Recently, I shared that I’m beginning my 24th year with Chuck Norris’ Kickstart Kids. Twenty-four years of character-building, lesson planning, and watching young people grow into their best selves. It’s been a journey filled with grit, grace, and more than a few bruises. After that post, someone asked me a question I hadn’t considered in…
Tag: karate classes
How the Martial Arts Build Essential Life Skills
As parents, we want our children and teens to succeed not just in school but in life. We sign them up for activities, hoping they’ll gain confidence, discipline, and maybe even learn a new skill. If your child is in martial arts, you might be focused on the physical benefits, the strength, coordination, and self-defense….
Empowering Teens through the Martial Arts
I had a wonderful student years ago, and for our purposes here, we will call her Lisa, but that isn’t her real name. Lisa was not a bad kid by any stretch of the imagination. She did have some trauma in her life before she became my student. She also had some odd choices in…
My Take on Taekwondo
I’ve been very nostalgic lately. This post is a direct result of my thinking over the last few days. When I think of the 90s, especially the early to mid 90s, TKD memories tend to crowd out the more difficult things I went through. During my somewhat younger days and into middle age, I questioned…
Wallace Smedley 