Martial Arts at Home: A Guide for Parents

Charlene Roth @ http://safetykid.info

charlene.roth@safetykid.info

Parents everywhere know how important it is for kids to have a passion. For many children, the activity they’re most passionate about is martial arts, namely Judo. It’s easy to see why: Martial arts are a great form of exercise that works off excess stress and energy while teaching focus, discipline, and grit. It’s no wonder kids tend to get sucked in once they start.

 In the face of COVID-19 restrictions, however, many children are unable to attend their dojo for Judo practice. Although this is a temporary measure, many parents worry about their children becoming bored or losing interest in their time away from Judo. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can support your child’s martial arts passion from home: from encouraging them to stretch every day, creating a space for them to go through their throw movements, and even a place for conditioning-training. Here are a few tips for parents hoping to keep their kids on track:

 Work on Flexibility

Judo calls for a wide range of motion. If your child loses flexibility during their downtime, they could wind up injuring themselves once practice starts back up again.

 ●       Daily flexibility practice will have a significant impact on flexibility.

●       Help your child come up with a stretching routine they can do every day.

●       Always warm up before stretching, even if it’s just with a light walk.

●       Remind your child to never push themselves to the point of pain while stretching.

 Keep Endurance High

Losing endurance might make practices discouraging in the future. Here are a few exercises you can do together:

●       Look to strength training workouts to enhance your family’s practice.

●       Find cardio activities that are specific to your Judo training.

●       Always incorporate drills and sparring so everyone can stay sharp.

 Practicing at Home

You can give your child the space to practice their martial arts at home. Here’s how to create a safe environment.

 ●       Find an open space, such as a basement, with enough room. You may need to do some work on your basement to get it ready.

●       Installing floor-length mirrors so they can check their form and correct problems.

●       A floor mat provides a soft surface and reduces the risk of repetitive use injury.

●       Extra features can make this a multipurpose room, which can ultimately add value to your property.

 Keep you falling skills fresh

Being able to safely fall is important in all phases of life. You and your kids can use your at-home practice space to learn and maintain your ability to fall and roll safely.

 ●       Use your floor mats for gentle falling exercises, with summersaults

●       Sideways and backwards ukemi are easy to do from various heights on the floor mats.

●       Increased heights are not necessary.

●       You can add distances or abstacle to keep your falling exercises from getting stale.

 Your child doesn’t have to succumb to cabin fever if you find ways for them to live out their passions at home. Plus, by exercising alongside them, you’ll help work out some of your excess energy as well. At the end of the day, building an at-home Judo space will serve your family well through lockdown and beyond!

Charlene Roth @ http://safetykid.info

charlene.roth@safetykid.info

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