Category: Coaching

Newsletter 11

Hello all!

Some things that interested me this week, and I hope will be of interest to you too.

Here are my five items, links or suggestions that should get you some inspiration and information.

1. I renewed my membership in the Ontario Coaches Association for another year. I renewed because I believe this is a valuable coaching/instructing resource. I have taken many National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) courses through the organization. One of the courses that I enjoyed, Fundamental Movement Skills, teaches the building blocks of physical literacy. The building blocks that will give children competence, confidence and motivation to try many different physical activities.

2. A child in one of my karate classes told me he had a peanut allergy. This came about during one of my classes and as I was teaching the kids how to make a proper fist and my analogy, was to imagine they had peanut butter in their hands and they should squeeze the peanut butter through their hands. My student interrupted me, “But sensei I can’t have any peanut butter”.

I have my first aid certificate and we deal with Epi-Pins and anaphylaxis is covered in the course but I decided I would take the allergy aware course too. And now I am certified. I must remember to say squeeze the pizza dough through your fingers.

3. I found a great movie on Crave this week, an acquaintance had told me about it, The Green Book a 2018 American biographical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Farrelly and starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali. The film was written by Farrelly, Brian Hayes Currie and Nick Vallelonga. The film, which won best picture at the Academy Awards, depicts the burgeoning friendship between a black classical pianist and his Italian-American driver as they travel the 1960s segregated South on a concert tour.

4. My scheduled meeting this week with Josh Miller, the illustrator of my soon to be released children’s book Samba on a Snowy Day was great. We usually meet at a Toronto library, this week the library was closing early and we took our meeting across the road to a bakery, coffee shop. We discussed the layout and reviewed all of the illustrations. I am very happy with Josh’s art work, he is a master illustrator.

5. What I am re-reading, Shinden Shinto Muso Ryu Jodo, an instructional book I keep coming back to as a master reference – It is in Japanese, with tons of photographs. Written by Hosho Terushige Shiokawa (1926-2014); a Japanese master martial artist who I was fortunate to train with in Japan in 2002.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you’ve read forward this to someone you think will enjoy it. Check out my blog, follow the link, sign in.

www.paulyanuziello.com

Tags Brian Hayes Currie, Hosho Shiokawa, Josh Miller, Mahershala Ali, Nick Vallelonga, Ontario Coaching Association, Peter Farrelly, Shingikan Martial Arts Dojo, Viggo Mortensen

Children Children Activities Coaching Reading

Discipline, Martial Arts, Karate

Post author By Paul Yanuziello
Post date October 16, 2019
No Comments on Discipline, Martial Arts, Karate

Active children - karate fun

Martial Arts Discipline

Old school martial arts training, is all about discipline, repetition and listening to commands and doing what you’re told. And did I say, repetition? Doing it repeatedly until it looks perfect. When I started as an assistant children’s karate teacher, I remember my first instructor session vividly.

I watched the chief instructor gather the children in rows in front of him; The kids were sitting down, listening intently, while sensei explained the rules of the school. Sensei was on his knees, in seiza and beside him was a shinai, the kendo weapon, a bamboo sword. The last statement of his speech really sticks with me, “Your parents have signed a form that says I can hit you if you don’t do what I tell you to do.” he then picked up the shinai and hit it into his hand three times. As I looked out at the children, I saw faces of fear. I felt sure they would remember this speech for a long time.

When I taught some classes myself, if ever there were issues with children not listening or getting too wild, I would just have to mention sensei’s name and everything was calm and under control once again. If that didn’t work asking them to go visit sensei in his office would surly do the trick.

Parents have different reasons for sending children to martial arts training and one of them is definitely about discipline. It leaves the level of discipline up to the head instructor. The old school style was martial discipline. Or at least putting the fear of being physically punished into the children so they would do what we commanded.

Many years passed, and I followed the same method of teaching, repetition and rigid discipline. When I had my dojo, I refused to teach children. For me martial arts is a way of life, a serious endeavour and I did not want to force or coarse children into training.

A few years ago I worked for a local community centre and taught children karate. The facility required that I take a course on teaching children, created by the parks and recreation department of Toronto. With an open mind, I took up for the challenge and registered for the course. Principles of Healthy Child Development, also known as High Five, based on five principles that children require for healthy development in recreational activities. Those principles are; A caring adult, play, friends, inclusion and mastery.

Now applying what I had learnt in that course to karate was a challenge for me. Learning karate is all about learning new skills and mastering them so the mastery part was easy. The caring adult was possible as I really have high hopes for children taking part in martial arts and I will support them completely. Making friends and inclusion are all things that could easily be added to the karate program. The main challenge for me was the play part. How do you make karate about play and fun? I spoke to professional martial artist, friend and karate master, Scott Langley, author of best-selling books on karate life, Karate Stupid, Karate Clever and Shu-Ha-Ri. He provided me with some great tips that I have incorporated into my style of teaching children.

Creating teams and setting up team challenges that may or may not be karate inspired are one thing that Scott shared with me. Another idea he shared and that I use consistently is teaching two or three techniques in a class. I have found other reference material to add to my teaching, and I have asked other karate teachers to share activities they incorporate in their children’s classes. Ideas like, Samurai’s and Ninjas, or here, there and everywhere and the always popular, team relay races. I have a list of approximately fifty different activities to choose from, some work and some don’t. The key is to keep it flowing and to keep it fun.

Most parents who witness my karate classes get what I’m doing. They understand that children require play, that is a kids number one job. To play and to have fun. I am happy that I have retention in my classes, the same students are coming back session after session. My hope is that karate will be something they can do for life. Karate – the path to a way of life that is rewarding and fulfilling. And fun.

Tags High Five, Karate Clever, Karate Stupid, Principles of Healthy Child Development, Scott Langley, Shu-Ha-Ri, Toronto

Cartoons Children Activities Coaching Entertainment Jazz Martial Arts Rock & Roll Yoga

Newsletter 7

Hello all!

Some things that interested me this week, and I hope will be of interest to you too. Oh – by the way, my attempt at getting unhooked from my smartphone didn’t go as expected. I’m down 40% in screen time from last week with an average of two hours and some minutes per day. Six of those hours in the week were using the smart part of the phone as my GPS while driving. My attempt to reduce screen time continues.

Here are my five items, links or suggestions that should get you some inspiration and information.

1. Ginger Baker passed away this week, he was one of the greatest influences for me in drumming. Pictured here are some of my albums that he is featured on, Cream, Blind Faith and Baker Gurvitz Army. Rolling Stone Magazine had this to say about Ginger Baker – Cream Drummer .

The Ginger Baker Trio, was his outing with jazz greats Charlie Haden and Bill Frisell, an album he made in 1998 – Going Back Home shows Baker at his foundational best, check this performance, it gives you an idea of his jazz roots, Ginger Baker Jazz Trio Performance.

The documentary, Beware of Mr. Baker, check out the Trailer For The Documentary, this is an interesting view into Baker’s life, by filmmaker Jay Bulger. Luckily I still have some of my Ginger Baker records, I’m going to give Mr. Baker a spin right now, his playing is still inspirational. RIP Ginger Baker.

2. Yoga kids is a great idea to help get kids active – Go Go Yoga for Kids: A Complete Guide to Yoga… by Sara J. Weis – is a book, and I love this concept and think it’s great for children, a yoga practice plan for kids. A session plan that takes yoga for children where it needs to be, there are some great resources here for teachers, parents and coaches, gogoyogakids.

3. When I read this book on teaching yoga to children it reminded me of the High Five Training highfive.org, that I took a few years ago. It is a method of training coaches to provide activities and environments where children feel safe, welcome, competent, connected, empowered and special. This course changed the way I go about teaching karate to children.

4. For my Canadian friends and any interested bystanders, I have been muddling through the issues that will affect our country for the next 4 years. The Canadian election is set for October 21st. I found this great summary of a survey on some important issues, enviro survey summary, that provides a guide to some of the more important questions and issues that I am interested in. They summarize how all of the parties stand on said issues.

Do you know who the parties are? Bloc Québécois – Conservative Party – Green Party – Liberal Party – New Democratic Party – People’s Party. Do you know who you will vote for? Take a stand, make sure you get out there and let your voice be heard, cast your vote.

5. I met up with a friend of mine over the weekend. Rick Hotton, a karate master, an author and an illustrator, he is also the founder of an international group known as Sunday Morning Keiko a community of like-minded people celebrating the martial arts journey.

Rick was in town for a karate seminar and I met up with him for some after seminar socializing in Burlington, Ontario. He is a wonderful storyteller and a fascinating individual, he has a book entitled Holy Molè Cartoon. Randy Moore has written a great article, Rick Hotton and the Mindful Art of Holy Molè. Check out his cartoon, it’s good fun and it’s mindful.

Still friends after this awesome kick to my head.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you’ve read forward this to someone you think will enjoy it. Check out my blog, follow the link, sign in.

www.paulyanuziello.com

Tags Ginger Baker, GoGoYoga, High Five, Holy Molè, Jay Bulger, Randy Moore, Rick Hotton, Sara J. Weis