Shihan Cheryl

Instructors Name:  Cheryl Lynch-Gardner

Martial Arts School: Budo Ryu Kempo Martial Arts St Marys RSL Youth Club, Cnr. Mamre Rd & Hall Sts, St Marys 2760 NSW Australia

Website: www.budo.com.au

Motto: Not about being the best but about doing your best.

Motivation: (What drives you to work with kids and run your Martial Arts School)I believe I have a responsibility to pass on my martial knowledge and I want to make a positive contribution to the community I live in. Children are the future and I want to be able to give them opportunities they may otherwise miss out on.

When did you open the school?

St Marys in 1993

What were you doing before running a Martial Arts School?

Same as I am doing now, have a day job

Why did you decide to teach Kids classes?

I think that sometimes kids can get overlooked in “mixed” classes and that their particular needs are not being met, I believe that you can still instruct your syllabus but for kids you can certainly add a little more, certainly some of the martial techniques lend themselves to game play and that can make it easier and more fun to understand and remember.  Also kids are the biggest participants in martial arts.

What was your biggest hurdle when you started teaching kids classes? Slowing down the gradings, I wanted more time in grade for them, so that they could concentrate fully on the techniques over a longer period, but with the game play and lots of award certificates and other prizes they don’t really notice the time in between gradings.

Budo Ryu Kempo Kids

Which Martial Games have worked best with your young students?

Friend or Foe

What do you love most about teaching kids?

Love the look in their face when they get it right- that is sensational also so good to see them enjoying the class.

Do you have any advice for other Instructors that are just starting their kids program?

Not always easy but very rewarding, gets the parents on side and involve them in everything. There are a lot of kids that come to classes with many problems from ADHD to just about anything you can think of, they need to know that they can belong too, martial arts can benefit just about anyone. It is really just about putting a bit more time and effort in to it all.

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