Oftentimes, your kid's karate belt will look like this (especially if your child has their belt for a while); And people will ask me: Why? Why so many stripes? How many stripes do I need to do a grading? What's the point? So... Let's get into it. First thing first: Circles. What are circles? Did you even know your kid gets circles? Many people don't. Think of circles like quarters. Four circles equal one stripe, the way four quarters equal a dollar. You need four attendances before earning one stripe. But we're talking circles here, not stripes. Circles have two purposes: attendance and incen ..read more

In this mega-sized article, I'm going to be detailing our classes' different belt systems, the names of each belt, the requirements to attain each belt, and the general amount of time it should take to reach each new belt. Which belt will your child get upon aging into an older class group? But my child has reached the minimum attendance requirement! Why hasn't she graded yet?? How long until I get my black belt? How old do I have to be before I get my black belt?? Answers to all of your most burning questions can be found at the bottom of the article, past all of the image galleries. Little N ..read more

Let's get one thing straight. Normally, karate is very much about positive reinforcement. Do well in class, achieve belt stripes, and grade to a new level of belt. Positive, positive, positive. We rarely, if ever, even have to discuss their behaviour. But it's not uncommon that a parent signs their child at karate because of a certain behavioural problem. The child is lying. Getting in trouble. Pushing other kids. Not trying in school. It happens. It's not every kid in karate, not by a long shot. But it happens. So why, of all programs, is karate the one you sign your kid for to help fix this ..read more

Traditional Karate for adults is not the same as kids karate. It might surprise some people to learn that karate was not originally intended for children. Which can be shocking, since nowadays, the majority of dojos are mainly made up of kids! Many also have a healthy amount of adults, but let's be honest: most karate students are children. Back in the day (like, the early 1900s and before) the youngest people allowed into any training space were fourteen years old! Because of this, kids class and adults class are two very different experiences. Where kids classes are often partner drills, gam ..read more

Every year, someone asks me: "Sensei, how much is *insert product here* for my kid for Christmas?" or sometimes, "Can you order me *thing* for a Christmas gift for my kid?" So this year, I'm ahead of the game: here's a list of the best Karate-themed Christmas gift ideas. You can order them through the dojo, or find them online yourself. 1: A Punching Bag for Home I have tried multiple kinds of punching bags over the years, from the classic Century Wavemaster to the newest Versys Spar. Here's my recommendation for a small, space-conscious punching bag with just a 16 inch diameter: Training or ..read more

We all get to a point in our training where we feel like we haven’t improved in… Forever. I’ve done karate since I was four years old: that’s twenty-six years of karate. So trust me: I know the feeling. We go in, we do class, we follow the normal steps, and nothing improves. The guy beside you in line is still better than you. Maybe you practice at home, do katas in your garage or backyard and practice kicks as you walk around the house. But you get to class and again, your techniques still feel slow, you don’t hit the punching bags as hard as you want, and nothing feels better. So… Why aren’t ..read more

Instructors (and their ads) have a long list of things karate can help with. Some of them seem to preach anything from curing asthma to making them “bully-proof”. But what can karate really do, and how? 1. Listening & Focus So many students come to me with parents insisting that they cannot — no matter what they do — make them focus. But in karate, focus is non-negotiable. Here’s why: Every game, drill, and activity here is built so that your child must focus. If we’re playing a game and your kid doesn’t listen to instructions, they will lose the game. If it’s a drill for older kids they ..read more

I can’t garden. It’s dirty, hot, there’s bugs, and you get dirt under your fingernails. It’s awful, and I can’t stand it. But some people — some people love gardening. It’s their thing. They can sit outside for HOURS and plant and spend hundreds of dollars on mulch, and… Well, I’m not sure what else goes into gardening (on account of my hatred for it), but you get the idea. My point is: everyone has work that they love doing. For me, gardening is a pain in the butt, but I can do karate every night of the week and never get sick of it. It’s my thing. Is it the same techniques? Usually. Same ste ..read more

It's 2022. Gas prices are sky-high, food is getting more expensive, and covid in everywhere. All the more reason to stay home from karate. But I've noticed this: as more people come in to the dojo, just as many are returning to Zoom. Why come in when you can stay home and save gas money? No, seriously. I mean it. But this isn't 2016. We're in 2022 and everything has gone virtual. Even karate. At first, class from home was a marvel: some people were thrilled, others hated the idea. At the start of Covid I had no idea we could do karate from home, but not only has karate evolved, instructors hav ..read more

This one's going to be a little different. I'm not sure I've ever done a "Recommended" post before, but here goes. People ask me all the time: "What kind of punching bag should I buy for home?? Do I need one??" My answer: yes. if you're training from home regularly, or exclusively, yes you need one. You can only get so strong by punching the air or, for kids, punching pillows. Proper punching bags are interactive, they make you stronger, and are like training with a real karate partner. I've had many kinds of punching bags over the years, both in the dojo and for my own use at home, and here's ..read more