Instructing Children in the Martial Arts

The spread of the martial arts to every corner of the world over the last 60 years has brought with it many positive qualities for an ever-growing number of young people. It has served to get them into better physical condition, given them greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and enabled them to acquire greater control over their emotions, their lives, and their environments. Many have even been elevated to hold higher moral and ethical standards while also gaining a more humanistic view of their fellowman – in contrast to the “me first” mentality of many within their generation.

It is not the martial arts themselves, however, that bring about these positive changes in children. “Martial” is defined as having to do with war and fighting. As such, the martial arts also hold an equal potential to turn a child into a threat to himself and to society. It is those who teach the martial arts that are often the critical factor in whether the outcome will be negative or positive.

Just as there are those handful of negative people who have made their way into other very positive programs like religion, the Boy Scouts, the public school system, and so on, negative people have also found their way into the martial arts. These people can do tremendous damage not only to the children entrusted into their care but also to the martial arts as well, making mothers and fathers afraid to enroll their children, denying them the many life-enhancing, life-changing qualities our arts can offer when taught properly.

Twenty or thirty years ago, I was asked by a top state senator and top state assemblyman to create an instructor certification course. Motivated by several abuse cases committed by martial arts instructors in California around that time, their intent was to require martial arts instructors to be certified by the state, as are coaches and instructors in other similar activities. I was able to convince them that it would be better to make certification optional, rather than attempt to force instructors to comply. The Senator died before we got to a point where the program was ready for implementation. And the Assemblyman had to leave office as a result of a new term-limitation law. But I came away with the text I had written for them.

I am in the process of re-editing the text, which I entitled Instructing Children in the Martial Arts. It was never actually published but sent out in a ringed binder so it could be added to or changed later. In it, I discuss not only ways to make sure young students receive safe, positive training but also ways for instructors to better ensure they are never unjustly charged with, or sued for, sexual or physical abuse.

I’ll be passing on some of this in future posts.