Frequently Asked Questions
Got some questions? You might find the answers here…
What age can my child start at Trifu Dojo?
Children can start with our school as young as 1 ½ with a parent (mini Ninjas), 2 ½ by themselves in a class (Ninjas), or Karate or any of the other disciplines 6yrs.
Does my child have to spar?
No that is the parent’s choice. No child is allowed to do sparring until they have learnt sufficient skill in order to be able to defend him/herself. Our prime concern is safety and keeping the child confident so we assess each child (not the class) as to their ability level.
Once they have been training for a while and have grasped the basic understanding of how to defend we start them off with non-contact and drills. We quite often find that the parent may have a negative idea about what we do in sparring so we invite the parent to watch how learning to defend and think fast can benefit their child’s training.
My child is very shy. Can Karate help?
The very concept behind martial arts is to build confidence. This is not brought with you into the school necessarily it is instilled into the child (or adult) through training and acquiring skills that they can conquer hence bullying the self confidence needed in this challenging modern world.
My child is being bullied. Can you help with that, without teaching to be violent back?
As a martial artist you discover an inner strength and, as mentioned earlier, a confidence that gives a different aura to the martial arts individual. Bullies prey on those weaker than themselves, either in stature or confidence; by creating self-assurance in your child and adding to that, the knowledge they are able to protect themselves if they were ever put into a dangerous position, exudes a level of quiet confidence that is generally a deterrent to bullies.
My child is too boisterous and sometimes too strong for his own good. What can I do to settle him down?
There is a saying “boys will be boys”?? Well yes within reason.
All children have varying levels of energy, strength and abilities to channel them. At Trifu Dojo we practice and teach self-control and self-discipline. Having “too much energy” or to “not know his own strength” are common and by teaching a child to use their energy in the correct way it is often not only a relief to the parent but also to the child.
At last their energy is given a vent and they are trained in how to release it appropriately and how to contain it when it would be inappropriate.
I have a little girl, aren’t martial arts are more for boys?
NO! Some of our best champions and our most dedicated students are girls; the beauty about Karate is it is a level playing field. There is nothing that is taught in our classes at Trifu Dojo that cannot be attained by both girls and boys.
In fact it is one of the rare sports that recognises girls and boys competitively at al levels, meaning opportunities in State, National and international competitions in Kata (choreographed forms), Kumite (sparring) and many other events.
