When I was in junior high I saw a movie that really caught my attention. The movie was Billy Jack and it was sort of a hippie-type movie with a bit of a heavy-handed anti-establishment message. The bottom line of the movie was that if the corrupt local leaders of the town mistreated the peace-loving young hippies at the alternative school Billy Jack would kick the crap out of them (just the perfect theme for a preadolescent male – “peace and harmony until someone makes you mad”). Anyway, it was the first time I had ever seen someone perform martial arts and I was amazed. You have to remember, this was 1971 and there was no Youtube, we only had three tv channels, and most martial arts movies were imports from China, rated R, and mostly showed at drive-in theaters. After seeing Billy Jack three or four times I went to the bookstore and bought a book on Judo. I had no clue that Billy Jack was demonstrating the martial art of Hapkido which is quite different from Judo. Regardless, I was really pumped to study the book and start performing those incredible skills I saw on the big screen. When I got home from the bookstore and started flipping through the pages I could feel the disappointment rising inside me. There were certainly lots of pictures showing different judo skills and corresponding text that described each skill. But the more I studied that book the more frustrated I got. There were just too many gaps in the information I needed. Sometimes the book had a series of three or four photos showing the sequence of a particular skill. But even then I couldn’t quite envision what the skill would look like in an actual movement situation. After several days of studying that book I finally stuck it on my bookcase never to open it again.
That was a pretty important lesson I learned as a junior high kid. If I can have something demonstrated to me, have it happen in front of me before my very eyes, I can understand it so much easier. That’s why I wanted to make the video clip section such an important part of the Preschool Athlete website.
As you watch some or all of the Preschool Athlete video clips I hope you note a few different things. First and foremost, I hope you find some new activities to do with your kids. I’m guessing that some of the activities may not be new to you and you are actually incorporating them with your own kids (which I find very encouraging), but I’m hoping that there are some that you haven’t seen or thought of before. Additional factors I hope you pick up on as you view the clips include the following:
Understand that while a lot of the clips are filmed in a gymnasium setting, the activities shown can be easily performed in a backyard, basement, playroom, city park, etc.
Notice that many of the activities can be performed with very inexpensive, sometimes homemade, equipment.
Observe that while the activities are designed to develop the foundational skills for future sports participation, most of the activities don’t use “sports equipment” but incorporate more developmentally-appropriate equipment.
Recognize that one type of activity designed to help develop a foundational skill can, in the future, be beneficial to a number of sports (for example – jumping is important for basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, etc.).
Observe the developmental differences between younger and older preschoolers. In general, kids who are 2-3 years old just don’t have the strength, balance, coordination, and experience that preschoolers who are 4-5 years old might have.
Realize that preschoolers don’t always want to perform an activity exactly how you want them to do it… and that’s okay.
Recognize that clips were filmed in a safe and comfortable setting:
Activities were designed to minimize the chance of injury occurring
Parents/family members were in close proximity
Sometimes siblings performed activities together
Let me wrap this post up with a “Paul Harvey – Rest of the Story” moment (Gen Yer’s and Millennials, you may have to ask your Baby Boomer parents about Mr. Harvey). Let’s jump ahead 25 years after I, as a kid, put that judo book up on the shelf. I was teaching at Indiana State University and became friends with Jason Winkle, a fellow faculty member and an outstanding martial arts instructor. Over a three year period Jason worked with me until I earned my black belt in Hapkido, the very martial art that Billy Jack mesmerized me with on the big screen back when I was a kid. You just never know when an opportunity is going to present itself.
As always, don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or comments at john@preschoolathlete.com. I welcome your feedback. Also, if you haven’t already done so please consider joining our community of parents and family members of preschoolers. By registering I’ll keep you updated of any new videos, blog posts, suggested resources, new sports, and other materials when they are added.
Parents and family members… God bless you in the challenging and rewarding experience of raising a young child.
Comments are closed.