# It’s Real and It’s Spectacular

- Link: https://brianejohns.com/2015/04/01/blog-its-real-and-its-spectacular/
- Published: 2015-04-01T21:28:00-04:00
- Author: Brian Johns

## “It’s real and it’s spectacular” is, of a course, a slight riff of a 󠀁[famous line](https://youtu.be/aQNkeugaAMc)󠁿 in the 1990s comedy series “Seinfeld.”

In this post, I discuss a recent remark by a martial artist about me teaching a 
children’s Modern Arnis class that involved some questionable logic. Essentially,
he implied “_you don’t teach a real martial art because you teach kids_.”

Secondly, according to him, “_therefore, the art you practice is also not a real
martial art._” _Ahem. _I assure you what I teach is real and it’s spectacular.

### Let’s tackle the first statement: “_You don’t teach a real martial art because you teach children.” _

Talk about a logical fallacy. A martial art is not real because [I teach kids](https://brianejohns.com/2015/10/15/blog-taming-the-mustang-spirit/)?
If you believe this, every martial art is likely not to “be real.” Beyond that, 
this statement denigrates martial artists who teach children and questions whether
they have any real skill. I have seen a good number of martial artists who are incredible
teachers of children.

Perhaps this person’s opinion was further informed by a video of my children’s class
which currently has _more girls than boys_.

If you are not able to view this video, click [here](https://youtu.be/2mBsi67XJ0Q).

I do not know for certain but I cannot rule out that his opinion was influenced 
by this. The ratio will surely change as some lose interest and new students join.
In any case, this poster commented that this looked “_real dangerous training kids
with 2 oz sticks_.” _Okaaaaay._

### In any case, I did not set out to teach children when I first started teaching in 2008. Around 2009, I was contacted by a woman who asked me if I could teach her 4-year-old daughter.

Starting with this young girl and a couple of others, I started my children’s class.
Straight up, I did not know what the hell I was doing most of the time. As I did
not do any marketing for this, growth was essentially non-existent for the first
year. That was fine by me as I was trying to figure this out!

Soon parents of 5 to 7-year-olds started contacting me about my kids’ classes. To
reiterate, I had absolutely no plans to teach kids in this age range. Often when
parents contact me, I am upfront and tell them that I teach stick material through
Modern Arnis. Further, I tell them that the sticks translate to empty hands. The
vast majority are okay with the idea of kids training with sticks. Surprisingly,
only a couple of parents declined to enroll their kids due to safety concerns.

Over time, through trial and error, I have gotten much better at teaching children
and found myself _immensely_ enjoying the experience of teaching children. I still
feel like I don’t know what I’m doing half the time. 

### I teach the kids sticks from day one.

Angles of attack and sinawali drills are taught from day one. Basic block, check,
counter, and the slap off/pull off drills are also taught. I focus on physical literacy
and teaching basic self-defense. Most importantly, I give them confidence when they“
get it.” Their faces really light up when they “get it,” a most enjoyable moment!

### Regarding this statement: “_this looks real dangerous training kids with 2 oz sticks_”: I prefer to train each child briefly in class 󠀁[one on one](https://brianejohns.com//2015/03/30/blog-7-killer-reasons-to-take-private-lessons/)󠁿 to ensure that they have the technique _before_ they pair off with their friends. It’s all about good technique and safety! 

So going back to the first statement “Y_ou don’t teach a real martial art because
you teach kids.” _Am I teaching the same basics of Modern Arnis? Yes! Am I teaching
the 6 and 7-year-olds advanced material as I do the adults? Not by any stretch of
the imagination! But it’s the same martial art, executed by different age groups,
nothing more. I’m focusing on basic skills and physical literacy with this particular
age group. As they get older and their physical literacy increases, they will learn
more about this awesome martial art of Modern Arnis. Folks, this stuff is real and
spectacular. 

I can only conclude that the aforementioned statement likely comes from a warped
perspective.

### On to the second statement: “_And therefore, the art you practice is also not a real martial art_.”

Huh? Really? Try telling that to the Gracie family who has had a long tradition 
of introducing their children to the family version of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu through
games and an emphasis on fun. Oh yes, the founder of Modern Arnis, the late Professor
Remy A. Presas, started at age 5. Many of the all-time greats started at a young
age. Most assuredly, their martial art styles were real. Again, this is a warped
perspective, that because I teach 6 and 7-year-old kids, Modern Arnis is not a real
martial art? Maybe the sight of them playing with “2 oz sticks” (as this guy put
it) looks funny. Maybe someday they’ll look like this:

Or like this:

## I would describe the martial art of Modern Arnis as real and spectacular — and it’s not any less real just because I teach kids!

## Additional Reading

 * [“It Has To Be Done This Way!”](https://brianejohns.com/2015/05/17/blog-it-has-to-be-done-this-way/)
 * [Too Young to Learn Filipino Martial Arts?](https://brianejohns.com/2015/06/08/blog-too-young-to-learn-filipino-martial-arts/)
 * [Horrifying Mall Attack](https://brianejohns.com/2023/12/06/horrifying-mall-attack/)
 * [How I Teach Filipino Martial Arts to Children](https://brianejohns.com/2015/07/20/blog-how-i-teach-filipino-martial-arts-to-children/)
 * [Goals of the Bamboo Shoots Program](https://brianejohns.com/2010/08/17/blog-goals-of-the-bamboo-shoots-program/)

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