If you were watching the warm-up portion of an Independent Karate School class, you might see our students standing on one leg for a while, looking at the ceiling as they do. Why are they doing that?
Our instructors ask the class to do this from time to time as a means of practicing balance. Balance training is important for both our students' overall well-being and their self-defense capabilities. You may not have as much luck getting an assailant to unhand you if you fall over while executing your chosen technique.
I also like to think that the Independent Karate School teaches balance in the metaphorical sense. My children have to balance a lot of competing priorities in their lives. Karate is one of them, of course. But IKS students are frequently reminded that homework always comes first, and anyone who has been away from class for a while is warmly welcomed on their return.
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Our IKS instructors also lead by example. All of our dedicated master teachers have other occupations, as well as all the usual responsibilities of adult life. To make room in their lives for teaching karate, they have to make conscious choices, and avoid wasting time on things that don't matter so much.
Just another lesson that my children are learning at the IKS . . . without even realizing it!
