Parent’s Corner
by Sije Veronica Sas
Summer is almost upon us. For kids, that means relaxing and perhaps a vacation. However, that doesn’t mean that they need to take a break from their Kung Fu training! Both kids and adults need daily exercise, but if your kids are like mine, once school is done all they want to do is play video games. Kung Fu is a great way for them to get exercise plus summer is great time to train. One advantage of your child training during the summer is that the class sizes are typically smaller since many families either take a break from training or go on vacation. Smaller class sizes allow for more personal instruction as it is easier for the instructor to dedicate more time to each individual student. If your child is interested in grading in the fall or is just motivated to improve their Kung Fu, this is a great chance for them.
For the last few years, we have occasionally gone to the back field or the back parking lot when the weather turned nice. This allows extra room when practicing with a long weapon, or just to have a lot of space to practice. It’s also a treat when you’re training in the field, and you spot our resident groundhog. To take full advantage of outdoor training, your child needs proper footwear. Often an instructor will let the class know if an outdoor class is planned, but not always. I’ve found it helpful for my daughter to keep a pair of running shoes and socks in her equipment bag, then she is always ready. It’s a great use for old school shoes that will be too small in September.
If your family is planning on taking a longer vacation this summer, there is no reason why your child can not practice while they are away. One thing the lockdown taught us is that Kung Fu can be done anywhere. All you need is a little bit of clear space and your child’s desire to practice. Backyards are a great place for your child to practice their Kung Fu, either at home or away. Even weapons can be improvised while away! Any stick-like object can be a staff (broom handle works great) or two unsharpened pencils can be daggers. Last year, my family went on vacation for two weeks. Since my daughter was interested in grading in the fall, we improvised so she could still practice her staff form. I ended up buying a $4 dowel from Canadian Tire, since there was nothing around that would have worked. Some weapons are not as easy to improvise, but your child can still work on the movements of the form, focusing on the stances.
With the new Sunday morning Family Class, there’s even more opportunities for your child to attend class this summer. Perhaps you might even think about joining them in their training and make it a family event!
If you plan to be away most of the summer, or just take a break from training, we hope you have a great summer, and we look forward to seeing you in the fall. But planning to grade in the fall, after an extended absence, is likely not a realistic goal. Be sure to discuss your plans with Sigung so there are no unfortunate surprises.