FOCUS: Black-belt martial arts instructor writes "toolkit" for parents

Saturday 19 October 2024

A local martial arts instructor has created a "toolkit" to help parents educate their children about how to deal with life’s challenges.

Matt Collins set up the Samurai Fitness Group in 2010 after his three-year-old nephew asked him to teach him kickboxing.

The martial arts teacher was initially reluctant – and unaware of the journey that saying 'yes' would take him on.

Pictured: Matt began teaching his nephew how to kickbox in 2014.

He explained “My nephew at the age of three asked me to teach him kickboxing, but at that stage I didn’t want to teach kids.

“For me martial arts is about physical intense training and I didn’t see how that would be applicable to such a young child.

“But eventually family loyalty kicked-in and I started a kids class. That really opened my eyes to the pleasure I could get out of it, and the benefits I could provide for the kids too.”

After teaching thousands of children across the UK through his school Samurai Kickboxing, Matt realised that the sport was not just equipping them with physical skills – but also teaching them how to avoid hazards in life and build self-confidence.

He explained: "I realised how I could teach [my nephew] to avoid hazards, how to have positive body language, how to de-escalate aggression, how he could start dealing with his confidence and negative thoughts.”

Matt added: “I’ve seen [martial arts] change lives, which sounds huge but it’s true.

"Children have come in [to class] who are timid, crying because they’re overwhelmed that they’re coming into class, turning into black belts, confident children who can speak up and demonstrate in front of others. Literally a transformation, a different child.”

But Matt was worried that parents didn't fully understand the benefits.

“I started chatting to the parents and they said they come along occasionally to watch the classes but they didn’t see the other aspects that I was teaching the kids,” he said.

“At that point I thought I could provide a summary of that information in a written format so the parents can benefit from what I’ve been teaching.”

And after a “lengthy” process, Matt’s first book came to be.

'Eleven Life Lessons: Empower Your Child To Be Safe and Independent' hopes to provide parents with a toolkit to teach their own children how to deal with life’s challenges.

Pictured: Matt's first book was published in August this year.

As well as providing tips for parents, Matt's book also delves into his own experience of martial arts and how it has helped him overcome some of his toughest challenges.

Matt said he wants parents to share the book with children of all ages. In his opinion, the younger they start, the better the benefits later in life.

“I think the skills that our syllabus provides can benefit any age, but I feel the best time for students to gain these skills is early in life,” he said.

“A lot of four-year-olds will bound into class with a lot of energy.

"The older children get, the more self-conscious they get and so more barriers we’ve got to engage in new skills.

“That’s why I’ll always empower parents to engage with these skills as early as possible.”

Matt also wants to relate to parents through his book that he may not have reached outside of the dojo.

He explained: “As much as we want to, we cannot bubble wrap our children and prevent them from facing harm and difficulty.

“The more resilience, the more confidence and the wider range of skills that are children have, the better they’ll be able to deal with those challenges as they come up.”

Matt explained that his book features practical examples designed for children, from developing self-confidence to how to deal with walking alone at night.

He added: "When I was a child, I had the ability to escape any negativity I was getting from school by going home, whereas that’s not possible now with the presence of electronic devices and social media. It’s almost impossible to escape it completely.

“There is a different mental pressure on the younger generation than from our younger generation.

“All of that combined means the world is a very different place.”

Matt continued: “Parents know their children the best so they can then adapt the toolset I’ve given them to make it most applicable to their child and their understanding and what life experiences they’re going through.”