A parent asked me a while ago “how did you know how to handle that?” We are talking about a child who started crying even though the technique that was being practiced was right.

Things can only be learnt if the mind set is in the right place, so even if its being done correctly you don’t truly learn it.

I walked over to the child/student and asked why was he crying his response was to cry louder, so I walked away within a few minutes he stopped crying, I went back over and said awesome kick and was greeted with a smile. Some call it extinguished behavior (let it burn its self out), but from a different view it can be mind set, understanding the mind of a child is not too tricky when you have taught them for 20+ years, it normally comes down to attention or “I want” which amounts to the same thing, I want attention or I want an ice cream.

If I had asked what do you want he would have gave an answer something like ” A game, a drink or can I go to toilet. He doesn’t want the technique (Kick) but wants to do Karate. Knowing the answer helps me help the child with moving forward.

Helping children with their mind set is an amazing skill to help with.

Play this game with your children:

Get them to run on the spot with a toy in front of them and if they run for 2 minutes they can play with the toy, most don’t want to run, they want the toy their mind set is set on playing, this process can help with stopping tantrums while being active with rewards for actions they would not do on their own.

I hope this helps.

 

Mike Head coach at MSD Evolution