Karate builds confidence, but how?

Students who come to class regularly get the needed amount of repetition to succeed. When students succeed, they want to come to class more often, which means great success!

Practice increases improvement. Students who feel great about themselves are more confident in all areas of life.

Karate builds confidence through hard work, and students learn that hard work is rewarding. It may seem simple, but just coming to class makes a difference.

Being nice is good.

Focus, co-ordination, discipline, better grades...

But what about being NICE?

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Martial arts schools are known for helping children become more focused & disciplined. Karate helps kids do better in school and listen better at home.

Pediatricians, teachers and guidance counselors recommend karate classes to kids who struggle to fit in, have coordination issues or need another voice to echo what mom and dad want for the success of their kids.

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But what about being nice? At Community Karate and Fitness we teach your child to be "NICE." We teach our students in a positive way, so that they learn from someone other than mom and dad, that being nice is important.

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We explain that when we "bow" in class it's a promise to "be nice." When students listen nicely in class they are rewarded. When they don't, we give them the opportunity to "make a better choice" and guide them in the right direction.

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At Community Karate and Fitness we have classes for kids as young as 3 years old. Our Kids Classes are safe and fun and will promote good physical and mental fitness.

We teach kicking, punching, self-protection & self-awareness. We teach katas, which are karate moves put together in a pattern - think ice skating routines, but with blocking, punching and kicking...and no ice.  

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Karate isn't all about yelling and screaming. It isn't about punishing students; it's about encouraging students to do their very best every day. If you want your child to understand the value of being nice, then give us a call today: 719-599-7024. It's nice to hear from you!

Back to school - Routine is key to success!

Back to school time can be tough, especially if your family fell out of its normal routine during the summer months. Here are five simple tips to help kids get back on track:

1. Set up wake times and go to bed times and stick with them. Kids who get up at the same time every morning on a regular basis will develop a natural instinct to eventually get up on time on their own. This will help with going to bed on time every night.

2. Set up allowed after-school activities. Believe it or not, kids love rules. If you set up a schedule after school, for example: snack, homework, screen time, chores (or whatever works for your family), then kids have a pattern to follow. Setting up a reward system like screen time after homework and before chores creates a "sandwich" style system that kids really like.

3. Set up an activity outside of school. Kids who have regularly scheduled classes, like karate, outside of school create new relationships, stay focused in school and have healthier habits. Attending classes a few times a week gives kids something to look forward to.

4. Create a responsibility and reward chart. Is there something your child really wants? A trip to the zoo? New sneakers? A night at the movies? Create a realistic chore chart that corresponds with the value of the item/event your child is asking for. A night at the movies might be equivalent to making your bed four times, putting away laundry twice and not arguing with your siblings for three days. Be creative. Let your child help design the chart. Kids who participate in household chores enjoy the responsibility of helping out.

5. Be consistent with praise. It's easy to fall into the constant criticism trap of telling your kids what they are doing wrong, what they forgot to do and how they fell short of expectations. Take time every day to catch your kids doings something right and reward them on the spot. Rewards can be as simple as a hug, a high five, 10 minutes stay-up late with mom/dad, the last package of fruit snacks or choosing a movie for the family to watch.

Try some of these suggestions and see how they can get your family on track for a successful school year. If you are looking for more parenting tips or have questions you would like answered in a future blog, email me at: MrsC@CommunityKarateandFitness.com Your question could be featured in my next blog!

Summer time and karate classes? Here are 4 great reasons to train at Community Karate and Fitness this summer.

Summer time is a great time to enroll in karate classes for you and your family. Here are some of the positive effects that the right karate school can have on your kids:

1. Maintain the learning environment throughout the summer. Lots of kids reap the benefits of staying sharp mentally and physically by learning something new during the summer time. While we teach the physical aspects of martial arts training we are also teaching Japanese terminology, remembering patterns of movement and keeping our minds sharp with new information every week.



2. Increase social skills before returning to a new grade in August. Kids who attend classes at Community Karate and Fitness become more socially adept at starting conversations, making new friends, speaking clearly to adults and feeling confident being in front of a crowd. Classes foster great social behavior in kids of all ages.

3. Down time for parents is critical when kids are home all day long. We love our kids and we look forward to summer break all year long. But what about when you've exhausted your options for fun and the day isn't over yet? You can look forward to late afternoon and early evening karate classes for the kids and adult time for yourself. Parents enjoy chatting with each other during the kids' classes either in the main area or the Community Room where we have a puzzle, checkers game and comfortable seating. Come on in and relax while the kids are getting a good workout.

4. A positive environment creates positive attitudes. Our karate school is full of upbeat positive energy. From our certified instructors to our currently enrolled students, you will almost always hear a story that will make you smile, laugh and appreciate the abundance of sunny outlooks at our dojo. We make time to share successes on and off the mat.

You will probably come up with your own reasons for coming back to the dojo every week. When you live in a wonderful place like Colorado Springs, you are looking for the best. Come and check out our karate school and you will see why Community Karate and Fitness is where you belong.

Give us a call at 719-599-7024 and start training this week!

Kids in Colorado Springs just want to have fun!

Kids in Colorado Springs who attend our events at Community Karate and Fitness have a great time "Sword Fighting" with each other every month.

They love the 90 minute non-stop energy fest of trying to score points on one another in a structured, fast-paced, fun environment under the supervision of Sensei Deb Cupples, owner of the karate school and Mr. Cameron Davies, head instructor.

Kids want to run around and have fun.  Why not enroll them in something that they want to do with other families who are just like yours?

"I had no idea a karate school could be like this."

More often than not I hear from new students that our school is not what they expected.  Expectations are usually that our facility will be more like a gymnasium, concrete walls and bare floors.  People also let me know that they don't expect the owner of the school to be teaching most of the classes.

Well, that's what makes us different at Community Karate and Fitness.  Read more about us in the article in the Colorado Springs Business Journal.

Read more about our school in this article by the Colorado Springs Business Journal

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from Community Karate and Fitness!

The new year always brings resolutions, promises, dedication, persistence, etc. As hokey as it may sound for some, I think that the new year should bring reflection...as should the first of each month, the first day of the week, the first hour of the day and more. We should constantly be striving to better ourselves, which should not be confused with trying to be better than someone else.

We have a traditional karate tournament coming up this Saturday. Each and every one of my competitors has thought very hard about what their goals are for this event. It is NOT to win a gold medal. It is NOT to "beat my opponent," but instead, it is a goal that exemplifies bettering yourself. Here are some examples of our students goals:

1. Score one point in sparring.

2. Block 2 punches in my sparring match.

3. Remember to stay on the mat to receive my score.

4. Shake hands with the judges and thank them.

5. Make a new friend.

6. Stay in bounds during my sparring match.

7. Make it through my kata and be proud even if I make a mistake.

8. Even if I get nervous, to have a fun day.

I sure do love what I do...and you should too. Reflect and decide to better yourself today.

Sensei Cupples

719-599-7024 (dojo)