. Their great examples to go by. Study up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45CtWFgzCqo
