In this video, Sensei Serge from Urban Martial Arts in Brooklyn NY explains what the differences are, so that you can make an informed decision:

So why not drop your child with us on Saturday, February 11th from 6 pm to 9 pm for a night of pizza, fun, and games?

It’s just $25 per child. Each additional sibling can come for just $20.

The event is open to all kids aged 4 to 13 — you don’t have to be enrolled at Urban Martial Arts to participate.

Students: We can charge the fee to the debit or credit card we have on file for you – just call us at 718-287-5500. Or if you’d prefer to pay by cash or check, you can do that at the front desk.

Non-Students: Just come in to Urban Martial Arts to fill out a permission slip and pay the fee by cash, credit card, or check.

Remember – space in the event is limited, so call us today at 718-287-5500 to find out if we have any spots open for your child!

Congratulations to everyone who competed at the Long Island Winter Open 2012 in New Hyde Park, NY this weekend!

For a few of our students, this was only their first or second tournament and as you’ll see in the video above, they showed a lot of heart!

Great job, everybody! We look forward to seeing how you’ll do in the next tournament!

1ST PLACE
Farzana Alam (9 & Under Advanced Girls Sparring)
Christopher Djama (12-13 Advanced Boys Sparring)
Christopher Djama (12-13 Advanced Open Forms)
Aaron Rice (9 & Under Advanced Boys Sparring)

2ND PLACE
Kiara Brown (9 & Under Advanced Girls Sparring)
Tatiana Felix (10-11 Beginner Girls Sparring)
Aaron Rice (9 & Under Advanced Boys Open Forms)
Kimberly Rice (10-11 Advanced Girls Sparring)
Jonathan Pierre-Louis (10-11 Intermediate Boys Sparring)

3RD PLACE
Zyhra Casero (8-9 Beginners Girls Sparring)
Aaron Rice (9 & Under Advanced Boys Forms)

4TH PLACE
Christopher Djama (12-13 Advanced Open Weapons)
Stephan Rosales (10-11 Intermediate Boys Sparring)

FINALISTS
Abbosbek Adxamov (12-13 Intermediate Boys Sparring)
Eric Babaisakov (8-9 Beginners Boys Sparring)
Josiah Brillant (7 & Under Beginner Boys Sparring)
Jayden Green (7 & Under Beginner Boys Sparring)
Shane Rosales (10-11 Intermediate Boys Sparring and Forms)
Tommy Schioppa (7 & Under Beginner Boys Sparring)
Kazi Sahir (7 & Under Beginner Boys Sparring)
Kazi Tejwar (8-9 Intermediate Boys Sparring)
Nicholas Vadi (10-11 Intermediate Boys Sparring and Forms)

Since “Big Trouble in Little China” is one of Sensei Serge’s guilty pleasure favorites, I thought I’d put together this collection of minimalist interpretations of the classic 80s karate flick!

by Adam Limbert, via pal-treaux

by NoiseProfessor

by Adam Limbert

by Hexagonall, via ImageKind

by Travis Pitts, via ImageKind

by LRNZ, via k u s h i t o k i k u

In this video, Sensei Serge goes over the best way to get ready for a karate tournament.

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that being healthy is more than just feeling good. It’s total well-being and freedom from disease.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

In this post, Dr. Robyn answers a question from a parent who’s concerned about her children’s health.

Dear Dr. Robyn,

– Sara B, Phoenix, AZ

Dear Sara,

Yes, you are right. “Weight” can be a hot button for many children as they get older. For one thing, while it’s normal and natural for children to put on weight as they go through puberty, their bodies change greatly and some can become uncomfortable. In addition, as children become adolescents, they may become more aware of media messages that glorify “body perfection” and can become more prone to comparing themselves to others.

In my book, Good Girls Don’t Get Fat: How Weight Obsession is Messing Up Our Girls & How We Can Help Them Thrive Despite It, I talk about the importance of health over weight. There are actions that everyone can take, regardless of weight, that help to keep us healthy.

1. Eat foods that nourish the body
Everyone needs to eat a balanced diet that provides such things as lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat dairy items. We can explain to our children that they should eat a variety of natural foods that represent every color in the rainbow. When we eat nutritious foods, we feel energized.

2. Move your body
Children and teens should be getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. This activity should be fun and rewarding! It also should be performed at moderate to vigorous intensity to get the heart pumping and the muscles engaged.

3. Get enough sleep
For many, this is a tall order! Some will claim that homework, stress, extracurriculars, or a social life is keeping them from getting a full night’s rest. Still, sleep is vital for a healthy body. Children typically need 10-12 hours of sleep per day and teens typically need 8-9 hours per day. A good night’s sleep means greater health and better performance in school!

4. Manage stress
Children and teens need to learn how to manage their stress in positive ways. While some will turn to risky behavior like drug use or extreme dieting, there are many ways that our children can reduce stress to keep themselves healthy. Suggest and model different methods of stress reduction for your child such as talking to an adult or trusted friend, to playing sports or music, to simply taking some time for himself.

Here’s to your success!

Dr. Robyn

It’s called a “game face.”

A “game face” is that look you sometimes see in someone’s eyes when they mean business.

If that person says they’re gonna go climb Everest – you know they really are.

Or if that person says they’re gonna lose every pound they have to lose – you can see in their eyes that they’re really going to.

Do you have a game face?

How serious are you about your health and your body?

Do you want to get in shape because the media says it’s good for you?

Or do you have a deeper, more burning reason?

Find your reason.

Before committing to a life of health and fitness, find “why” you really want to.

Do some soul searching.

Because if from your soul to your skin you’re determined to get in shape – NOTHING WILL GET IN YOUR WAY.

That’s the way it works.

We see it every day with our kickboxing members.

The ones with that “look” in their eyes like they really want it always get it.

The others might get there, but if they haven’t found their “why,” then there’s a good chance they’ll drop off the program and go back to an unhealthy lifestyle.

So what’s your “why?”

What’s your burning desire?

Write it down, stick it to your bathroom mirror, and recite it every day.

Do that for just 2 weeks and we guarantee it’ll change your life.

p.s. Our crazy kickboxing deal is still up on the website, but we’re almost out of free gloves. Click here to get started today!

Most parents would agree that teaching kids about character education is a good thing, since it helps children get along well with others and feel positive about themselves.

But a new study suggests that the benefits of character education programs go far beyond these “soft skills.”

In a recent study, researchers took 20 public elementary schools in Hawaii and randomly assigned students from some of those schools to participate in a character education program called “Positive Action.”

So what happened? BabyCenter has the report:

At the beginning of the study, the control schools happened to be better off. They had higher test scores overall, and, unlike the schools assigned to the test condition, their scores were higher than the Hawaiian state average.

But by the end of the study, the situation had flipped: The schools that had adopted the Positive Action curriculum were now performing better than the controls.

And when researchers interviewed teachers, parents, and students about school quality, the Positive Action schools got higher ratings from all groups. People involved with these schools had nicer things to say.

(Emphasis mine.)

Studies like these are exactly why we place so much emphasis on character education here at Urban Martial Arts.

In addition to our rigorous martial arts curriculum, we have an entire character education program designed by Dr. Robyn Silverman, one of the country’s leading child development specialists.

Every month, we focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character education.

All our class discussions revolve around this concept, our karate students have to turn in worksheets on the topic, and we provide parents with lots of tools so that they can reinforce these lessons at home.

If you’d like to try a karate for kids class, fill out this form or call us at 718-287-5500 to book your $19.99 orientation class today!

Photo Credit: taryn_liz on Flickr

All our discussions and activities will aim to help our students understand that being healthy is more than just feeling good. It’s total well-being and freedom from disease.

Powerful Words is the name of our character development curriculum here at Urban Martial Arts. It’s designed by one of the nation’s leading childhood development experts, Dr. Robyn Silverman. Every month, we’ll focus on a different Powerful Word, or concept around character development.

In this video, Dr. Robyn answers a question from a parent who has started working out regularly and eating more healthfully. She would like to set a good example for her child, and wants to know what suggestions Dr. Robyn has for her:

There’s no better way to drive home the lessons we teach at Urban Martial Arts than by reinforcing them… well, at home!

To give you more ideas for conversation topics, here’s a run-down of what we’ll be discussing this month:

Week 1 Health defined: Nutrition, Physical Activity, Good Hygiene, Sleep, and Stress
Week 2 Nutritious Eating: Nutrition; the food groups and good hydration
Week 3 Physical Activity: Exercise, Fitness, Endurance, Strength and Flexibility
Week 4 Unhealthy Choices: Things to Avoid and Healthy Goal-Setting for 2012

We’d love to hear how your conversations go with your child so do share with us!

Photo Credit: Kenski1970 on Flickr

A lot of people interested in our kickboxing program have these “pre-cooked ideas” about what a kickboxing program is.

So, we thought we’d take this opportunity to “de-bunk” these ideas because they’re simply not true.

See if you too can relate to any of the things below…

1. “I’m not really an aggressive person – so I don’t think I’ll like kickboxing”

The thing with kickboxing is – we’re not training to hurt people. We’re just getting in awesome shape, and using kickboxing as a fun, fresh way to get there.

And if you’re anything like me, I’m sure you have some stress you’d love to blow off. NOTHING relieves stress more than punching and kicking a heavy bag! I guarantee it.

Plus, most of our members are super laid-back people who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Kickboxing is just so fun that they get hooked the moment they start.

2. “Okay… This might sound weird but… I don’t know any of the moves and I’m kinda worried about looking stupid…”

Everyone feels this way at first

But the good news is, everyone who joins my program learns the moves from scratch. So no one is going to point fingers, or laugh at you, because they’ve been there too.

Actually, the OPPOSITE happens. Everyone is super supportive, and me and my staff do everything in our power to help you learn the moves as quickly as possible.

Then, once you have’em down, you’ll feel like a pro.

3. “Can I do this for a FULL hour? I mean, I don’t know if I’d last 10 minutes…”

If you haven’t tried kickboxing before – it can seem intense.

And your first week – you’re gonna be sore. There’s no way around it.

But the good news is, once you get past that first week, you’ll simply feel amazing. Your energy levels will skyrocket so much you won’t even know what to do with yourself.

Hey, I’ve been there too. Before I got into kickboxing I thought the same things. But the good news is: yes, you can do it, no, it’s not violent, and yes, you WILL learn the moves super quick.

Actually, 99% of people who walk through my doors see within the first 10 minutes that all of these concerns are absolutely nothing to worry about.

Then they forget all about them and have an awesome time losing weight, and getting in amazing shape.

To try it out for yourself click here for a no risk, trial offer to our kickboxing class.