Family guide
The benefits of training martial arts as a family
Why more Griffith families are stepping on the mat together, and how to make it work for yours.
Plenty of parents drop their kids at class and wait in the car. More and more are joining in instead. Training as a family gives you shared time, shared goals and a whole household that is fitter, more confident and more connected. Here is why it works so well.
Quality time without screens
Between school, work and sport, many families rarely do one thing together. A shared class gives you time where everyone is present, moving and laughing, with phones left in the bag.
- Make one class a week your family session and protect it like any other commitment.
- Talk about what you each learned on the drive home.
- Practise a technique together in the lounge room. Kids love teaching their parents.
From the mat: Some of our favourite moments on the mat are a parent and child bowing to each other before a drill.
Kids see you learning too
When children watch a parent start as a beginner, make mistakes and keep going, they learn that being new at something is normal. It is one of the best lessons in resilience you can give them, and you do not have to say a word.
- Let your kids see you struggle with a new technique and laugh it off.
- Ask them for tips. They often pick things up faster than adults.
- Celebrate effort and turning up, not just results.
From the mat: Children copy what they see far more than what they are told.
Shared goals to celebrate
Belts and gradings give the whole family milestones to work towards. Training for a grading together, then watching each other earn a new belt, creates memories and real pride.
- Put grading dates on the family calendar so everyone can be there.
- Help each other practise kata or techniques before a grading.
- Mark new belts with a small family celebration.
From the mat: A child watching their mum or dad grade is often more nervous than the parent.
Fitness for everyone
Martial arts builds strength, flexibility, coordination and fitness at every age. Training together means nobody is sitting on the sidelines waiting, and everyone gets the benefits of regular exercise.
- Start at your own pace. Coaches adjust drills for every age and fitness level.
- Encourage each other on the days motivation is low.
- Notice the changes together over the first few months.
From the mat: Parents who train often tell us they finally stopped being the person holding the drink bottles.
The same values at home and on the mat
Respect, discipline, listening and self-control are taught in every class. When parents and kids train in the same dojo, those values become a shared language that carries into home life.
- Use dojo words at home, like "focus", "respect" and "Osu".
- Back up what the coach teaches about effort and manners.
- Talk about how the dojo rules apply to school and home.
From the mat: When the whole family bows in, the lessons stick far better than when kids train alone.
One trip, everyone trains
Our timetable is built so families can train in the same visit. Kids and adult classes run back to back on the same afternoons, so one drive covers everyone.
- Tuesday and Thursday: Little Lions 3:45pm, Junior Lions 4:30pm, Young Lions 5:30pm, then Adults Kyokushin 6:30pm.
- Monday and Wednesday: Mat Monkeys 4pm, Mat Rats 5pm, then adult BJJ at 6pm (Gi on Mondays, No Gi on Wednesdays).
- Friday All Ages Kyokushin at 5pm and Saturday Combined Ages Karate at 9am have everyone on the mat at once.
From the mat: Plenty of our parents started training because they were already at the dojo every week for their kids.
Ready to start?
Train together as a family
Every new family member starts with a two-week trial for $49.95. Book once and choose "Our family" in the form, and we will help you find classes that suit everyone.
Book a trial class ›By the instructors at Cirillo's RMA, 10 Probert Ave, Griffith NSW. Questions? Call 0427 630 488.