It is our responsibility as parents to make sure our children are able to defend themselves. It is our responsibility to make sure our children understand the gravity of when to (or not to) use such knowledge. I can assure you the finest place for your children to learn both of the above is at Analytical Fighting Systems (AFS) Academy of Martial Arts on Big Hill Avenue in Richmond.
I have written previously of my connection to AFS’s founder Scott Elliott. I have also written here about the founder of Jeet Kune Do (JKD), the late Bruce Lee. Prior to his untimely demise, Bruce Lee was clear his handpicked successor was Dan Inosanto of Los Angeles, California. Scott is a student of Inosanto. As a matter of fact, Elliott has hosted at AFS Academy on several occasions Guro Inosanto.
So why pick JKD over other run-of-the-mill karate or judo classes for your kids? In a word: Reality. The first question you should have for a martial arts instructor is: “Do your students spar?” Virtually all instructors will give you an emphatic: “Yes!” Your follow-up question should then be: “Describe for me the sparring your students engage in?” If the answer you get to that second question includes the word “points”...you should move on down the road.
At AFS, your children (once they’ve demonstrated the discipline to do so) will be given ample opportunities to don the necessary safety equipment; and experience first-hand what nearly everyone reading this article got to experience growing up: a prolonged fight.
As a former public school teacher, I know for a gospel fact what constitutes a “fight” in today’s schools can more properly be referred to as a 5-10 second amateur scrum before being promptly broken up. Having been raised in the ‘70s and ‘80s; I’ve experienced mixing it up as a boy until both parties were completely exhausted (at school). It would be hard for your kid to protect himself in a fight lasting for such a long period of time (or a worse attack) if all he’s ever experienced is an exchange of haymakers before being pulled apart in seconds by today’s omnipresent teacher. “Train hard, fight easy.”
Next Week: Woodcraft
Merry Christmas!
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