Dear Parents and Students,

It is our belief that children need structure in their lives and a strong support system of family, friends, and mentors for encouragement to enable their growth.

At Family Tree Karate, our goal is to help create this structure in a way that provides our younger students with well-defined guidelines, equipping them morally, emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually for the everyday challenges of growing up.
Having structure allows the child to focus on improving themselves within acceptable guidelines, reaping the rewards of good behavior and understanding the consequences of inappropriate conduct.

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Structure is not stifling and does not need to take away the freedom of a child. Structure provides a foundation for growth allowing children to become strong, self-disciplined, self-confident and self-reliant as they become young adults. Many times we have seen that with a strong sense of self a young adult becomes a light in the world, passing on the road map that served them so well in their formative years.

Here’s some of the character traits that Family Tree Karate promotes and teaches:

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WE ENCOURAGE GOOD LISTENING SKILLS, FOCUS, RESPECT FOR OTHERS, SELF-CONFIDENCE, SELF-DISCIPLINE, PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE, LEADERSHIP AND SELFLESSNESS.

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Family Tree Karate offers a strong support system that is in complete harmony with your own everyday efforts to raise and nurture strong, respectful, and happy children. We have been very successful in helping children become responsible young adults, but this is only achieved with your help and support.

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Only when an individual fully applies themselves to a particular pursuit can they reap all the benefits and rewards it offers. Please help us by embracing and echoing our fundamental teachings when it comes to perseverance:

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1.    We ask our students to be consistent with training, at least two days per week. Inconsistent attendance sometimes causes a child to feel embarrassed when they cannot remember our curriculum. Many children will want to give up rather than be embarrassed in any way. Inconsistent attendance that we do not question or challenge tells a child that no one really cares if they apply themselves fully or not.

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2.    When a child says “I don’t want to do this anymore”, we can’t simply say “okay.” We believe we aren’t helping the child by doing this. We will quickly try to get to the root of the problem. Sometimes the solution may include private lessons, and we will always make them available if requested by a parent. Sometimes, the only issue is a lack of confidence, which can easily be overcome with guidance.

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3.    We realize that karate is not a quick fix. If we don’t see immediate improvement, we won’t give up. We are patient. It is the reinforcement of the all the positive character traits over time as well as the child’s gradual physical and emotional development that builds them into leaders as young adults.

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4.    We do not criticize a child or compare them to others in the school. We are never embarrassed for our younger students, or for their behavior on the mat. Growth in the Martial Arts comes at different times and at a different pace for each individual. Martial Arts is a way of life- it shouldn’t be considered a competitive sport.

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5.    We ask that parents inform us of changes in their children, positive or negative, as they occur so that we can respond accordingly. We try hard never to be in conflict with any of your family values or teachings. When parents of our younger students take same approach with the teachings of Family Tree the results are often inspiring!

We take our role as instructors, mentors, and an extended family support group very seriously.

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With love and respect,

Shihan Hook