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Karate camp helps kids kick bad habits
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Northeast Martial Arts members Aiden McIntyre (front left), Jacob Morain, Giavonna Dilts; (back) Sydney Popio, Miyah Martin, Jason Long, Daniel Skeens and Anthony Popio participated in the Karate Kid Summer Camp. The camp is a 6 week program.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Giavonna Dilts is an expert in the execution of the guard stance. Austintown's Northeast Martial Arts trains ages 4 to adult.
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Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .It's dodgeball day at Northeast Martial Arts in Austintown. Students enhance their focus, timing and body control through fun activities that will help them form a balanced foundation for learning martial arts.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
Most summer camps teach kids crafts, gardening or how to swim. This camp teaches life skills through the sport of martial arts.
Northeast Martial Arts in Austintown offers a Karate Kid Summer Camp for children interested in martial arts. The camp is a six-week program that provides the basic skills for learning martial arts.
The camp meets twice a week and the time varies according to age groups.
Unlike traditional karate classes, the Karate Kid camp uses fun activities to teach children the basics of martial arts. They are still required to bow and respond respectfully to their sensei, but a less structured approach is used to gain the children’s attention and keep their enthusiasm high.
Each week has a different theme with activities to go along with it. These themes include kids fitness, martial arts baseball, kicknastics, Chinese kung-fu and boxing. The weekly classes help with coordination, balance, timing, patience, focus and honesty.
“For example, in dodgeball, we expect the kids be honest and go sit on the sideline if they get hit with a ball,” said co-owner Matthew Gallo.
Matthew and Cherie Gallo founded the martial arts center 11 years ago. Both have been involved in the sport majority of their lives and say it has benefits in areas other than physical fitness.
Through working with special needs children and kids with behavioral problems, Cherie noticed that martial arts training helped with building confidence and discipline. She was so touched by the children’s positive response to the sport, she opened her own gym.
“I saw so much of what it could do for the kids,” she said. “It brought so much out of them and taught them self respect.”
Matthew admits to have been a shy kid who was bullied when he was younger which is where his original interest in martial arts developed from.
He said the sport helps kids set goals to achieve, such as completing a 15-week program to receive a belt and learn the value of dedication.
It also teaches kids the importance of respect.
“If a person has a good trait, we’ll make it better. We’ll eliminate bad traits,” Matthew said.
The Karate Kid camp is only offered in the summer. Regular classes will resume in the fall.
The camp lasts through Aug. 12 and kids can still register for classes. Visit www.northeastmartialarts.com.