Interacting With Children

                       

                     INTERACTING WITH CHILDREN

KiCK Martial Arts is involving children in big idea topics with a chalkboard wall! 

The kids love to write stuff before and after classes and we love seeing what they respond with! 

SO FUN!  

We've seen tons of answers to this question:

 HOW WOULD YOU CHANGE THE WORLD?

"Loving each other more" 

"Be Kind"

"Kid president"

"Help people who have cancer"

"Spread KiCK around the world"

"Help all others"

Children have great minds that are BIG. They have the capacity to change the world and love being involved. Finding little ways to let children explain their point of view makes them feel important. That's huge. We want all children to feel comfortable enough to talk to us, right? But maybe, adults have to spark the conversation first. It can happen through our...

 DAILY BEAD CEREMONY

At the end of our classes parents have the opportunity to honor their child in front of the whole class. A bead may be a small thing, but the bead is not the importance. They get your heart, mind, and honor - a life changing feeling for a child. 

BEAD COLORS:

Orange- displaying self- control (controlling my actions) 

Blue- displaying compassion (caring for others) 

White- Having integrity (doing the right thing when no one is watching)

Grey- Showing humility (putting others first)  

Black- Having perseverance (never giving up) 

Parents and kids are having meaningful conversations in front of everyone. This isn't something you have to do in front of everyone though, it can even be at home! 

You can drop off a message for us in our prayer jar. It's where you can tell us anything, good or bad. Explain how we can pray for you, or even how class was. We want to get to know our families and that sometimes means getting in the messy with you. We are okay with that! :)

Our next trip from Kansas City to Haiti is March 13th, 2014 

Call to reserve your spot! 816-746-1417

You have the opportunity to train with OLYMPIC athletes across the world! 

What was formerly Empower Martial Arts has been reborn with a brand new and exciting mission that is the first of its kind, We are now known as.....

KiCK leads out of a position of love, not fear and believe that children have the capacity to change the world. The instructors, Miss Tiffany and Mr. TJ have created relationships with the Haitian Olympic Committee and Pastor Jay Jay in Uganda through The Global Orphan Project. With this being said, KiCK has 2 sister schools- one in Haiti and the other in Uganda. These schools are located inside orphanages in Haiti and Uganda. This gives children and adults in Kansas City the opportunity to take eye opening world vision trips with us, while helping orphaned and abandoned children.

Our next trip is scheduled for March 13,2015-March 18,2015 to Port Au Prince, Haiti

If you would like to take this trip with us and get the opportunity to train with Haitian Olympic Athletes, and change the lives of abandoned children, contact us at kickint@gmail.com or kickma.com

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We are blessed to say that our classes in Kansas City start November 3rd. Spots are filling up quickly, so call 816-746-1417 to reserve your spot in class! We would love to have YOU be apart of what God is doing through KiCK Martial Arts!

Building Self-Esteem

Many children and youth are unfamiliar with the word “self-esteem”. As the popularity of bully prevention continues to grow and generate awareness in school systems and communities, now is the time to educate children and remind adults of the importance of having high self-esteem!

Self-esteem is simple. It is how you feel about yourself and is generalized in two types of people: those with poor self-esteem, and those with good self-esteem. The CMHC at Texas University states “Your self-esteem, however, is something more fundamental than the normal ups and downs associated with situational changes. For people with good self-esteem, normal ups and downs may lead to temporary fluctuations in how they feel about themselves, but only to a limited extent. In contrast, for people with poor self-esteem, these ups and downs drastically impact the way they see themselves.”

It’s important to work towards maintaining good self-esteem in order to stand up to bullies and be confident enough in yourself to not let others’ words and actions dictate how you feel about yourself. At EMA we work hard to build a positive and challenging atmosphere that instills good self-esteem into students by showing them they can reach their goals and accomplish new things!

Here is another great article about self-esteem and more ways to improve self-esteem! http://cmhc.utexas.edu/selfesteem.html. For more information or questions contact empowermartialarts@gmail.com or (913)-754-6570.

 

September is Respect month

What comes to mind when you think of Tae Kwon Do or Martial Arts? For some it’s fighting, or self-defense, and for others it’s discipline, confidence, and respect. But how can kicking and punching teach you respect? And is it expected or actually taught during class?

Throughout each Tae Kwon Do class at Empower Martial Arts, respect is of the upmost importance. It is expected of each student to demonstrate respect by bowing correctly onto the workout floor, shaking hands correctly, saying “yes sir or ma’am” to higher ranks and instructors, bowing at the correct moments, and many more. EMA uses the simple phrase “treating others right” very similar to Courtesy. Many other sports require respect, but never teach it or reward it.

EMA takes a simple character development trait such as respect, and incorporates it into all types of drills and exercises throughout each class. The mission is for the student to develop respect for everyone, not just higher ranks and instructors, and to make an impact on the community. “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.” Laurence Sterne.

 

August’s Character Development Trait is Attitude

After asking several children and adults what the first thing that comes to their mind is when they think of “attitude,” their response normally sounds something like, “being sad or happy, holding back your anger, and realizing how your actions affect others.” These are great answers, but the hard question is how do we change our attitude, and how can we use our attitude to influence and affect others?

Empower Martial Arts uses several tactics throughout each class to build a positive, challenging, and fun atmosphere. The number one direct influence children and adults pick up on is the attitude of others. Which is why modeling the correct attitude, especially in the face of diversity, is easily one of the biggest challenges life will throw at you. For even the Bible says “be angry, and do not sin,” (easier said than done!). Unfortunately there is no magic tool that will keep you in a good mood 24/7, but combining the lessons taught in Tae Kwon Do with school, work, and everyday activities, can help push you in the right direction.

One simple way of displaying our attitude is our posture. If you notice in each class, students have several different specific postures that are put in place to build confidence, strength of character, discipline, and several other traits. The real challenge however is not how confident and assertive you can look in class, but keeping that look and attitude when challenges arise. “For the measure of a man’s character cannot be measured in a time of peace, but rather how he responds when times get hard.”-Unknown.

This month we will continue to work on being assertive and how to keep calm when others make us angry. For further questions or comments contact empowermartialarts@gmail.com .

“Character may be manifested in the GREAT moments, but is made in the small ones.”-Unknown

Kick Every Day!

4 Ways Tae Kwon Do Will Empower Your Every-day Life

For those who are looking to lose a few pounds, to those who simply need a stress outlet, Empower Martial Arts Tae Kwon Do classes offer numerous benefits for your health, and physical and mental condition.

1) Movement: Tae Kwon Do focuses on functional and dynamic movements to enhance your cardio, flexibility, mobility, strength, and balance. With simple exercises such as moving from one stance to another, you will begin to strengthen the muscles and ligaments in your legs and joints, giving you more energy to move throughout the day.

2) Concentration: At Empower Martial Arts we do not practice meditation, but rather simple breathing techniques throughout each class to enhance the control and Focus of each movement. Knowing when to relax and how to generate power, come from lots of practice both physically and mentally.

3) Structure: Tae Kwon Do involves many rules to emphasize respect, discipline, and self-control. These principles are enforced and praised when done correctly to build up students’ self-esteem and confidence. Structure and repetition build confident and successful individuals.

4) Goal setting: This is the best way to maximize every class and training session to empower your life! It’s important to set short-term goals and long-term goals and track them regularly. Using this skill in martial arts and all other areas of your life will not only help you reach success, but reach it quickly!

For more information on how you can benefit from Empower Martial Arts contact empowermartialarts@gmail.com or check out our website at www.empowermartialarts.org.