TIGER LEVEL: AGES 4-6

They Develop:

• Increased Attention and Focus
• Perseverance
• Self Confidence
• Fitness
• Coordination
• Respect For Themselves and Others
• Self-Defense Basics

4-6 year olds primarily need an introduction to attention, focus, and learning the basics of balance and dexterity in a fun and friendly environment as they begin Kung fu. That’s what we provide.

A Parent Shares an Amazing Story

About a year ago, Keegan wanted to start taking kung fu. We did a free trial class with North Austin Kung Fu, and although he was pretty disappointed that he didn’t get to break any boards or smash any piles of bricks on the first day, we signed up to keep taking classes. I was pretty skeptical because he was so off balance and seemed uncoordinated. It didn’t seem to happen naturally for him like some of the other kids in class or even other sports he’s participated in. I was shocked at myself when I teared up watching him test for his first new belt only a few classes later. He was bursting with pride. About a month in, he was able to participate in a tournament and earned two trophies! I’ve earned ONE in my entire life, and it wasn’t as big as his lowest place trophy at age FOUR. Although I sometimes find myself frustrated at his lack of enthusiasm in a given moment, he always says he wants to keep training, and here we are a year later. Today, he got a new uniform as he’s outgrown his first one, and a new bo staff to begin training with. As I reflect on this last year in kung fu, I feel grateful to North Austin Kung Fu for creating an environment where my child feels safe enough to fail forward, supported enough to keep trying, and where the instructors are knowledgeable enough to accept effort over perfection at this age. Keegan has learned so much more than sparring and Short Kata techniques. He’s learning to be patient with himself. He’s learning that it’s about progress, not perfection. He’s learning that he’s not always going to be successful on the first try, all things I wished I had learned earlier in life. Most importantly, he’s learning how to learn from others, how to speak up for himself when he doesn’t understand, and he’s experiencing that by accomplishing short-term goals, you can get closer to achieving a bigger goal. So today, we proudly display a new yard sign hoping for others to begin this amazing journey with their own children or even for themselves. Our school didn’t miss a beat in moving to a remote learning model, and although there’s no replacement for training in person, Keegan has still received quality instruction and has continued to progress through his belt rankings. I’m becoming quite spoiled with not having to spend extra money or time on transportation and at having the ability to get dinner started during warmups. From a visual standpoint, I feel so much more equipped to help him train between classes because I’m now literally on top of the instruction rather than many feet away trying to use my device to see to keep up. “Thank you” just doesn’t feel like enough.