Empower our children

Let me start by saying that there are many good martial arts schools and excellent instructors out there. The two main reasons a parent wants their children to practice a martial arts is for discipline and self confidence everything else are sub consequences of these two main factors. Quite often, parents don't know in which style of martial arts they should enroll their children and they are concerned about their children's commitment to the program.

A martial arts instructor can help impact and change the life of a child for good but discipline starts at home and starts early in the child's life so give your child simple and age appropriate tasks at home and let them do it, let them figure it out, let them struggle and persevere for a solution under your supervision, never award them for something they are supposed to do and that will be their first "martial arts" lesson. 

I can't tell you about other schools and what other instructors do. I can tell you however that the less important thing that I will teach your child is their ability to fight. Let's face it, unless your child will be in a cage fight the numbers of fight that he or she will be involved in their life time will be minimum. The most important thing your child will learn from martial arts is their ability to not fight. 

Ha ha ha! I can see the ??????? on your faces just now. 

Let me explain. Growing up in Brazil and coming from a place where quite often I had to fight my way in order to pass through certain neighborhoods, I learned that bullies pray on the weak or on what they perceive as weak. I was the typical square classes nerd type shy looking kid, had self esteem issues and couldn't fight to save my life. 

My mom signed me up for Judo classes and I was all happy I was going to learn cool moves like the kung fu guy on tv. Stead, I was in this very cruelly workout and I was been tossed around like a rag doll. I immediately wanted to quit. Mom made me go, there was no negotiation, and so I went. Mom noticed that I was walking different, talk different, my head wasn't down as it normally would and without me realizing, the bullies stop pursuing me. 

I wondered why... well, I gradually became empowered, my posture improved and I learned to look people in the eye. Regardless of my fighting skills and my competition records I won many fights with the bullies without of the necessity of fighting. My aura changed and I was respected and so, my work with children is to teach them how to have self control, because they will need it in different aspects of their lives, once they get self control, they will develop what I call "thick skin" and what I mean by that is that certain things will not interfere with their emotions. They will be the "bigger person" in altercations situations and choose the best approach possible, walk away if they can and only use their skills in last case scenario. 

The skills I was taught are the skills I teach. It takes time, effort and perseverance. What we do is a full contact activity, it is controlled, it is monitored, it is methodic, but it is not for everyone. So, if you would like to know more about my work, stop by and observe or let your child(ren) try the free classes. I also encourage you to tryout other schools as well. What I can promise you is that I see and treat every child in my class as my own and I love what I do.

Powersource Martial Arts

Address: 3309 Vollmer rd, Flossmoor, IL (708) 960-4913

Web: powersourcema.com