Kids Ages 6-11

 Kids Classes, Ages 6-11

• 12 months at $109/month with $109 quarterly belt tests. (See Registration page for additional membership options.) 

Our Kids Class currently meets two times per week, and kids should not join who can’t come to both classes, every week, most of the time. Please see the Registration page for how to sign up. The schedule is:

Class Schedule

 Tuesdays and Thursdays

 5pm to 6pm

At Ligo Dojo, we will teach your child authentic karate. One of the greatest moments for us is when kids turn 12 or 13 and move up into our Team Training class and realize that their kids class has adequately prepared them for what the adults and teens do in class, and our adults and teens perform at a very high level. Kids have fun and feel accomplishment, but karate class is not recreation or playtime. The classes are structured classes for 50 minutes with a lesson plan. Kids arrive ready for class (dressed, hair tied, hydrated), they work for the entire time while at the dojo, and then class dismisses. They are taught that the dojo is a place for focus, not a place for play.

Kids develop a sense of accomplishment and confidence, they become physically stronger and more coordinated. In addition to karate, kids learn self-control and maturity, but parents should note that these benefits come from the kids following the structured class, and that part of what we teach is NOT how to behave IN ORDER to follow the class. Following the class structure, rather, is a dojo rule/expectation. Most kids, of course, just can follow a structure even if they haven’t ever before, because that’s what all the other kids are doing, but parents, please just think twice: If your child needs to develop fundamental behavior skills, our school probably isn’t the one for them. Our 6-years-old youngest limit does not necessarily mean all 6-year-olds can follow our classes. 

In class, kids burn off energy who have excess energy; kids who could stand to be energized will be. Kids learn self-control, not to use their karate at home for fun and games. Aggression tends to gets tempered out, and timidity is cured with confidence. However, this learning does occur in a structured class setting, and fails if the child cannot conform to the structure. The Team Training mentality is softer in the kids class, because kids are kids, but if a child can not behave in a structured class, it’s not the right school for them.

Eligibility

Kids younger than 6 will not be admitted. Classes are suitable for most kids 6-11, but parents should gauge whether they feel like their child needs a more play-like atmosphere (NOT our school), or a more disciplined one (Ligo Dojo). Perhaps see the video at right, and note the activity is a structured one. Kids work in a unified fashion as a team. When their movements are correct and energetic and crisp and synchronized with the rest of the group, the group is uplifted and the confidence and ability of all students present increases. If, on the other hand, the student’s movements are lackluster and the timing is off, it shares an energy which LOWERS the class momentum and wears down the confidence of the other students. Participating with energy is a dojo rule/expectation, not something we feel it’s our job to teach. (Don’t worry, most kids do!) Our program is not recreation; It’s a class with a curriculum. If this feels like a good match for your child, we’d love to have them! 

Perhaps ask yourself the following questions to determine eligibility: 1. Can my child be at all of the classes, most weeks? 2. Does my child WANT to learn karate? 3. Can my child follow a structured class? 4. Can my child engage with energy? 5. Is this something we’re looking to do on an ongoing basis? 6. Am I looking for an educational experience for my child, or recreation and child care? If you answered yes to these questions (and “yes, an educational experience!” for #6), Ligo Dojo could be the right choice for your child. 

Expectations

Kids should attend all classes, baring the unforeseen (illness or travel), and should arrive prepared for class and on time (dressed, hair tied back, fed, hydrated, etc). Since our classes are for learning, kids work in class, and some days they’re very excited about karate; other days, they respond to it like it’s hard work as well. We depend on our parents to bring our kids to class no matter how they’re feeling, and also to coach them on how important it is that they are strong and focused in class, and that doing hard work, too, is part of getting good at anything, especially karate. Please don’t consider our program as a place you just drop your kids off for an hour to get a break from them not behaving at home. Our community offers other options for supervised after-school recreation. Please, on the other hand, “team-teach” your child with us by reinforcing our values that karate is a time for serious and rewarding work, and that excitement comes from learning, not from playing.