Parents as Coaches

Some helpful hints on how you can coach your child to Black Belt Success

 

Do:  Always, always compliment your child after each class. (Find something they did well) This is also a great time to give out a hug or kiss,  (These are free so be generous.) High 5’s work great too! Kids should immediately associate Tae Kwon Do with feelings of success and pride.

 Don’t: Criticize your child during or immediately after class. Use the PCP (Praise/Correct/Praise) principle.  Offer correction at a more appropriate time. Be careful not to upset your child. Even small criticisms can be devastating.  Do make sure you are offering correction (how to fix) not just critics (that’s wrong).

 Do:  Pick a schedule and do your best to stick to it.  Remember it is natural if your child doesn’t want to come to class every now and then.  Here are some tips to minimize this:  Don’t ask, “Do you want to go to Tae Kwon Do today?”  Remember, children are present focused, and if they are doing something fun they will answer “No”.  Instead, say, “It is time to go in 15-minutes, so please start to get ready.”

 Don’t:  Worry if your children don’t want to practice yet.  It isn’t necessary as long as they are coming to classes twice a week.  -But if they do want to practice, here are some helpful guidelines:  1)  Be consistent!  Have specific practice time and do your best to stick with it (two to three times per a week is enough).  2) Keep practices short!  Five to ten minutes is usually plenty of time for beginners  3) Reward effort!  Be as encouraging as possible.  4) Try not to be too picky!  That’s our job!  Slowly but surely form will improve so don’t expect too much too soon.  5) Make it fun!  This is the single most important factor in long-term success.  One time-tested suggestion is to have the student teach you, or someone else, what they learned in class.

 Do:  Try to practice with your child.  You can do this by having them teach you what they learned, or count their kicks and punches for them.  It is also great to hold our target for them to strike.  Don’t forget to tell them how well they are doing.  Remember, children are pleasers and always want to make their parents proud!

 Don’t:  Complain about traffic, your busy schedule, or money in front of children, they can begin to feel guilty and selfish about coming to train. Before you know it… your child will tell you they want to quit, to help make your life easier.

Do:  Give your child the thing they want more than anything in the world, your time!  Get involved and make earning a Black Belt a Team effort.

Don’t:  Threaten to take away Tae Kwon Do when they’re misbehaving at home or at school. This is a recipe for disaster. Tae Kwon Do is where we learn to behave better and to always try our best. Taking away Tae Kwon Do to improve behavior just doesn’t make sense!

 

Working together as a team… Nothing can stop us!