Ninja Kids Belt Promotion
Belt Promotion Dates
Call Grand Master Maui as soon as possible at 480-721-2626, to confirm your child has progressed at home. Your child’s belt promotion can be given as a surprise gift for the holiday in the form of their certificate and belt given to you to wrap for your child. Please call now to have your child’s belt promotion gift ready for the holidays.
About Belt Promotion
Belt Promotion is a student’s advancement/graduation to the next level/rank.
Belt Promotion Nights are usually scheduled on a Friday evening, 6 times a year about every other month.
Belt Promotions build excitement as well as mark progress. The advancing students are awarded a new belt and a certificate, while everyone celebrates their hard work, dedication, and success. Food is almost always present as a part of the festivities. And it is a perfect time for photo opportunities preserving great memories for a lifetime.
We will notify about upcoming belt promotions, whereupon the parent or guardian of a student may then conference with Grand Master Maui ahead of the Belt Promotion Night to confirm the student has successfully incorporated his art with a positive impact at home. This confirmation is the other half, and integral part, of the Ninja Kids Training goals for advancement. This important home aspect, along with the skills testing in the dojo, which are performed on-going as a part of their regularly scheduled classes, creates a well-rounded, meaningful learning experience, and a happy successful student developing a base of life-long skills.
Skills Tested for Advancement
Over the course of history in Martial Arts, a belt ranking system was used to indicate the level of accomplishment a student has achieved. There’s sometimes a list of exercises and Katas’ and self-defense moves or schemes to be learned before one gets a promotion.
In Ninja Kids Training, we do much the same. One important focus is not hurting another student. Over the years I have learned, if I teach a child to hurt another child… that will happen. That is the reason we do not do contact and competitions, which rely on points earned based on the number of kicks, punches landed, a lock, or tap-out which is induced by pain. Ninja Kids will memorize and learn from repetition; supporting learning through actions creating mental and physical muscle memory. It’s the art of remembering - and success.
Ninja Kids work on Skills. Many Skills. Some are invisible. Many times as I am working with your child, my thought is… If I can get them to do this one thing it will be a great accomplishment.
I help kids learn internal skills for automatic safety and internal brain mechanics to help them achieve. Many times I will say to a child…
“I don’t care if you make it or not. I just care how hard you try.”
Categories of Skill
Listening – Some listen well, some need more focus.
Physical – Some have great skills; they all are learning.
Learning – Some take time, and some need repetition.
Doing – Some have challenges, some just do.
Trying – Some do, some don’t. I like when they try.
Patience – I myself could use more patiences.
Sitting Still – A challenge.
Meditate – I really like when they do. When they sit still and quiet their minds. I believe they get a chance to see who they are. Once that happens, they make a choice to change.
The Cookie – Earning a cookie at class time. Most appreciate the reward. Sometimes I can repeat myself to no end and nothing happens, but most of the time kids listen better when either Master Maui or the parent can veto the cookie reward.
No Cookie – Some need to think. Why and why not. Learning what they can do better.
The Happy – I do my best not to take the happy out of a child.
The Tower – It’s a wonderful thing to watch kids conquer their fears.
The Fight – Should be saved for when they are older. High School.
Fear – It’s great to watch fear get replaced with confidence.
Breakthroughs – Are amazing when that happens.
Good Days – Some have good days often.
Bad Days - Some have bad days. On bad days, some of the best learning can happen. I work on getting them back to a good day. Tactics such as focusing on one good thing. And maybe…. A cookie.
Home Responsibility Chart – Used to reflect some of the teachings in class at home and in school. It could also be called an Achievements Chart or List of Goals. Whichever names work best for your child. Sometimes it’s the visual of getting things done that amuses a child, the sticking of a sticker or coloring of a box.
How to Prepare for belt promotion
Call or text Master Maui well in advance of the next Belt Promotion Night to discuss your child being promoted. Belt Promotion Nights will be on the website, but also check with Master Maui. The belt promotion conference with Master Maui will review the student’s completion or progress of their Home Responsibility Chart or List of Goals to determine if the parent is in agreement with the student being ready for advancement, and will include a review of their in-class dojo martial arts skills and achievements. An exciting time!
A Special Belt Promotion Night with a Special Birthday Cake!
Thank you From Master Maui Saito
We are so grateful that you are part of our Dojo and that your child is a student learning our family martial art. We work at making their experience the most fun, while they’re learning something useful in life - confidence, knowing their surroundings, getting comfortable using their body, taking risks in a safe environment and getting some ninja skills. Ninja Kids Training will instill in your child how to believe and achieve, making them successful throughout their lifetime.
Whatever the mind of a child can believe, they can achieve.
- Grand Master Maui Saito
