Posted 12:26 am Sunday, February 05, 2012
‘Little Mantises’ Club Keeps Active With Martial Arts
By COSHANDRA DILLARD
Staff Writer
Sporting tiny pants and even smaller T-shirts and satin Kung Fu belts, a group of six pre-schoolers filed into Kung Fu & Fitness’ facility, where they performed upper blocks, inside blocks and palm strides with their little forearms and elbows.
This club of 3½- to 5-year-olds — called Little Mantises’ because of the style of Kung Fu taught at the gym — doesn’t know much about the benefits of their once to twice weekly lessons in the Chinese martial art, but they do know they are having fun.
Last summer, Holly Eskind turned 4 years old. The youngest of four daughters (ages 25, 20 and 16), her mother wanted her to participate in a program that would cater to the active girl.
Staff Writer
Sporting tiny pants and even smaller T-shirts and satin Kung Fu belts, a group of six pre-schoolers filed into Kung Fu & Fitness’ facility, where they performed upper blocks, inside blocks and palm strides with their little forearms and elbows.
This club of 3½- to 5-year-olds — called Little Mantises’ because of the style of Kung Fu taught at the gym — doesn’t know much about the benefits of their once to twice weekly lessons in the Chinese martial art, but they do know they are having fun.
Last summer, Holly Eskind turned 4 years old. The youngest of four daughters (ages 25, 20 and 16), her mother wanted her to participate in a program that would cater to the active girl.
“She needed to be in her own zone, away from the big girls and this is an outlet for her,” Tina Eskind said. “I wanted the discipline, I wanted the structure.”
It was more about discipline and the social aspect of Kung Fu that caught the eye of the Eskind family. Physical fitness, Mrs. Eskind said, is something the family, hailing from Cajun country, has struggled with. Nonetheless, she said her oldest daughter is interested in getting the whole family to participate in Kung Fu.
At the core of teaching Kung Fu to children is focus, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, building confidence and social interaction. It also prepares them for situations where they may need to escape. Older children’s parents sign them up as they begin dealing with bullies at school.
Some of them are involved in other sports, but for many, this is an introduction to organized activity.
As they get older, Sifu Brandon Jones, owner and instructor at Kung Fu & Fitness, said the majority of his students participate in team sports. Each program is eight weeks, and he said there is a significant difference in motor skills and balance by the end of that period.
“The main reasons is for motor skills, learning better hand and eye coordination and they want to get them involved with a sport but they may not be into team sports,” Jones said. “At that age, it’s about discipline and motor skills. It prepares them for learning how to take instruction as they do get into soccer and other sports.”
In addition to mental exercise and defensive skills, Kung Fu offers up plenty of physical fitness.
During a time when childhood obesity affects more than 12 million American children, it’s a benefit that parents like.
“He keeps them moving around, so I think it’s good fitness for him, too,” said Ashley Barnes, whose 5-year-old son, Brayden, has attended the class for one year.
“He’s very proud of what he’s learned and of his accomplishments. I didn’t realize how strong he was until we started practicing.”
It’s also helped him stand up for his self, and to respect others, Mrs. Barnes said.
“He loves it,” she added.
But children don’t realize they are getting exercise. It’s playtime for the miniature mantises.
“It’s a way to work out but you don’t feel like you’re working out because you’re learning something cool,” Jones said. “It’s kind of a workout in disguise.
“They learn to do pushups for the first time they learn to do sit ups. They do a lot of jumping, crawling. We’re working the whole body. They learn to roll. They learn to run. They learn to jump.
They learn to start using their muscles as far as kicking and punching. Everything is about escaping so when they learn to do a technique, they physically have to run away.”
Repetition from kicks and punches provide the students with plenty of cardio exercise.
“Actually, they’re getting all four components of health: flexibility, cardio, the muscle and the balance.”
There are nearly 50 children total enrolled in two age groups. In a second class, Jones welcomes 6 to 8 year olds, all who are wide-eyed and eager to begin the day’s lesson. He encourages the children not to give up and instructs them how to have correct posture and mannerisms.
Whatever reasons they were drawn to the class, Jones hopes they will leave a more confident, healthy and well-prepared child.
They enter the classroom with Jones probing, “What’s your promise?”
“I promise to do my best,” they respond with a bow.
It was more about discipline and the social aspect of Kung Fu that caught the eye of the Eskind family. Physical fitness, Mrs. Eskind said, is something the family, hailing from Cajun country, has struggled with. Nonetheless, she said her oldest daughter is interested in getting the whole family to participate in Kung Fu.
At the core of teaching Kung Fu to children is focus, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, building confidence and social interaction. It also prepares them for situations where they may need to escape. Older children’s parents sign them up as they begin dealing with bullies at school.
Some of them are involved in other sports, but for many, this is an introduction to organized activity.
As they get older, Sifu Brandon Jones, owner and instructor at Kung Fu & Fitness, said the majority of his students participate in team sports. Each program is eight weeks, and he said there is a significant difference in motor skills and balance by the end of that period.
“The main reasons is for motor skills, learning better hand and eye coordination and they want to get them involved with a sport but they may not be into team sports,” Jones said. “At that age, it’s about discipline and motor skills. It prepares them for learning how to take instruction as they do get into soccer and other sports.”
In addition to mental exercise and defensive skills, Kung Fu offers up plenty of physical fitness.
During a time when childhood obesity affects more than 12 million American children, it’s a benefit that parents like.
“He keeps them moving around, so I think it’s good fitness for him, too,” said Ashley Barnes, whose 5-year-old son, Brayden, has attended the class for one year.
“He’s very proud of what he’s learned and of his accomplishments. I didn’t realize how strong he was until we started practicing.”
It’s also helped him stand up for his self, and to respect others, Mrs. Barnes said.
“He loves it,” she added.
But children don’t realize they are getting exercise. It’s playtime for the miniature mantises.
“It’s a way to work out but you don’t feel like you’re working out because you’re learning something cool,” Jones said. “It’s kind of a workout in disguise.
“They learn to do pushups for the first time they learn to do sit ups. They do a lot of jumping, crawling. We’re working the whole body. They learn to roll. They learn to run. They learn to jump.
They learn to start using their muscles as far as kicking and punching. Everything is about escaping so when they learn to do a technique, they physically have to run away.”
Repetition from kicks and punches provide the students with plenty of cardio exercise.
“Actually, they’re getting all four components of health: flexibility, cardio, the muscle and the balance.”
There are nearly 50 children total enrolled in two age groups. In a second class, Jones welcomes 6 to 8 year olds, all who are wide-eyed and eager to begin the day’s lesson. He encourages the children not to give up and instructs them how to have correct posture and mannerisms.
Whatever reasons they were drawn to the class, Jones hopes they will leave a more confident, healthy and well-prepared child.
They enter the classroom with Jones probing, “What’s your promise?”
“I promise to do my best,” they respond with a bow.
