Rifkin Professional Karate Center

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Since 2000,the Rifkin Professional Karate Center has been changing lives through instruction in Tae Kwon Do, Kickboxing and Aikido in the West Hills, Canoga Park, Woodland Hills, Chatsworth, Calabasas areas of CA. Our students are in better physical shape, they are more aware and are better able to handle themselves in any situation.

It helps bullyproof kids
Bullies often torment kids who unknowingly send messages that make them become targets. "It's in the way they stand, their posture, their lack of eye contact," says Robyn Silverman, PhD, a child development specialist and director of character development at EEMA Fitness and Martial Arts in South Weymouth, MA. In martial arts classes, participants are constantly challenged and then praised for doing their best. That builds confidence, says Silverman. "Kids learn that their bodies and minds are strong, powerful, and worthy of respect," she says. "Once a child discovers this, his whole attitude shifts. He carries himself with an ease and assurance that tells bullies to move on." Because martial arts are generally noncompetitivekids set their own pace for earning stripes and beltsclasses provide a safe environment for kids with fragile egos to heal and become stronger, mentally and physically. They learn to look aggressors in the eye, to think through hostile situations calmly, and to take a positive, no-nonsense stance when threatened. Bullies benefit, tooand not because they learn to kick harder. A 2001 study published in Adolescence found that violent behavior decreased among middle-schoolers when they were taking martial arts classes, while their confidence levels rose. "Bullies act the way they do because they have low self-esteem, poor social skills, or little respect for themselves or others," Silverman says. The focus on respect and courtesy within martial arts sends the message that you don't have to be mean to earn a person's respect.
It sharpens focus for kids with ADHD
All martial arts emphasize concentration, so they might seem an unlikely sport for a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Yet some experts say the highly structured approach and repetitive patterns of movements (called kata) actually help ease symptoms of the disorder. "Impulse control is a huge challenge for these kids," says Richard B. Coolman, MD, a developmental-behavioral pediatrician at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA. "In martial arts classes, they learn to focus, clear their minds of distractions, and take control of their body movements." The environment can be a nurturing one for kids with ADHD if the philosophy of the training center is noncompetitive. "These kids are always being told they're doing something wrong," says Coolman, "but in martial arts, they aren't graded or criticized. They're not letting down a team if they lose focus. They're simply encouraged to give their best effort.
It empowers mothers and daughters
"Most women experience a feeling of vulnerability at some point in their lives, but once a woman is properly trained in martial arts, she knows she can defend herself," says Laura Kamienski, author of Training Women in the Martial Arts and director of Kicks Martial Arts for Women, a tae kwon do school in Lewisburg, PA. Learning defense techniques is one of the most common reasons parents enroll daughters in martial arts classes, says Kamienski. "In the past, girls were discouraged from being assertive, but now moms and dads say they want their daughters to be able to protect themselves." Marjorie Haley, 46, and her four daughters, ages 12 to 17, participate in karate classes at their YMCA near Chatham, NJ. "The moves for escaping someone's hold on you seem so simple, yet they're extremely effective," Haley says. "Knowing that our daughters have these skills gives my husband and me tremendous peace of mind."