The Value of Play

If you have ever watched one of my youth classes, you will probably notice that I incorporate a lot of play in the class.  Over the 13 years I have been teaching, every so often a parent will question this type of teaching and regard it as “watered down” martial arts.  However, this is a huge misconception.  Study after study has proven that children learn best when there is an element of fun and play in what they are learning.  Do you remember when you first taught your child their ABC’s?  I know my wife and I would sing the ABC song to our children.  We read Dr. Seuss books to learn words and rhyming.  Even as our children got older we would play games.  The game Monopoly helped my son learn about adding, how to make change with money, how to negotiate, how to diversify his investments with properties and utilities, etc. The best part was that my son, who does not exactly love school, was learning important skills all while having a ton of fun.

So this leads me to how I approach teaching my students.  The first thing I should mention is that learning martial arts involves repetitive practice.  In actuality, most sports all need a core set of skills practiced over and over.  How many times do you think Michael Jordan practiced shooting hoops, or Olympic Gold Medalist Gabrielle Douglas practiced her back flip, or Tiger Woods practiced his swing….For a child, this repetitive practice can get boring fast.  So how do you have the skill being learned or polished become second nature and stick?  How do we make this fun for kids?  We break up the intensity of the exercise with a little play.  Padded sword battles or Sumo wrestling at the end of class are some examples.  Mastering the essential skills for each martial art belt level requires patience, time and practice, practice, practice with a sprinkling of fun.  I have had the privilege of promoting many students to their junior black belts and these kids are tough as nails when they reach this level.  Their interest in learning to reach this level of achievement was kept alive and nourished by making each class a balance of learning and fun.

I think we all need to remember to always add a little fun into each day in order to even out the pressures from life.  Wishing you all a wonderful New Year and many shared moments of joy with your families and friends!

Dennis Hill, Chief Instructor
CT Krav Maga & MMA