SETS – Simple Enough To Succeed Guiding Philosophy

One Kick Ten Thousand Times

The dynamics of a well rounded martial arts class do not have to be complicated. Bruce Lee once said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” There are plenty of Martial Artists out there who will emphasize nerve attacks, joint manipulation, or aesthetically pleasing butterfly kicks. Anyone of the three could be an effective tool (and butterfly kicks are awesome), but it takes years of practice, timing and coordination to apply them in a manner consistent with self protection.

Basic Elements for Kindergarteners

Simple Enough to Succeed takes the basic elements of the fighting arts, and applies them in a way that kindergartners are able to understand and perform. If the movements are simple enough for the youngest learners, then they should be simple enough for almost anyone barring some learners who have special needs. Even at that point, the movements and techniques in Kindie Kung Fu can be reworked to fit the needs of individuals with disabilities.

Simple To Complicated

There are movements within Kindie Kung Fu SETS that begin to encroach on the more complicated framework of martial arts like Jiu jitsu, or the meditative breathing practices of yoga and tai chi. The purpose is not to develop these martial arts, but to introduce them to knew students without placing a name on them. In “The Karate Kid,” with Ralph Machio and Pat Morita, Mr. Miyagi, played by Morita, teaches Daniel son, played by Machio, to blocks by repetitious techniques that Daniel must use while doing chores around the house. He instructs without naming, and teaches through mental muscle memory.

Geometry As A Metaphor

The aim of many activities for young learners functions in this way. As a teacher, instructor, or otherwise, you may not tell your students that what they are learning is basic geometry when they learn the names of shapes based on the number of sides that shape has, but they learn geometry none the less. The repetitious nature of the learning process lends itself to ever more complicated forms, but the basic constructs do not disappear simply because you earn a black belt in any given martial art. Danielsan expected to learn Karate, and he did. He didn’t learn it in the manner he thought he would, because he was taught the basic movements in a way that developed more than just a simple connection.

Mr. Miyagi

Kindie Kung Fu SETS doesn’t operate in the same way that Mr. Miyagi’s technique for teaching Danielsan’s blocks did, unfortunately. Some of the more complicated material in the class does operate in that manner. It would be quite difficult to make a class of kindergartners understand that the dantian is two inches below the naval, and is considered the central energy factory for the body in Tai Chi. You can, however, teach a kids to stand with their feet apart, hips tucked in, and teach them how to breathe when they lift their arms.