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Isaac started martial arts three years ago. He was 4 and active and his parents wanted to find a way to help him interact better in pre-school.

“Someone suggested karate as a great way to funnel aggression in a positive way,” said mom Ada. 

His first few classes were tenuous as he bounced around. He had to be redirected to sit still or wait his turn. At times, he was nervous to get on the mat without mom or dad. 

“He very quickly fell into the routine of class and really started working toward those stripes, belts, and patches,” mom Ada said. 

What really helped his progress is when mom and dad reiterated the lessons at home. 

“We saw what Ms. B was doing and we used a lot of her tools at home to add some focus, responsibility, chores. If she suggested something, we started using her language at home. Particularly that first year we saw a lot of progress in his behavior,” she said. 

The confidence he gained at martial arts was spilling over into his behavior at home and performance at school.

“It gives him something to look forward to that he’s excited about. I remember when we were doing the tournaments and getting those medals he’s been super proud of. It’s given him those benchmarks to say: this is the level I achieved,” said dad Craig.

Succeeding in his first few classes was just the beginning of a series of challenges along the way.  Virtual school started. The family adjusted to new routines. Isaac resisted Zoom classes because he was already online all the time and missing his friends and his typical little boy life.

Now Isaac is on to his next challenge: the basic class for older kids. Isaac can get frustrated because the moves are more difficult, the class goes faster, and he’s now one of the younger kids in class again.

For many of his classes on Zoom, mom or dad is standing next to him helping him as an onsite coach.

“I’ve seen him grow in confidence. … I love the way you guys are sticking together with him,” said instructor Mr. Tim.

Isaac’s parents see each roadblock as a stepping stone that got their son to a new level. What kept them motivated to keep going is the welcoming environment. “Instructors are taking the time to get to know the parents as much as the kids. Perseverance, working hard, I think those are wonderful goals to instill in young kids. There are so many positive benefits,” said dad, Craig.

Did you hear about the guy who was in a coma for the last year? He asked if someone wanted to Skype.

In case that was you, Zoom is now a Noun, a Verb and the biggest thing since beepers. It’s the teaching platform Action Karate uses every day for our martial arts classes as we’ve weaved in and out of lock-down. Zoom classes have remained.

After a year of Zoom, we’ve learned a lot. No matter what you are teaching on Zoom, whether it’s second grade or knitting, here are some tips that will help you sound like a video star.

9 Black Belt Tips for Teaching on Zoom

1. Say names frequently – Ask participants to ‘Rename’ themselves what they want to be called, and refer to them by name frequently. Things like walking over to someone or making eye contact don’t work on video. Acknowledging them is the best way to keep people engaged.
2. Include a second instructor whose job is to watch class – In Action Karate, that second instructor is a paid, certified, trained teacher giving feedback to each student. If you don’t have enough instructors, we also have other students take turns giving feedback and giving praise and corrections to their peers.
3. Have a back-up plan for technology problems – I always have a phone nearby also signed into the class so that if the laptop drops, I can quick switch devices. Don’t wait until one device glitches to log in on the other. Just make sure the volume is turned down on one unless it is needed. Even better is to have another instructor logged on somewhere else who can pick up where your wi-fi left off.
4. Include activities looking away from the camera – Staring at a screen is bad for your eyes and for your focus. Encourage people to look away from the screen – whether they are looking at a book, their own hands, or a piece of paper for notes. Do this frequently. There are tons of interactive transitions. I really like scavenger hunts for kids. (Go find something that starts with the letter b)
5. Assign a physical movement to every part of class. It is boring to sit there and listen to someone talk, especially during a physical class. Kids are more engaged if they are doing arm circles, or standing on one foot. It shouldn’t be complicated like a jump spin but a physical movement is helpful.
6. Forget about left and right. In a room full of people, facing them, we use the “mirror” technique – I say left but use my right. On video it is so confusing. For martial arts, it has been a distraction to learning. It’s better to say “other side.” Or use a “clock” visual – turn to 12, 3, 6 or 9.
7. Share a video or text on screen to illustrate your teaching. The “share screen” feature is awesome – you can share anything. If you were doing a presentation, what visual would you use? Something on YouTube will help and make it more memorable.
8. Forget about getting audio input – Mute everyone. It is the worst noise to let people stay unmuted. Only unmute one person at a time as needed.
9. Can you hear me now? You’re trying to demonstrate, move around, get a good camera angle, and in the end, the volume suffers. Get a good microphone. It’s worth it for the audio to come through clean no matter where you are standing. Your instructions should be so clear that someone could take your class even if they can only hear, not see you. They should be able to follow along without moving their ear closer to the speaker, both in terms with how clear your voice is and the clarity of your directions.

Think of physical fitness like four legs of a table, or four legs of a horse.

Each leg stands for a needed component of fitness and health:

• Exercise
• Eating
• Breathing
• Sleeping

If any one of these legs is missing, the table is not sturdy. If a horse is missing a leg, it’s barely going to be able to stand up.

The same is true for kids. If they are active, eat healthy and then stay up all night, they will not be at their best.

According to Rachel Dawkins of Johns Hopkins Medicine, “Studies have shown that kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, and overall mental and physical health.”

Sleep is in many ways the most important — and most neglected — leg of the table. Meaning: If you had to choose between eating candy for dinner, sitting in front of a TV all day, or staying up all night, it’s the sleeplessness that is most detrimental to short-term and long-term health. Not that any of those are great decisions, but people are often quick to forego or plan to “make up” sleep when in reality it is crucial to good behavior at school, ability to concentrate and moderate emotions.

My kids like: exercise, eating, breathing, animals. My kids don’t like: sleep.

Therefore I put it in animal terms:

• Snails sleep 30 hours straight
• Armadillos 18
• Giraffe 4 to 6
• Cow 4
• Platypus 14
• Opossum 18
• Toad 14
• Donkey 3
• Star nosed mole 10.3

What’s best for a human kid:  somewhere between a giraffe and a toad, but essentially as much sleep as a star nosed mole. 10 hours give or take an hour.

The next time your kid tries to stay up late, simply tell them you don’t want them to be like a three-legged horse, but more like a well-rested star nosed mole.

Autoimmune encephalitis is a rare disease most often diagnosed in teenage girls.

Sincere’s mom was shocked when she got the diagnosis for her energetic 4-year-old who loves Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

She wanted to enroll him in karate after watching him imitate ninja cartoons. But she wasn’t sure if he would struggle. The most common symptoms of the disease are cognitive impairment, involuntary movements, and difficulty speaking. 

But none of those symptoms were apparent in karate class and instructors didn’t even know about the diagnosis.

“With the ninja nunchaku kata, Sincere came up right in front of the class. He knows all the moves. He’s doing the advanced kata,” said his karate teacher Mr. Tariq.

To Tariq, Sincere is a fun kid to have in class.

“With his energy, he always wants to bring in extra moves,” Tariq said. When buildings had to close again at the end of 2020, Tariq was able to work with Sincere to develop some of his creative moves during a few weeks of private outdoor classes. He’s looking forward to continuing to highlight his creativity, while also helping him improve his confidence. 

To Sincere’s mom, his ability to grasp complicated moves has given him a new sense of identity. “Especially the focus, he’s been able to apply it in school…even him just being proud of himself. He had so much self-doubt with almost everything. He’s setting these goals and knocking them out,” she said. 

Tariq said that as much as he loves seeing improvement in karate, it’s more meaningful when he’s able to apply it at school and home. 

“Karate aligns the same values as parents. I love to hear you guys use words like integrity. I’m walking away at home and say I hope you’re doing what you’re supposed to do. He’s like, ‘that’s integrity.”

The Powerhouse is also known as Marion. She’s 5’3” with red glasses, and analyzes engagement data metrics by day. An amateur artist, wife to a guy who works for a food delivery app, mom to the Kid Who Had No Talent. 

The Kid Who Had No Talent is also known as Giacomo, age 10, small for his age with floppy blonde hair and a soft spot for Pokemon. He revealed his self-image three years ago on a drive home from school. He was crying. The school talent show was coming up and he didn’t want to participate because he had no talent. 

The Powerhouse, so named for being short and scrappy during sports pursuits in her school days, was gutted. The Kid who is Quirky, Smart, Funny, Fun, Energetic, Sweet, Silly and Adventurous Thought he Had No Talent. 

This was not at all acceptable. 

Right then and there, Marion determined to change his perspective. She did not know she was starting a pursuit that would change their lives. 

“It broke my heart. I was really on a mission to find something to help develop his confidence. I found Action Karate Mt. Airy in my quest,” the Powerhouse said. 

The Kid Who Had No Talent got on the karate mat and immediately started crying, an unusually emotional reaction for a 7-year-old. An instructor pulled him aside and worked with him one-on-one without anyone noticing, and thought: maybe this kid isn’t ready for this class. 

By the time the tears dried, he slipped back into the class for roundhouse kicks and some awkward push-ups. 

“After that it was a strong commitment every week making him feel good and challenged and bringing out capabilities,” Marion said.

The Kid Who Had No Talent had capabilities. One of them was convincing The Powerhouse to do karate, too. He really wanted the patch that kids get if their moms train for a month. Secretly, the Powerhouse was curious to learn more. She asked Giacomo what to do.

Do it, he said. No turning back.

The next time the talent show came around, The Kid Who Had No Talent didn’t want to perform because he was shy, but he acknowledged that he had enough talent. 

“For me I felt like that was it. That was gold, him recognizing he had capabilities and that’s what this is all about,” the Powerhouse said. 

The Kid started sparring and developed a signature move scoring a quick, uncontested point against bigger opponents. He practiced with the demo team and went to weapons camps. He learned fancy moves with the bo staff. 

By the next year’s talent show, he performed in front of his whole school. The Kid Who Had No Talent had TALENT. 

“He did it. He put himself out here. That’s amazing,” the Powerhouse beamed.

A talent show wasn’t the ultimate goal of this journey. This is a Black Belt journey. 

Not some talent show. 

And for Black Belt, mom and son had to work beyond their limits.

“Both of us wanted to quit, We both cried. I’ve had a black eye. We smacked ourselves with weapons, got stuck on something, feeling like we wouldn’t get it. We told each other ‘you stink, take a shower.’ In all that hard work it’s like this consistent thing we have together: we motivate each other, we celebrate together, we’ve gotten stronger, gained friends, expanded who we call family. The school is our family,” Marion said. 

The thing about the Powerhouse though, is that she was also once the Kid Who Had No Talent, and more recently the Socially Awkward Adult. 

“I certainly struggle with self-confidence and being lost in who you are. A lot of adults experience that. Karate has made me feel so much myself and confident and comfortable in my own skin and that’s translated in me realizing I’m in control of my own happiness. Even in the pandemic, we got through it. The school has done an awesome job keeping us connected and keeping us with it. None of the magic or feeling of community has changed at all even though so much has been different. Anyone looking for that special something in your life, something to lift your spirits, something to make you stronger, it’s there and it’s you,” Marion said. 

As it turns out, there’s a whole lot of Kid Who Had No Talent in Marion and a whole lot of Powerhouse in the kid. Mother and son. Inspiration and Inspiration. 

Marion took her love of martial arts to the level of teaching classes and despite butterflies every time she teaches, she wants to share her martial arts. 

“I can focus on helping someone make progress according to their skills and capabilities and something unique to that person. I’m having a part in developing these kids and adults,” she said. 

“Classes are the only way I find I can workout and be motivated. I tried everything barre spin zumba. It’s that whole person activity not just working out my body physically, it challenges me mentally … emotionally building that grit.” 

Powerhouse and Talent meet Grit. In the midst of a pandemic, on a December day in 2020, Marion and Giacomo were masked outdoors more than 6 feet away from anyone else for a 3.5 hour Black Belt test. Their new white uniforms turned brown around the ankles, knees and elbows from mud. 

The first one to cry was Marion. Giacomo was cool, confident and nearly perfect in his performance. He had his moments, like when a bee crawled down his gi. A few days before his 10th birthday, he was the youngest person to get a Junior black belt from Action Mt. Airy. 

All superheroes don’t wear capes. These two wear Black Belts.