TEACHING CHILDREN KUNG FU
by Sifu Gino Belfiore
Why Kung Fu?
So why should anyone chose to take their child or children to kung fu? Why not gymnastics or soccer?
Let us go back to the roots of kung fu and see why it is so important. For 1,500 years kung fu has been practiced the Asian people not only for it’s self defense aspects, but for many other reasons as well. There are 4 categories that are the foundation of kung fu training. They will explain about kung fu and it’s longevity.Health and Fitness
Because of the health benefits, kung fu became popular not only among the priests who founded it, but the common citizen as well.
Shaolin Kung Fu was created during a time when the monks were only practicing worship and meditation. Bodhidharma came and taught the monks stretching and gymnastic exercises. These exercises plus breathing techniques are the key to a long and healthy life. The stretching and exercises eventually combined with the local kung fu techniques to form what is now known as “Shaolin Kung Fu”.So what we are teaching the children is not just a bunch of stuff to keep them occupied, but more a healthy attitude that they will start to form a habit of doing. Hopefully not just during class, but for the rest of their lives.
Self Defense
Seeing that Shaolin Kung Fu has been around for over 1,500 years, you could say that it’s effectiveness is pretty good. Most martial arts that do not work, eventually fade away into history.
Kung Fu has not been around for this long with out it having some type of value towards defending ones self or others.Moral Character
Morality has always been part of the kung fu foundation. Teaching a child the values that we have come to be missing in the 21st century is something has always been taught in kung fu.
Tolerance, good manners, respecting others, love and kindness towards all mankind is something I try to instill in all of my students. These qualities are missing in our society today. Most of the young people today could careless about others in distress.Self confidence, discipline, self control and self esteem are among the other benefits when teaching morality. How often do we young people of today who lack these qualities? These issues were just as important 1,500 years ago as they are today. So as the monks of shaolin taught their kung fu, they added morality into their teaching
Spiritual / Mental
The Mental aspect of kung fu is taught right from the very beginning. Academics are very important and stressed thru out the life of a young martial artist. Everything from math and science, history and horticulture, philosophy and calligraphy are the main courses taught to all monks. The shaolin monks were actually scholars that could fight well.
The spiritual side of kung fu is not taught until after most of the physical aspects have been completed. The rigors of spiritual training are a bit arduous and repetitive for a beginner in kung fu. Also you must have some physical strength to stay in certain positions and postures for long periods of time. Spiritual training requires an individual to keep a blank mind or to focus solely on breathing. This may seem difficult at first, but for all monks who wish learn this aspect, it is a must.
In Retrospect
As we look at the reasons behind, why your child should take martial arts. You should know that the kung fu we teach has been an aid to raising young martial artists for thousands of years and has proven itself a worthy asset.
Besides the health, self defense, morality and spiritual aspects of teaching, each child that comes thru my class will be molded and nurtured with all that I do. This seems so monumental, to be able to change the course of a child’s life. This has made me take teaching very seriously. Also every child is different, so I must treat each child with respect and honesty. Lastly, I try to love every child as if they were my own.Sifu Gino