OKKO Karate Jutsu

 

OKKO Karate`s Little Ninja`s

Stoke Prior Club

 

Arrr Bless, im sure everyone will agree that the Little Ninjas look fantastic in there Karate Suits.

The picture shows the Little Ninjas celebrating after there first Grading,

                             Congratulations to you all.

 

This is an Exciting time to be a Little Ninja as there are Big Big Things happening very soon, After a chat with my Good friend Sensei Matthew Sylvester Chief Instructor and Founder of the EPMA, i have decided to purchase a Franchise from him, called Lion Cubs, very similiar to the Little Ninjas, yet a million miles away from anything i was doing when we first started with the Little Ninja program, Sensei Matthew is a professional writer, usually for Martial Arts magazines, but he can also turn his hand to pretty much any form of writing, he has written mini stories to help his Lion Cubs progress through there training, in a word there BRILLIANT, in fact the idea is that good, that i said to Sensei Matthew that i wanted to know so much more of his ideas, he has also done things like putting a book together with stories in for the Children and also a colouring book and word puzzels, of course its all about Martial Arts, but thats the beauty of it, the Colouring book will actually serve as a reminder of techiques that the Children are doing or have already been taught.

 

  Little Ninja Student of the Month

Congratulations to OKKO Karate`s Little Ninja Thomas Cairns 

Thomas was Student of the month last month "JULY"

Awarded after working very hard indeed, Thomas showed all the skills of a true Little Ninja, Respect, Attention, Manners, the Ability to listen correctly, and for showing great skills in all his Karate Techniques. On behalf of all the Instructors at OKKO Karate Jutsu we`d just like to say that we are very Proud of you Thomas, Well done.

Congratulations to Thomas Cairns

Little Ninja Grading Date

The Grading date has been set for the Little Ninja`s first ever grading, this will take place on Thursday the 26th of June during normal training times.

Only Little Ninja`s who have paid membership will be eligible to grade, these are the Little Ninja`s in the white Gi`s (karate uniforms).

This Grading has been designed so that it does not worry the Little Ninja, it is not a physically demanding grading, Little Ninja`s will only be graded on what they have learnt so far, this being; Bowing at the entrance to the Dojo (Hall) and quielty once booked in going to sit in their lines.

The Grading will consist on 5 techniques, of Free fighting stance (left or right stance), Changing stances, Front snap punch, Front snap kick, head block front and rear arms. Little Ninja`s must also do the Little Ninja basic exercise routine, consisting of running to the numbered lines, this being lines 1,2,3,4,5  plus 10 star jumps, 5 sit ups, and showing ability to listen and concentrate for 5 minutes. then as a group the Little Ninja`s will be placed in a circle and will do the Anti Bully game of NO!!! using the power of their voice over the power of the Fist.

Then 15 Minutes before time, all Little Ninja`s will be presented with there coloured Ribbon to be sewn onto the belts, and the Merit Badge to be sewn on to there Gi tunic (karate unifom jacket ) these are to be sewn on to the Little Ninja`s right arm.

This is not a Pass or Fail Grading, it is simply a tool to help the Children remember what they are being taught, all Little Ninja`s will pass as they have more than covered this subjects through there attendance on the Training nights.

 

So Far

WOW!! the Little Ninja`s have really started to show what they are capable of, Well done to you all.

This week we start the SAY NO TO STRANGERS topic, this is as serious as it comes, and although sometimes what Sensei Says may be a little scary, Sensei only tells you these things as the world that we are living in, isnt really all that safe especailly when mummy and daddy are not there with us.

All Little Ninja`s, this is your homework for next week.

If a person appraoches you and asks you to go with them or if you would like to go home on there car, and you don not know them nor does mummy and daddy, Always say NO!!

Shout as loud as you possibly can, this has 2 effects, one it will scare the person asking you to go with them away and two the louder you scream NO!!! Will alert somebody to come to your aid.

Remember Remember Remember Every person is a Stranger until Mummy and Daddy say otherwise.

Never take sweats off a stranger, Never take Money from a Stranger, Never Ever Talk to a Stranger.

Little Ninja News Update

The response for the Little Ninja`s club has been fantastic, Since the opening of the Little Ninja`s club 2 weeks ago, the students/Little Ninja`s have began there training with KIAI`S.

And are already learning that when performing a technique any technique it should be done with power, and the Kiai helps the Little Ninja`s as children as a rule are not really permitted to shout that loud in large groups unless cheering on there fellow team mate or class mate during school sports day, Children love to shout, and therefore have all really enjoyed the chance to punch and kick with big shouts, Weve had the Little Ninja`s making Kiai`s when throwing kicks also.

So far what they have learned, Any leg forward (Fighting stance) jumping to change stance (all with Kiai`s), leading hand punch rear hand punch, front leg front kick, rear leg front kick,

The Little Ninja`s are also learning the importance of stopping a physical situation verbally, Young children react with there hands and feet when poked,pinched or just had something taken off them by another child, however the Little Ninja`s are going through basic verbal exercises to stop a situation using loud words and hand gestures, instead of allowing a situation to escalate into a full fight, our key words our " Oi " "NO" "You", for this the little Ninja`s stand in a circle, with the Instructors,  the Instructor then turns to one of the Children and shouts "Oi" the Little Ninja will then face the aggressive shouter and look them in the eyes and cross there hands across the lower bodies in a gesture of "No Way" and at the same time Shout very loudly and confidently "NO!!" , This is proving to be a great little game, whilst also giving the Little Ninja`s the confidence in speaking within a group and also enpowering them and allowing them to understand that "NO" is a very important word, and can be used for so much more than they may be used too, such as ; Scenerio ( child in a shop with mum and dad) "Mum can i have some sweets?"  Mum answers " No". now the little Ninja`s are learning that No can be used in a much more powerful way, such as; Oi do you want a fight?, "NO!!" or a child pushes a little Ninja in the school playground, instead of Little Ninja retaliating in the same manner they simply shout as loud as possible and gestures with there hands "NO!!", this would be sufficient to scare off the would be bully however if it doesnt it will certainly alert a member of the teaching staff, to come to the aid of the Little Ninja involved.

So as you can see since our opening the first 2 Little Ninja`s sessions have so far been very productive indeed,  

 

    OKKO Karate`s Little Ninja`s Club

          Starts Thursday 10th April

Stoke Prior First School, Ryefields Road.

 

OKKO Karate`s Little Ninja`s Club

Little Ninja`s

What is Little Ninja`s?

The okko Little Ninja`s program has been specifically designed for young children from the ages of 4 to 6 years old, Little Ninja`s is a Karate club in every sense of the word, however i believe that young children who may wish to learn karate,but may not be ready for the intensity of a main stream karate club just yet will be better suited to the Little Ninja`s Program, so this is a reception class of karate so to speak. however the little Ninja`s will not learn the sparring side of karate, ive decided to concentrate of other parts of the karate syllabus, such as, Fitness,healthy eating, Stranger Danger, and communication skills all worked within a team and not forgetting the traditional Kata`s or Form (a set sequence of techniques performed in order).

 

Will little ninja`s have a suit?

Yes, as with the regular OKKO club the little Ninja`s with membership receive a FREE white Karate Suit, all suits will have the Little Ninja`s emblem printed on the back with the childs name, Also with the membership all Little Ninja`s will receive there first Little Ninja`s Grading licence & insurance. Plus there initial grading, although the gradings are a lot different to the regular main stream club gradings,.

How do the little ninja`s have gradings?

Taking the ages of the Little Ninja`s into consideration, i have decided to change the way Gradings are held, instead of the Little Ninja`s going for belt grades, they will instead on passing there initial test, which consists of only a few basic techniques, added with attendance, be presented with there white belt, then after this, all children (little ninja`s) will be grade tested for technique badges, so if one week we are learning physical activities and the next week the headblock, at the end of 8 weeks each little ninja will be tested during a mini grading, on completing the technique learned they are then presented with a Reward badge which is then sewn onto there karate suit (Gi) and they receive a ribbon that again is sewn around there white belt, on completing 20 badges or gradings, the little ninja will then be presented with there Red belt, the Fee`s for gradings are cheaper than the regular karate gradings, all students will also receive a certificate on completion of the technique test (badge test).

What should we as parents expect?

My aim is to work closely with each little ninja`s parents, so that we can suit the individual needs of the child, every child is unique in that we all have different ways in which to learn and at differing rates, some learn faster than others, so every student will receive Karate tuition taylored to suit there needs, Also on a plus side, if like me you have trouble getting your children to eat healthy foods such as Veg, all Little Ninja`s every month are sent home with a little booklet, this is for mum`s and dad`s to fill out, Subjects on this will vary from, tidying up there bedroom, to eating there vegetables at dinner time, all things that help mum and dad out, yet give the children ways on eating healthily or taking pride in something, the aim is to encourage the children to live productive lives, but not losing sight of the fact they are still children, so expect your child to have loads of fun, while learning new and exciting skills, working together as a team and making new friends, but also expect your child to be tired too as the physical side although fun will be demanding, as we aim to teach the youngsters about dexterity,flexiblility, and balance, but again the key word is FUN FUN FUN..

What will a typical session consist of?

After a quick warm consisting of stretching, and running, the lessons will vary from games of Sensei Says, this is like simon says only far more fun, and the children learn new techniques,

to relay races with a difference, and musical kata, this is a brand new game designed by myself, whereby we put on some music and the children copy the instructors, before they know it they have learned a kata, also technical statues, this is basic karate techniques without the children stopping until the music stops all children must then stop in the technique they were doing and if they guess the technique right a sticker is awarded, (all children win a sticker regardless) as i firmly believe there is far too much emphasis today of competing against each other, children who may not win will not gain confidence this way.

What areas do you cover?

Apart for the basic levels of karate, lessons will also cover topics such as Stranger Danger, this i feel is a very important subject, especially today, children by nature are trusting, they are taught to trust mum and dad, or nan and grandad uncle and auntie, teachers and so on, so i ask you to ask your child if they was playing outside away from there home, and a man or lady pulls there car over and tells them “hey whats your name? Thought so i know your mum and dad im going there now jump in and i`ll take you back to them” i think you will be surprised and worried with the answer they give you, as they have been told they must listen and do as they are told if an adult speaks to them, so there natural reaction is ultimately get in the car, this is a scary thought, and has lost me myself countless hours sleep worrying about my own children, The stranger Danger Just say No will be covered every week just for short periods of time after the first initial lesson covering the subject,Drilling into each child the Dangers of talking to strangers or trusting strangers.

Each student will also receive a good behaviour card/booklet this is for parents to sign, again a full month of great behaviour will be rewarded, doing as mum and dad ask is very important, and as such OKKO little Ninja`s will be comitted to helping parents out, the children are going to want to see smiley faces on the card each week instead of a glum face, i see it as a way for parents to be able to reward there children without it having to be sweets,toys,or games, they simply behave well at home doing as mum and dad asks and when the month is up and they have smiley faces they are rewarded.

Anti-Bullying, this is a tool we hope to give each child attending the little ninja`s program, this will help them see the signs of bullying, whether they are doing the bullying or on the receiving end, we also work with the children teaching them about resolving petty squabbles with there peers and friends in a verbal manner, and not to resort to fists.

Child Self Defence, this is a huge part of the little ninja`s, as i believe that any child can be at risk from attack, your children will be taught how to apply certain locking techniques, to control a potential violent situation, however first and foremost the children are taught to run away, this is always the prefered method of self defence.

How does the belt system work?

This is the great thing about the little ninja program, Membership forms will only be handed out after the children have attended every week for 4 weeks, this shows dedication, once the membership fee and form have been handed in, the students will work for 2 more weeks, this works out to week 6 of there program, each student by this time will be asked (not expected) to complete a series of techniques, ranging from basic exercises (no press ups) left and right fighting stances, how to bow, on entering the Dojo (training hall) also knowing the difference between Sensei and Student.

Once these have been achieved the students will be presented with there White belt, or first initial grading, this is presented with a grading certificate, then after this instead of piling hundreds of techniques on the children, it is single technique Tests, Each child/student must earn 20 technique grade badges before being promoted to the next coloured belt, and so on and so.

At the age of 6 will my child move to okko karate?

All students at the age of 6 must transfer over to the main stream okko club, depending on what age they started the little ninja`s club they will be presented with the equivalent grade, for instance a child beginning Little Ninja`s at the age of 4 and stays until they are 6 can be graded up to mainstream Orange belt, there is no extra membership fee for this.the Little Ninja`s simply begin to attend the normal karate class, with the already time served as little ninja`s and technique badges earned, they would be more than ready to take part in the class.

Will my child learn kata?

Absolutely yes, however the kata they would learn in the time they are with the little ninja program would be Pinan Nidan and Shodan, these katas would be taught in stages of 4 movements at a time, once each student are able to perform the 4 movements without instructor help, they then move onto the next set of 4 movements, as i said earlier there is no rush, we move at the childrens own pace.

Do you take children with learning difficulties?

Absolutely, i have taught many children with many learning difficulties, ADHD,ADD,Aspergers, Autism,Down Syndrome, because we allow the children to move at there own pace, there is no problem.

Do i need to buy sparring equipment?

No not at all, Little Ninja`s will not be sparring, so there would be no need to buy expensive equipment, all the equipment the students need will be provided within the membership, if at any time specialist equipment is required then OKKO will purchase it for the children to use.

Little Ninja`s Grading Syllabus

White belt to 3^rd Ribbon

White Belt

Attendance of 6 lessons (mandatory requirement).

Bow to sensei, Bow at door on entering and exiting the Dojo (Training hall).

Left and Right basic fight Stance

front hand snap punch

front leg snap kick

5 star jumps,

warm up stretches

1^st Ribbon Technique badge (Head Block)

this grading will be done 8 weeks after white belt grading

Front arm HeadBlock

Rear Arm Head Block

2^nd Ribbon Technique badge (down Block)

this grading will be done 8 weeks after last grade

Front arm down block

Rear arm down block

3^rd Ribbon Technique badge (inner and outer blocks)

this grading will be done 8 weeks after last grade

Front arm inner block

Rear arm inner block

Front arm outer block

Rear arm outer block

In order for a little Ninja to achieve the 3^rd Ribbon they would of had to of trained for 30 weeks, however they would of learned so much during this time, weve just made the gradings easier for them. So there is no fears of failing or nerves before testing.

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