Have you been searching for a fun after-school activity for your kids? Or maybe your child is already a student at Total Impact and they’ve shown interest in learning advanced weapon skills, such as board breaking, nunchakus, or using a Bo Staff? Good news! Our NEW (and very exciting) martial arts weapons training classes for children have started and registration is NOW OPEN!
Total Impact Martial Arts has added new weapons training, called Specialty Classes, to our fun-filled class schedule! If your child is glued to video games after school or needs some structure on the weekend, our martial arts weaponry classes are just the thing. These unique classes offer an exciting opportunity for students to learn more advanced skills, along with our traditional Kids Karate training program.
If your family lives in Buffalo Grove, Arlington Heights, Wheeling, or Palatine, you won’t want to miss this…
What are Specialty Classes? Is Martial Arts Weapons Training Safe for Kids?
We will be running different types of Specialty Classes throughout the year, starting with the Bo Staff! Some of the weapon training programs that we will be offering include Bo/Staff Training, Nunchakus, Kama’s, Board Breaking, Tournament Style Sparring, Tournament Style Kata and Ninja Trix (Obstacle Course & Parkour). Each program will run one at a time for an extended number of weeks, and then rotate into a new program once the course is completed. This will give our students the opportunity to experience comprehensive training in each area.
Safety first! It’s important to note that Specialty Classes are designed for ages 7 and up only (for safety and maturity reasons). Please keep in mind that some of our weaponry training will require equipment purchase for the course. All practice weapons will be foam and/or padded for safe training, so need to worry about injuries!
Would you like a sneak peak at what weapons we’ll be teaching? Our friends from Black Belt Wiki share excellent explanations of each traditional weaponry and training:
Bo Staff
“The Bo (staff) is an Okinawan (Japan) martial arts weapon. This staff is a long wooden weapon traditionally made of oak and roughly 6 feet in length. In contrast, the shorter Jo is approximately 4 feet in length. The Bo is used in many weapon katas and forms. The Bo is used to block, thrust, and strike an opponent and is effective against most other forms of martial arts weapons. A typical Bojutsu technique will be to block an opponent’s attack with the top part of the staff and then in a fluid motion to counter strike with the lower end. In the hands of a master, there will only be a split second between block and strike. This is one of the reasons why the Bo is one of the most difficult of martial arts weapons to defend against.”
Nunchaku
“Nunchaku (or Nunchucks) is a traditional martial arts weapon from Japan. It consists of two short batons connected together by a chain or rope. The batons on Nunchaku are traditionally around 12 inches in length with around 4 inches of cord or chain connecting them. The primary function of the Nunchaku is striking vulnerable target areas of the body (temple, wrists, elbows, knees etc). Like all Kobudo weapons, the effectiveness of Nunchaku relies primarily on Tai Sabaki (footwork and evasive techniques). As well as strikes, the Nunchaku is also used to block and trap offensive maneuvers from oncoming attacks from other weapon wielding opponents.”
Kama
“The Kama is a martial arts weapon based on a farming instrument, the small scythe used for cutting rice. In Okinawan/Japanese Kobudo, Kama are traditionally used in pairs. In basic forms, the Kama are held towards the bottom of the handle and are used to defend against opponents armed with swords or other long reach weapons such as Bo or Jo. A typical Kama technique will involve blocking an oncoming strike with one Kama then using the other to counterattack. Also both Kama can be used simultaneously to block or trap an opponent’s weapon or to deliver a double strike.”
Breaking Techniques
“Many martial arts such as Taekwondo and Kyokushin Karate practice breaking techniques in order to test a student’s power and accuracy. For Japanese martial arts, breaking techniques are known as Tameshiwari. In Korean martial arts, they are known as Gyeok-pa or Kyeok-pa. Martial arts breaking tests and demonstrations utilize kicks, punches, elbow strikes and other striking techniques in order to break wooden boards, concrete blocks, etc. There are a variety of different breaking techniques and combinations but they usually involve speed (i.e. breaking a large number of boards in a certain amount of time) and/or power (i.e. breaking a number of concrete blocks in a single blow).”
How Do I Sign My Child Up for Specialty Martial Arts Classes at Total Impact?
To participate in this Platinum Membership Upgrade Program, a student must be enrolled in our 2 or 3 day a week program. If you are already in a 2 or 3 day a week program, then you are automatically eligible to participate. Specialty Classes are optional, so if you do not want to attend a Specialty Class you can continue to attend your regular classes as normal!
- 1 day a week program: If you are enrolled in a 1 day a week program and would like to participate in the Specialty Class, you must upgrade to 2 or more classes per week to qualify to attend 1 Specialty Class. Please see Shihan Brian if you are interested in upgrading to go over the new program and pricing.
- 2 day a week program: If you are enrolled in the 2 day a week program, you are qualified to have the option to attend 1 regular class and 1 specialty class every week.*
- 3 day a week program: If you are in the 3 day a week program, you can attend 2 regular classes and 1 specialty class per week.*
* Please note that your child will still be attending the same number of days that they’re signed up for. This is an opportunity to swap out one regular day class for a specialty class should your child choose. Students must still attend one of their regular classes each week to be eligible for belt testing!
