"Why do we always have to do karate?"

The short answer? We don't!

It’s a great question, posed to me by one of our Little Tigers – the 5 to 8-year-old class we run twice a week that is more barely-controlled-chaos and less disciplined martial arts.

I get it - it’s way more fun to play games, run around, create elaborate, convoluted, and often incomprehensible obstacle courses and scream at the tops of our lungs. Way more fun to chase each other with hands like crabs or roaring like a giant bear.

Why indeed? The short answer is – we don’t.

"What, what? Then why did I sign my kid up for this?"

Another great question! For me, it all comes down to point of view. I love sports, and I love karate. A life-long commitment to physical activity has helped me through some of the most difficult times in my life. But it’s not like that for everyone. To wit: less than half (48%) of Canadians aged 50+ get the recommended amount of physical activity per week, with only 69% of Canadians aged 18 – 24 meeting the guidelines. For kids, the statistics are worse: only 39% of children ages 5 – 17 are getting the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day. For the group aged 12 – 17, that number drops to 31%.

Only 39% of kids aged 5 - 17 are getting the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day.

So, what can we do? The most important factor for keeping kids in sport is – you guessed it – FUN. And fun, no matter your age, means doing things – engaging, having a sense of challenge, some element of imagination and creativity, and an opportunity to make your own choices. Add to that a supportive environment and social connection, a feeling of success, and a little bit of humour, and you have the tools for building the foundation for a life-long love of physical activity.

The benefits are innumerable, and include healthy brain and cognitive development, memory and learning, executive function, creativity, physical health, mental and emotional wellbeing, social skills, and lifelong healthy habits. If I can help facilitate some of that, with some punches, kicks, and a big, loud kiai thrown in for good measure? Then I think I have done my job.

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Resources

Active for Life. https://activeforlife.com/

Sport for Life. https://sportforlife.ca/

Sport Information Resource Centre. https://sirc.ca/

Statistics Canada. https://www150.statcan.gc.ca