Dear Parents,

          You might not know it but there is a way for you to take advantage of thousands of years of wisdom and put it to use in developing your child in one, integrative approach. It's already been discovered by thousands of families throughout the Miami, Naples, Fort Myers, Florida area and beyond.

Martial arts for children can be more than just learning about punching and kicking, yelling and “Yes Sir!”

When properly implemented, the martial arts are an educational program based on traditional values such as Focus, Respect, Self-Confidence, Self-Control, and Self-Discipline. It was our focus on these qualities that led to Karate Incorporated's S.M.A.R.T. Kids curriculum to be recognized and implemented in the public schools.

When developed, these traits lay a foundation for your child to attain his or her unlimited potential no matter what activity he or she chooses.

Is there a Problem with Sports for Children?

I’m a father of four boys and one Daughter; I know the concerns parents face each day. And I watch parents try to find activities that instill life lessons.

I’m here to tell you that character building through sports is the exception rather than the rule. All too often, I see children sitting on the bench - passed over by the coach for stronger, faster children. The “win at all costs” attitude of some sports does little to teach character – instead, it teaches children that only the strong survive and win… and that your child isn’t the strong.

The objective of sports is to win, not build strong personal character. If character is built, it’s a fringe benefit along the way towards the goal of sports: winning.

I’m not saying that children’s shouldn’t play sports. What I’m saying is that building character is not the goal of sports.

The solution to this problem... S.M.A.R.T. Kids Karate for Kids!

S.M.A.R.T. Kids offers your child the opportunity to be a part of a group of positive, encouraging people of many ages while simultaneously working, progressing and developing through his or her own efforts. By being directly responsible for his or her own success, your child will develop greater self-confidence and self-esteem as he or she meets with success after success.

As a parent myself, I understand that having children do a lot of different activities with no educational value or clear life lessons is not the most efficient use of time. There’s only 24 hours each day. The key is to learn how to make the most of each day, as efficiently as possible.

Children's Martial Arts: Re-Creation instead of recreation

Children can learn and do a lot of things like dancing or playing various sports but nothing is as good as martial arts for building the total person – adult or child.

In the areas of education, seeing how things connect - integration - and establishing wisdom for life as well as learning and developing character does not happen when “warming the bench”. By using active participation martial arts for kids are the most effective way to use your time and money to develop your child. It is possible to create a better child because martial arts are more than recreation – its Re-Creation… re-creating your child into a more disciplined, focused, happy, healthy and safe human being.

Now, I’m not saying that sports are totally useless – I played a lot of sports when I was young and even into high school. I’m just cautioning you to be aware of the goals you have in mind for your child and make sure the activity matches in which your child participates matches your goals. If you want a successful child, look for the activities and programs that focus on teaching your child the tools and habits to be successful.

Think of all the things you want your child to learn: how to succeed, confidence, a positive attitude, safety awareness, stranger awareness, self-defense skills, how to listen and follow instructions… these are just a few of the very real concerns parents tell me about. And I tell them that training in the martial arts at Karate Incorporated is the answer.

And now, the BEST style of martial arts for your child is… not what you’d think. Martial arts are great for kids. But many parents come to me asking, “what’s the best style for my child?” The one, most important fact for you to understand is that:

Martial Art Styles are an illusion.

What do I mean by “Martial Art Styles are an illusion?”

Martial Art styles represent specialized knowledge, tactics, and strategies for self-defense based on certain “moves”. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of styles, like: Karate, Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Hapkido, Jujitsu, Kempo, Kenpo, Aikido, Aikijujitsu, Kendo, Muay Thai, Chuan Fa, Taiji (or Tai Chi), Bagua, Xingyi (or Hsing Yi), … and the list goes on.

When it comes to your child, the benefits of a specific set of techniques are not the highest priority.

Each style exists for a reason. But when your child asks to learn “Karate” or “Kung Fu,” he or she is really asking to learn something that looks like fun.

What’s most important for your child are the character building tools of martial arts and self-protection skills of learning to think and plan ahead to avoid danger rather than specialized, technical self-defense tactics and strategies.

Let me say it a different way - in order to gain the most benefits for your child, the most important factors are the instructor and the goals of the program itself, NOT the popularity or technical requirements of the style.

Meet with the instructor, wherever you are looking for classes. Ask for a free trial class. If they don’t offer one, you should be careful about that school.

See how the instructor relates to your child. Talk with the other parents and see how they like the program. If you or your child does not feel comfortable, chances are high that your child will not stay with the program.

For benefits, it doesn’t matter what degree the instructor is – can he relate to your child? Can he motivate your child to want to learn for himself or herself? Are the advanced students disciplined, self-controlled and confident? If “No” to any of these questions, you should strongly consider enrolling your child in this type of environment.

Why am I giving you all this information?

It’s simple – there are two reasons:

First, I’m a parent and I’m constantly on the look out for what’s best for my children.

Second, I’m a career martial artist and the Director/Chief Instructor for Karate Incorporated, Alton Martin, Sensei. I’ve got the experience; knowledge and training to help you and your child make the best decision for your child’s future.

For over three decades, I’ve been developing people of all ages, races, religions, and creeds – including children like yours - with character building tools found only in martial arts. No other childhood activity or sport can match them. In the next few pages, I’m going to tell you how you and your child can sample all of this, and more, for FREE!

I’ve guided countless children like yours towards developing an attitude of never failing. Through training in our curriculum based age appropriate programs taught in a positive environment, your child will learn to see how any lack of total success is only an opportunity for improvement.

AND… this wonderful and powerful attitude comes from WITHIN your child rather than an outside force. That means you can trust your child to do what’s right, even if there are no authority figures around.

Isn’t that what we all want as parents – to know that our child will make smart, safe decisions in the present moment and in the future?

And here’s something to think about… imagine if your child were to begin a sport (or any activity!) with a solid physical foundation of strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance, a strong mental foundation of focus, self-discipline, self-control, self-confidence and the ability to cooperate, and a strong spirit focused on respect and creating success. I think you can quickly see how your child would excel in anything he or she sets his mind to do.

I’ve had numerous children begin training with a wide variety of behavior problems and behavior challenges that have improved drastically. Through training and learning in our solid Martial Arts for children programs, I’ve helped to create countless successful children – better kids – simply from following a three step method consistently. I’ve helped to mold young children to see the positive benefits they can do for themselves and others like this:

Here’s how all this is possible in three steps:

Step #1: Training begins with the body

It’s hard for children (and most adults) to control their thoughts or emotions but it’s relatively easy to learn how to stand still if even for only a few seconds. This is where martial arts begin to teach self-discipline and self-control: with the body.

In your child’s first class with us he or she will learn about how the Mind controls the Body and then demonstrate “Focus.” This becomes a powerful word that captures your child’s imagination. Many of our parents even use it at home when it’s time for children to really pay attention and listen.

>From there, your child will learn stances, footwork, kicks and punches. Everything that comes over time – all the athletic ability, character building, confidence, and positive attitude - is built around this physical foundation.

Developing the body first also lays the foundation for learning how to integrate knowledge, build leadership traits, develop & implement motivational strategies, and learn goal setting… all in a proactive, positive environment.

Karate Incorporated also make use of the Children’s Personal Conduct program, also known as CPC, to help keep children focused. What makes the CPC program so successful in helping to build children is the unique matching of classroom lessons reinforced with take-home worksheets structured around five cartoon characters:

The CPC program is very successful at keeping children motivated to learn and progress. You can get more information about this program by visiting our website at www.karateinc.tripod.com

Step #2: The first key to creating success is to "Focus"

We teach "Focus" every class – at the beginning and ending of every class, in fact. But sometimes I see parents that don’t practice this basic trait outside the martial arts school. When a child is enrolled into many different activities, he or she often learns the exact opposite – how to remain unfocused, always on the lookout for the next fad or “big thing.” This creates the potential momentum for the child to get involved with many of the wrong activities or the wrong crowd in the teen years.

My staff and I seek to educate and develop your child’s body, mind and attitude – what we call spirit - in a fun, positive environment.

Each time your child attends class, he or she will learn one of several Life Skills designed to build good habits that will last a lifetime. By attending class as little as class twice a week, your child will have marked changes in his or her body language, posture, and attitude. But don’t take my word for it. See what some of our parents are saying:

  “Now when we’re in public, whenever Alexis gets out of the car, she stands in Focus with her hands at her side and waits for me to come around to her side of the car. Then we go to the store together.”

– The Cox Family

 Hi, Sensei Martin

First, thank you for your recognition of Kirsten’s hard work at school and at your Dojo. She was so proud of being recognized that I believe it will continue to be a great motivator. You will be pleased to know that when her grades dipped slightly in second quarter and I told her some activities might have to be cut, she asked if Karate could be LAST! I said alright wondering if I had  made the right decision But, she really came through and simply worked harder and excelled at all of her activities: karate, band, Girl Scouts AND most importantly school.

My wife and I were very impressed with your talk to the students about the importance of education.

Thank you for your leadership.

Best Regards

- Richard Kiplinger

  The training is fantastic. It’s been absolutely remarkable. Compared to when Chris started 4 years ago, he’s matured as a child but his time here has greatly improved his self-control – especially for a child the experts want to label with labels. We’ve been focused as parents, and even got his elementary school involved too. I’m happy to be at a martial arts school so dedicated! I would recommend the school to any parent.

My husband has even started training. And he’s getting more self-control too =)”

- Kathy Lancaster, Chris’s Mom

 Sensei Martin “We love it”.

With Paul, it keeps him focused and helps him realize, like with school work, home work he has to stay focused be persistent and do good with it in order to keep coming to class.

-Paul’s Mom

Sensei Martin,

With the material John  learns here, I am amazed with what he knows. His flexibility is much better than what it was. I think this will also help him in the long run with other sports.

With my husband, Ken, the breathing techniques have helped him out with relaxation.”

- Janice Thomas

Seeing is believing. Our families see such tremendous, positive benefits for their children that even the parents get into the training.

Step #3: Developing the Body, Mind, and Spirit

For the Body, you will see your child improve the following and more:

Flexibility

Strength

Endurance

Relaxation / Sensitivity

Balance

Coordination

Distance Awareness

Timing

All of these traits set a strong foundation for future sport activities while also building good exercise habits. When you get your child into the habit of regular exercise when they are young, it becomes a habit for life. Your child will have better concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and self-control by being active on a regular basis. By developing the body, the stage is set to develop the Mind.

For the Mind, your child will develop many strong characteristics like:

Discipline

Willpower & Focus

Perception

Reason

Memory

Intuition

Imagination

The Mind is an amazing thing that goes beyond just the organ of the brain. Your child will learn how to use the many abilities of the mind to create a positive worldview and create success. This results in a positive attitude.

At Karate Incorporated, we teach that Attitude is a combination of our actions, thoughts and emotions. This helps children to understand the consequences of their actions and the actions of others.

This kind of education isn’t found in regular school – public, charter, or private. The education and experience of the Six Mental Skills are unique benefits of Karate Incorporated’s curriculum programs. Your child needs to develop his or her mental skills for learning; we provide your child these necessary tools so that your child can be successful in all learning environments.

Dear, Sensei Martin

 “As I pause to reflect about Nathan and his new adventure, my heart just smiles. Only 6 months ago, I remember a young boy struggling to find his peace in all the chaos. Aaron’s grades were falling, school was a chose, and his siblings trying to cheer up Aaron sometimes was fruitless. Physically he thought he couldn’t do anything. Aaron was awkward, wanting to quit often. His self-respect was low, confidence absent. “I can’t” was part of his daily vocabulary. His ability to stay on task very difficult. Often, I called his name over and over. He did not have a sense of responsibility to family or himself. Also, Nathan was having more trouble dealing with or thinking about all that was going on inside.

Since beginning martial arts, there have been many changes from inside to out. Physically he has more strength and coordination. Also, it usually takes one call and Aaron responds. When engaged in something which requires focus, I can actually see him redirecting his mind and even his body. His final grads reflect his ability. With his siblings, Aaron is patent and more understanding. One of the most exciting changes is the way he carries himself – shoulder back, chin up. Now he thinks “he can”

Although his recent strides are impressive, I am sure Nathan has some growing inside to do. Respecting oneself and others is ongoing. One day he will realize how powerful he is. Aaron will be able to be confident that “he can” hold his own. He may even try new things. When going through difficult times, we hill find his strength inside. Physically, he will be in control of his body and understand his potential.

- Cindy Kemper, Nathan’s Mom

For the Spirit, your child will learn about his or her unlimited potential. All too often, people – children and adults – unconsciously limit themselves, achieving less success than they would wish.

By way of example, let me share one of our Life Lessons with you.

It’s called “Little Things Count:”

Jonathon sat on his front porch with nothing to do. He wasn't sure what everyone found so great about summer and being out of school, because he thought it was pretty boring. Ever since the flood waters in March had washed away most of the playground and the retaining wall next to the river, his mom had not allowed him to play there.

Most of the other parents felt the same, and the neighborhood gathering place for kids was a thing of the past. Just when he was about to go inside to complain yet again to his mom that there was nothing to do, Jonathon saw Mr. Lumpkin come out of his house across the street and make his way down the block to what was left of the low retaining wall at the park.

His curiosity got the best of him, so he decided to stay on the porch to watch. He could see Mr. Lumpkin studying the wall for a few minutes before he bent slowly to pick up a good sized rock and set it into place along the jagged edge of the wall remains. As Jonathon watched for the next half hour, Mr. Lumpkin place a half a dozen more rocks before he turned to go home. Jonathon thought to himself that Mr. Lumpkin was wasting his time. He had heard his dad say more than once that the wall was going to take forever to rebuild. Jonathon thought it was kind of silly for an old man to think that a few rocks a day would be of any help.

Over the next couple of days Jonathon watched as more rocks were placed by Mr. Lumpkin and the wall began to grow. On the forth day, as Mr. Lumpkin came out of his house, Jonathon decided to tag along. He followed not far behind Mr. Lumpkin and as the old man bent to pick up the first rock, Jonathon hurried over to lift it for him. He figured it couldn't hurt, and it gave him something to do. The next morning Jonathon was waiting at the end of Mr. Lumpkin’s' walkway and they walked together to the wall and worked together in silent camaraderie.

On the following morning several ladies who had been sitting on a bench in the park every morning that week brought a pitcher of iced tea with some fresh fruit and a wagon for carting rocks. The four worked together and the wall grew and grew. By the end of the next week, Mr. Walker, who Jonathon had seen watching them from his living room window, came out with a wheelbarrow and began hauling, rocks.

It came as a surprise to Jonathon that almost a full week before school was to start again, he and Mr. Lumpkin stood, along with quite a crowd of neighbors, in front of a completed retaining wall. Someone had called a newspaper reporter who approached Mr. Lumpkin and asked, "How did you all do such a big task?" Mr. Lumpkin replied, "One rock at a time."

This little story shows the benefits of being humble, working together, and having a sense of vision helped Jonathon to see his potential to effect a positive change in his world. This shows the benefits of building our sense of spirit and ties directly to three of the benefits for the Mind: Discipline, Perception and Imagination.

As a martial arts school, we believe in the potential of each and every human being to become whatever the mind can imagine. The spirit and attitude behind each of our actions is the highest level of focus in the martial arts and is achieved by building a strong foundation in the body and mind first.

How to receive all these benefits – plus a no obligation offer to find out more... FREE!

Now, you might be wondering how all these benefits are possible and available for your child. I’ve had my own school since 1988 and established the first martial arts Professional Children’s Curriculum in the United States in 1989. I am a nationally recognized instructor, lecturer, author, tournament judge, competitor, and more. But don’t take my word for it; see what Goggle and Yahoo has to say.

When it comes to martial arts, I talk the talk and walk the walk. When it comes to children’s programs, I’ve gone all the way from student, to leader, to champion, to teacher, and now Master level with students of my own continuing my success in schools of their own.

Karate Incorporated is dedicated to providing our students with the best in quality training facilities and well-trained instructors that put safety as priority #1. Our curriculum draws from over 1,500 years of martial arts traditions match to today’s modern lifestyle – we don’t use negative reinforcement or something like hours of grueling horse stance simply to “weed out the weak ones.”

By the time students reach Black Belt or, they have trained their stances for many, many hours so the quality is still there but we train smarter. Why else would our curriculum be the only martial arts curriculum currently in use by Public Schools?

What makes us unique in the world of martial art styles is that we teach a complete system, called Shorin Ryu Karate. Our system covers all ranges of self-defense so your child will learn about kicks, punches, grabs, and tackles – how to do them properly and how to protect against them.

This is different from a style that focuses on only one or two ranges of self-defense. At our school, your child won’t have to learn several different sets of tactics or strategies – instead, he or she will experience a natural progression from general to specific knowledge that covers all possibilities of self-defense in one, seamless training experience.

In addition to an excellent training system, we also have great instructors. Our instructors have received many awards and accolades from both inside and outside the martial arts community. The Headquarters school in Naples, has been recognized many times by the City and State for our outstanding results.

We are committed to excellence and open to feedback. We also offer something unique: unlimited classes with our standard membership. Most schools only allow your child to attend class twice a week and then you have to pay more to gain access to any additional classes. We recommend a minimum of twice a week but we want to see your child succeed and have removed the first barrier by having a flexible attendance policy.

I know you might be curious about our program and all the benefits available for your child. Simply register for a trial membership here (with no obligation) or call (941) 240-5196 and ask about our Eight Week Program. This program is long enough for you to start seeing changes in your child’s behavior and attitude… but short enough to know if our program and facility is right for you and your child.

The Eight Week Intro comes with a personal interview with the school’s Chief Instructor, a Uniform, a School Packet, and classes 2, 3 or 4 times a week – everything your child needs to succeed.

We know that, in as little as 10-15 classes, you’ll start to see many positive changes in your child. This is a short commitment, a little longer than month – but we often see dramatic changes in young children. Register for your child’s membership here today – our classes typically fill up early so it’s best to register as soon as possible.

You can also register for our Free Children’s Newsletter full of tips and strategies to raise healthy, happy children and receive additional information on our programs for all ages by registering for the Newsletter here. As a free bonus you’ll receive: “Seven Tips to Selecting a Martial Arts Program for your Child.” This free e-book, a $15 dollar value, contains valuable information on evaluating a potential martial arts program, including a checklist of questions to ask when you visit a school for the first time. This checklist alone will give you a powerful tool to weed out the ineffective schools.

“You give us the time, we’ll give you the skill.

Success through accountability.”

You define the moment; don’t let the moment define you.

Sincerely,

        Alton Martin, Sensei

Director/Senior Chief Instructor

         Karate Incorporated

Physical Education Instructor/Teacher

National Security Alliance Agent

7th Degree Black Belt, Okinawa Shorin Ryu Karate

KI34104@yahoo.com