How to Bring Martial Arts to PE Class

Sweep the leg PE Nation!

Martial arts provides a powerful dimension to physical education programs with benefits extending far beyond self-defense. After achieving my black belt in karate 21 years ago, I've incorporated martial arts into my PE curriculum to help students develop character, confidence, and practical skills.

• Partnership with a local Taekwondo studio bringing a 7-9 week program to second graders
• Non-contact program featuring blocks, kicks, and strikes with no physical interaction
• Students learn respect, modesty, perseverance, self-control, and honesty
• Martial arts accommodates different learning styles and preferences
• Building self-confidence helps students stand taller and feel more secure
• Basic self-defense skills provide foundational safety knowledge
• Program culminates in a board-breaking ceremony where parents hold boards for their children
• Students receive white belts and certificates to celebrate their accomplishments

Go for it!

Dave

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Chapters

• 0:00 Introducing Martial Arts in PE
• 1:39 My Journey with Taekwondo
• 5:34 Five Benefits of Martial Arts in PE
• 11:25 Your Cowbell Tip: Finding a Dojo
• 12:42 Closing Thoughts & Resources

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:11

Hello and welcome to the Supersize Phys Ed podcast. My name is Dave and today I want to talk about martial arts in PE, how it came to be that I brought it into my Phys Ed program and why I think it's a great idea if you do it as well. So, without further ado, here we go. Rip Nation, welcome in. So today I want to talk about martial arts and the benefits of it and why I chose to have it in my PE program. So, going back quite a ways I'd say about 21 or 22 years ago I think I know exactly when this was 2004. So let's say 21. Yeah, almost 21 years ago. I think I know exactly when this was 2004,. So let's say 21,. Yeah, almost 21 years ago. It was the night I got my black belt in karate. It was very, very important to me. I put in six years, maybe a little more of hard work and dedication and going to classes and training and testing and going all the way to again black belt status and you know it was just one of the hardest things I've ever done and it was the most rewarding things I've ever done. And the test itself was oh gosh. It was very, very difficult. It was mentally and physically draining and it was something that I just cherish now and forever I will. So I really wanted to bring martial arts to my PE program and I could teach it Like I know how to teach it. I definitely should be able to teach it. But I was approached this is like 9 or 10 years ago by a Taekwondo studio in our area and he sent me a well like a disc at the time, like a DVD, of what they did in schools. And they had a couple schools at the time and they wanted to add our school. So I had them come out, I met with them and they were awesome. They donated martial arts uniforms to our school. So I had them come out and I met with them and, uh, they were awesome. They donated martial arts uniforms to our school and we had, uh, second graders go through the program.

Speaker 1: 2:33

It's a uh, it's supposed to be about. It's supposed to be a nine week program. Sometimes, uh, the dates don't always work out or the weeks. Um, this year there was a hurricane, uh kind of push things back, so we only did like seven weeks. But it is a seven to nine week program where the martial arts instructors will come in. They will do a lot of repetition, a lot of chants, a lot of pretend blocks and kicks and strikes and it's non-contact. So no one's and I make that clear to the parents in an email or a letter, a flyer there's no physical contact, we're not hitting each other, we're not even pretending to hit each other, it's just straight forward blocks and kicks and punches, and it's mostly just blocks, honestly, and a few punches, not a lot of kicking, maybe a little bit, but it's also a lot of teaching principles like life principles, life lessons and you know, like stranger danger and you know what to do if a bully approaches you, things like that.

Speaker 1: 3:37

So I had them at my former school for I don't know a good five or six years and even my own children went through it, my daughter went through it. I think that was the final time I did it at that school and then I left and when I got to my new school I noticed there were martial arts uniforms just tucked away in bins. So I decided to inquire about that and I was told that, yes, that same place, the same dojo, had come out to that school, to my new school. So it took a little bit because it was right after, kind of the COVID year, things like that, and they really weren't getting back into schools at the time. You know the whole world was shut down and crazy and everything. But they eventually got back to to me and I'm like, please, come back, I'd love to have you at my, my new school, and they, uh, we're trying to work out different times and things and I literally went to their dojo. I'm like, please, please, come back, come back, I need you. So we, we figured it out and they brought it back this year and it was amazing, as as it always is with them and my students learn so much. They, they learn different, um, just methods and techniques of handling problems and handling other people. And I still use the chance I tell them, I use the chance that the martial arts instructors use things like that. So you know, keep that going. But you know, the first graders see them walk out in their uniforms and they know it's them next year and it's just amazing watching the kids come out and they look so proud and happy in their uniforms. I mean, not every child, but most of them. You know you put that uniform on them, you have them stand tall and do a chant and it's just amazing to watch.

Speaker 1: 5:31

So I wanted to run down five things that I've learned from bringing martial arts to my program and I think if you do the same thing, you could experience these same outcomes. So, without further ado, here we go. Here's number one, okay, number one is all students learn differently and martial arts is like a number another thing that you can add to that of just different experiences, different things that at least I want to bring to my students. I've noticed that when I do the Chuk Ball tournament that some students really shine taking pictures, or they shine doing the artwork for their team, or they shine being a referee Different things than just playing a game. They bring out different talents, different likes, things like that, and this is what martial arts does as well. I have students and I've had students that they don't really love PE maybe, but they love martial arts and they're really into it. And, yeah, I do have people or students that are star athletes that love martial arts, and I have kids that hate martial arts and you know that kind of deal. But all students learn differently and I think this is another avenue to bring experiences to your kids. So that's number one.

Speaker 1: 6:50

Number two is martial arts brings different lessons, life lessons. They teach to our students. Different lessons, life lessons they teach to our students. So in the program they teach what's called the Five Aims of Quan Mu Do. That's the style of Taekwondo that they teach at their dojo and the students chant these five it's respect, modesty, perseverance, self-control and honesty, and they reinforce these principles and why they're important and why we should live by these principles. And so they constantly reinforce these and the students learn more than just how to break a board or how to block a strike coming at you, which is very, very important. But these things are more important, and that's number two.

Speaker 1: 7:46

Number three the reason why, or the third reason why, martial arts is important is it builds self-confidence. You know, I'll admit, before I took martial arts I was, I lacked a lot of confidence. Let's just say I wasn't scared of my own shadow. But we owned at one point up to four grocery stores, not all at the same time, but I was in the grocery store business for a long time, along with teaching, usually at the same time. But I did both and we'd have shoplifters. I did both and we'd have shoplifters. And this may be more a confidence, just confronting people, tell them to give us our stuff back, and just knowing that I have skills just in case something would happen that I could rely on. And we don't teach that to our students, our second graders, but it does give them a level of confidence of what to do when a bully confronts you or how to stop a potential attacker. Now are they going to 100% remember that and 100% be able to stop a potential threat? No, but it gave them, or gives them, more self-awareness and definitely self-confidence in their skills and makes them stand a little taller, and that's what it did for me. So that's number three. It builds self-confidence.

Speaker 1: 9:07

So number four is the obvious one. It is you learn self-defense. And again, the longer you take martial arts, the better you get at it, the more blocks you understand and you know how to do, just instinctively, and you know how to grapple. And we cover that not in Taekwondo but in martial arts that I took karate. So you're obviously, along with building the self-confidence, you're building the skills to defend yourself, and martial arts does that and even with just a little taste of it in second grade, they get again the basics of how to stop an attack, and that's just so important In this day and age. You just never know who or what could be coming at you with a type of threat. So I just think that is so important for our children to at least get the basics and then, if they want to follow through with more knowledge, more classes, that's awesome. So that's number four self-defense. So that's number four, self-defense.

Speaker 1: 10:07

Number five is we celebrate and have fun. So any goal you have, you should celebrate along the way. And martial arts you celebrate by having different tests and getting belts for them, for your accomplishments and your skills and just the way that you've been practicing and putting in the work and the end of our martial arts. With this in our program there's a big ceremony. Every student gets to break a board. It's really cool, actually. The parents hold the board and all at the same time. The instructor says you know, focus, we do focus, concentration. And then kia and they all break the boards at the same time. It's really, really cool and really special. The parents actually love it and the kids love it as well. They also get a white belt for completing the course and a certificate that they completed it and got a white belt. So we celebrate and that's important. We have fun along the way. There are games and competitions, and it should be fun. That's what PE is about. That's what martial arts is all about. Obviously, the rest are very important too self-discipline and confidence and building your skills but having fun is the most important thing and that's what we do in martial arts. So that is number five.

Speaker 1: 11:25

And now it's time for your cowbell tip of the day. So your tip of the day is to reach out to a local dojo, a local karate, taekwondo or whatever you got studio, and see if you can get martial arts in your school, if that's okay with your principal. So I guess step one is actually make sure it's okay. Step two is to reach out to an instructor and see if they'd be willing to come in for free and maybe in exchange you know they get a little business. So I definitely think it's worth it. Now again, I could teach it. I know some of you out there have taken classes or are a black belt yourself possibly, but it's way better to have somebody else come in and teach it and the students get to learn from somebody different, with different perspectives, different skills, different ways of teaching. And so definitely check it out, check out martial arts in your PE program and that is your cowbell tip of the day.

Speaker 1: 12:41

Thank you everybody for tuning in today. I really do appreciate it, as always. Go to supersizefizadcom for more information or to join my sub stack. Go on the show notes and click on the link to get all late. The latest articles, the latest PDFs, courses, things I have out there, and, yeah, I'd love to have you on there, I'd love to see you on there. Love for you to be getting two emails a week of just tactical things you could use for your PE program and with that, definitely sign up. So, pe Nation, have a great day, week, weekend, whenever you're listening to this, and let's keep pushing our profession forward. Thank you.