Martial arts offers boost of confidence for children

Ann Haberman was worried about her son.

Christopher, then seven years old, acted shy around other children and declined to play games during recess because 'he had a big fear of making a mistake.'

Ann began searching for a confidence-building activity. She found one near her home in New Kensington.

Christopher enrolled at Cho's Taekwondo Center along Freeport Street. Five years later, Christopher still is a devoted student of taekwondo and has earned a brown belt - the seventh belt on a scale of nine.

'Chris has a lot of confidence (now),' said Ann, 37 years old and a first-degree black belt.

'He's more self-assured. He recognizes his own coordination. He realizes he can do anything he wants.'

Ann was attracted to Cho's because of the way owner Philip Ameris treated Christopher. Her other son, Robbie, 10, joined at the same time as Christopher and is a purple belt.

Ameris, 38 years old and a sixth-degree black belt, is sensitive to the needs of younger students because of the long and difficult road he took to martial arts knowledge.

When Ameris started in 1970 at age 8, he was one of the few non-adult students. He often struggled to keep pace with his bigger comrades.

'Back then, teaching was geared toward hard martial arts,' Ameris said. 'Now, it's designed more for teaching, more for children and beginners in some cases.'

Intraschool and area martial arts competitions are fun for many serious students. State and national titles are awarded by various organizations.

But competition is not for everyone, Ameris said.

'Not every kid is going to be a champion. I think the most important thing is this improves life skills, discipline, confidence. The belt system is designed to inspire goal-setting.'

Joe McKenna, a 38-year-old Cheswick resident, and his two children - daughter Randi, 14, and son Dale, 10 - take karate classes at Academy of Martial Arts.

The academy has studios in Arnold and Lower Burrell.

Randi and Dale started about four years ago.

'First, I researched the different schools,' said Joe, who joined after his children. 'Then I took them down there one day to see what's going on. They were really intrigued.'

The trio has climbed the belt ladder. Randi and Joe are brown belts, which is one below black in karate. With a purple belt, Dale is a level behind them.

'We've videotaped ourselves,' Joe said. 'There's a big difference between watching them before and watching them now. Randi gets kind of embarrassed. It's neat to see her development.'

Karate has helped give Randi and Dale confidence concerning challenging school work.

'My kids have always done well in school,' Joe said. 'But in areas they've had problems, it helps them get past the obstacles. They can concentrate and focus and overcome.'

Martial arts was mainly for adults in the 1970s and Ô80s, said Frank Caliguri, who is co-owner of Academy of Martial Arts with his wife, Nancy.

In the past two decades, movies such as 'Karate Kid' and television programs such as 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' have produced interest among younger people.

Now, there is a good mix of adults and children in martial arts, Caliguri said.

Of course, children can be fickle.

Those who drop out usually do so in the first couple of months, according to Caliguri. However, once a young student masters some techniques, they tend to 'stick it out.' Some leave for another sports season, then come back.

Ameris estimates that 80 percent of students quit before attaining black belt status.

Parents usually introduce their children to martial arts, said Ted Cibik, owner of Inner Strength in Leechburg.

Cibik teaches a blend of four martial arts - Brazilian jiujitsu, Chinese bagua, Indonesian silat and Japanese judo. Depending on the student's body type and personality, one or more of the disciplines are emphasized.

Children can benefit greatly from learning martial arts that way, Cibik said.

'As children grow and adapt, we can grow and adapt with them,' Cibik said. 'Someone might shoot up and get lanky. Or they might mentally change. We can teach them a martial art that is geared toward what kind of person they are.'

Cibik has about 60 students who are teen-agers or younger.

To parents, one of the most appealing aspects of martial arts is respect. Students bow to their partners and opponents, refrain from swearing, vow to use their knowledge for defense only.

'They were taught how to follow a set of rules,' McKenna said. 'They didn't even know they were getting discipline because they were having fun.'

Paul Kogut can be reached at pkogut@tribweb.com