Butterflies get us all. Yes kiddos, even adults get butterflies. Isn't it cool that you and your kids get to learn to deal with nervous butterflies as a student of the martial arts, and you don't have to wait until adulthood to deal with these feelings?
Flight or Flight is a natural response to stress. Check out this video to see why we have this natural response.
Don't worry, as a M.Ed (Master in Education), I know how to encourage your kids to push just a bit more than they would push themselves. But I am very careful not to over stress a student to the breaking point. This is what is great about our "Family Academy" environment. Our school is just the right size, where I know you and your kids well, and can create an event that is designed just right for their current skills level. Schools with 100+ students and a "Master" who only performs Belt Exams or teaches just the "senior" students, can't create this effective learning environment designed perfectly for you.
And you can be assured that if I am encouraging you to work on the 3-C's, I will ask myself to do the same. So when I ask you to perform at a big event, I will perform as well (when appropriate). Yes, I get nervous performing in front of people too, even after 24+ years of martial arts training. But, without learning how to overcome the Flight or Flight response at a young age (I started martial arts at the age of 11), I would never have been able to become an Airline Pilot. Trust me, being a female Airline Pilot and FFDO (Federal Flight Deck Officer) demands performance in many stressful situations. And you can bet, I borrow from these experiences and others, to create a safe, fun, and slightly stressful event that will help you (and your kid) succeed in life.Remember our Moto - "The Journey is the Award" and know that we are "Shaping a Generation of Leaders."
Keep Flighting,
Sifu S
