Once upon a time when I was a wee lass, I was enrolled in a martial arts class which I loved. It made me feel strong and happy in a time when I was not sure of who I was and I was being somewhat bullied as the new kid at school. Then the happy sanctuary, that was the karate studio, was taken away by an awful sense of entitlement on the behalf of the Grand Master's granddaughter (ah nepotism) when I sparred against her at a competition and won. My life at that studio became such a living h-e-double hockey sticks that I quit and never looked back.
Earlier this year, my son asked me if he could enroll in a karate class because he loved Power Rangers and when he watched it at Grandma's house he would imitate the moves of the rangers and make Grandma super tired (just by watching him). I was so hesitant to put my son in a situation that could turn out to be like my experience and I had heard some horror stories about other dojos from other moms on the schoolyard and how the instructors were berating instead of patient and demanded attention and respect rather than commanding it.
Then, on my son's 7th birthday, I happened to be talking to a friend whose son was in the same first grade class as my son and I told her that my son had been asking me to find him a karate class and that I didn't know where to start. She ran to her car and gave me a business card for Innovative Martial Arts and told me that she loved the instructor because he was extremely skilled, but also spoke to the kids in a loving and respectful manner. I told her my reservations and she assured me that this was just the place for my son to attend.
So we went over to Innovative Martial Arts afterschool on my son's birthday, which also happened to be pajama day at school, and he took his first trial lesson in his PJs. I enjoyed watching the rapport between Jake and his students and more importantly the patience he had with my son as a new student. He started the class with his message of the week (which over time I have completely come to appreciate because it makes my children aware of making good habits, having good manners, treating their parents with respect, etc), did some warm up and then it was on to the fun stuff, the cool moves! Jake runs each class in the same basic structure so that the kids know what is expected of them and they can strive to do their best each class.
My little one loved his class so much that just seeing how accomplished and confident it made him feel was enough for my older son to ask if he could be enrolled in karate class too about a month later. The day that my older son joined (and believe me, you couldn't wipe the smile off my little one's face when I told him he was SO cool that his BIG BROTHER wanted to be just like him!) they both tried Jiu Jitsu for the first time. My older son ended up absolutely loving Jiu Jitsu and now they do both Jiu Jitsu and Martial Arts practically every day.
But wait! There's more! (no, you do not also get a set of ginsu knives with purchase, sorry about the infomercial voiceover) In June, Innovative Martial Arts ran a Father's Day special allowing dads to train free the entire month. (Yes, moms got to train free in May, but I just never did). My husband decided to give it a try. The adult class is, of course, a bit more serious work than the kids' classes, but it's every bit as much fun and my husband really respects and enjoys the company of Jake as a teacher and the other students in the class.
Training together at Innovative Martial Arts actually helped my little family get closer. Dad works late and the kids rarely got to see him and even when we did have some time off, my husband was the (self-professed) laziest man in the world. Now he is more fit, I think he has more energy and a renewed sense of purpose, he sometimes helps in the Juniors class and the kids love having their dad around more, showing an interest in something they both love.
And for the final kicker... I finally got over my fear of my past experience in karate and I joined too. Initially I did it for the workout since the yoga studio I attended closed down suddenly and left a void in my Zen-path, but this morning I got to throw punches (padded) at my husband and he encouraged me to do it...that's gotta be some kind of win, right?
Thanks for everything, Jake and Innovative Martial Arts!
The End - thanks for reading my novella read more