Greetings Spicar’s Martial Arts Parents!

Today I would like to talk about how to use things from around the house to benefit your ninja's "At Home" training! Every ninja has gotten carried away sweeping the floor while pretending the broom was a Bo Staff! 

I even heard of some of my ninja friends up north shoveling snow and thinking of it as "endurance" training! Now I am not telling you to strap a cloth to your ninja's tummy and have him practice army crawls across the tile floor and call it "training". Let's face it, that's just how a ninja does his normal chores!

Sometimes we think that we are unable or ill-equipped to practice at home because we lack the same pads or mats that we use while in class. With a little ingenuity and imagination, we can find things around the house that serve the same or similar purposes!

PILLOWS

First on the list is pillows! Finding a nice sturdy pillow can act as a kicking shield that the parents can hold while their child practices their kicks! Of course, make sure it is a fluffy pillow or you might be surprised at how effective a little ninja can be. If you have smaller pillows around, we can throw those around and work on accuracy with our strikes and/or kicks.

WALL / CHAIR / WINDOWSILL

The last one I would like to mention is a windowsill, chair or wall. Either can be used to practice improving balance while kicking. You can easily use a chair, wall or windowsill to rest a hand on while you practice kicking. Slow tension kicks will help build strength in the legs. Practicing rapid-fire kicks will help improve speed! Be sure to pivot and re-chamber properly to build perfect technique.

Just about anything around the house can serve as a training aid. I hope I have been able to help you think with ingenuity and imagination when it comes to everyday items! Remember, the more we put into our training, the more we will benefit! If you have any questions about how you can increase the level of "At Home" training, feel free to ask your favorite instructor!

Sincerely,

Adam Spicar, owner