I remember an article Mr. Strickland put out about parents working with their kids to “not let them quit.” Obviously, I’ve been doing this for over 20 years as a volunteer, and both of my boys stuck with martial arts throughout their high school years earning their black belts, so I value the camaraderie, the martial skills, and the mental value of martial arts training.

Nevertheless, I always worry about it when school owners tell us how parents shouldn’t “let” the kids quit. In less successful schools, you always have to question if that is a financial ploy. In successful, vibrant schools such as Mr. Strickland’s and the one in Coppell, there is a very different reason.

I have a friend/training partner in Coppell who is a single parent, having lost a spouse to cancer. His child has struggled with that, obviously. That child isn’t particularly coordinated, not particularly inspiring in class, a little overweight, and has decided after a couple years that it is time to quit.

What quitting means is that the kid won’t get the physical opportunities, the self-confidence boost, the discipline and the structure which martial arts does indeed provide. It means that a group of adult instructors who care about the student, and who are trained to help develop exactly those traits will not have the opportunity to impact the student in a positive way. It means that a single parent will have to shoulder more of the load in helping with all aspects of the child’s life, while maintaining a parental responsibility as well. It is quite a load to carry, and he is a friend that we won’t be able to help much with it now.

Every family has to make their own decisions about activities they will support. For the instructor team here at Mr. Strickland’s, it’s our goal to support those people young and old that come through our door. As long as they keep coming in – we’ll be “all about the student”.

Mr. Vickroy