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The world is a crazy place right now.  Especially here in New York, where coronavirus has us all staying home and being responsible about our social distancing responsibilities.  Many people are left wondering what to do as they find themselves thrust into the world of homeschooling, telecommuting, and even unemployment. With the recent mandates by […]

Stress is a significant part of our lives today, and while we all experience it, children and teens have a more difficult time managing it. Academic pressure, social tensions, and family stressors can all impact a young person’s mental well-being. For this reason, parents need to help their children develop coping skills by guiding them […]

From 18 to 36 months of age, children’s skill development moves very fast. Their brains are growing rapidly, language is blooming, and motor skills are advancing. At the same time, thinking becomes more developed, and their social and emotional capabilities enable them to interact with more people. With that said, this is the ideal age […]

Spectrum SKILLZ Emotional Development for Children on the Spectrum Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is most characterized by the emotional and social difficulties that people living with this disorder possess. And while these two areas have much cross-over in relation to the development of an individual, it is important to understand the emotional challenges as a […]

How valuable would it be to your home security and peace of mind to be able to look inside the mind of the burglar trying to break into your home so you can prepare in advance?  Self defense includes securing your environment and preventing the need to ever protect yourself physically.  Thanks to our friend […]

During the 1990-91 school year, I had the privilege of spending a year as a Rotary Exchange student in Samsun, Turkey. My time spent there is still written clearly in my mind’s eye, and many of the things I experienced while learning to be both an American ambassador and a local Turkish boy were very […]

By Heidi Burmann I have had a few conversations regarding what we are teaching students in class, so I thought it might be a good opportunity to expand the discussion to include everyone. Watching class from the outside, it may just look like lots of fun for the children, but we are actually developing all […]

You may hear your child’s martial arts instructor talking about practice time at home fairly often. This is because practicing can have a huge impact on a ninja’s ability to perform in class which will lead to more confidence. With more confidence comes the ability to achieve faster and farther! Another great benefit to practicing […]

  Ten to fourteen-year olds are the smartest students in the school. Yes, they are smarter than most adults! They are also physically competent and can excel in most physical challenges that are presented to them. The problem we discovered is they are so focused on what is socially acceptable that they have a hard […]

As parents, we want what’s best for our children. The reality is that today’s children are pushed to their limits with extra-curricular activities by well-meaning parents. With that said, I’ve put together some details about how over-committing children are retroactive for their development. For starters, let’s look at why we tend to over-commit our children: […]

Good behavior is a learning process for children, and we are their roadmap. Children usually behave per their own emotions and impulses. At the same time, being a parent is also a learning process and sometimes we rely on our own emotions and impulses to teach. Usually, that means we divert directly to punishments when […]

The C.O.A.L. Method – 4 Quick and Easy Steps to Dealing with Children’s Negative Behaviors Guest Post By Jennifer Salama When it comes to parenting, emotions can run high. When children act out negatively, parents often become frustrated quickly and react by trying to fix the behavior immediately by yelling, punishing, etc. However, this approach […]

We can all agree that social cues are extremely important. It is also important to understand what to expect from children when it comes to their social stage of development. Each age group is quite unique but there are some expectations that are common amongst the Early SKILLZ age group. Typical issues with behavior amongst […]

Halloween is such a fun time of the year for children; but when children encounter tricks instead of treats, this holiday can become very scary – and not just because of the decorations and frightening costumes. Abductions, bullying, candy that has been compromised; these are all things that can make Halloween a dreadful holiday for […]

Reprinted with permission from the Pride Martial Arts  July 2009 Newsletter A while back, a parent asked, “What is the best way to support my child in martial arts? What is my role? How do I strike a balance between being supportive and understanding on one hand…and making sure my child shows enough discipline to reach […]

Students of the Chinese martial arts (aka kung fu, kuoshu, wu shu) are very familiar with the term “Sifu”.  Sometimes also written as Shifu or even Shihfu from the Mandarin pronunciation of the term, Sifu is taken to mean “teacher” or “master”.  In American schools of kung fu, the term is often used as a […]

We all know that practice makes perfect, right?  But sometimes helping your child to practice at home can be a challenge. It can even be frustrating trying to get them to practice their martial arts moves if you aren’t aware of their specific needs and abilities, and it goes beyond just the physical moves. For […]