WASHINGTON — As class at Enshin Karate’s Fairfax, Virginia, location wraps up on a sunny Saturday, children pad around the dojo, testing out their practiced moves and reciting the now-familiar words:
We will always be courteous and show respect to others;
We will strive to be our best and pursue it with patience;
We will develop the mind and body to enhance the spirit;
We will always keep an open heart and mind;
We will accept the spirit of challenge;
We will follow the meaning of Enshin in both our training and our daily lives.
Those are the words of the “dojo kun,” or the school’s guiding principles.
You’d find a similar scene on any day after school, when hundreds of Northern Virginia students make their way to one of the four area studios (Falls Church, Fairfax, Ashburn and Vienna) to learn martial arts — and a little more.
“After-school programs, in general … it actually shows a lot of benefits for kids just being in some sort of enrichment program after school, rather than just going home and not being supervised by their parents,” said Rachel Posey, Enshin’s after-school program director. “A lot of after-school programs are a little bit less structured, in that the kids — they’re there, but it’s almost like they’re just at home on their video games anyway.”
Posey’s background is in psychology, and she now uses that knowledge to craft an environment that supports both the academic and physical education needs of her young students.
The after-school program begins with transportation to the dojos — a sort of pet passion for sensei Nima Mazhari — who speaks enthusiastically about bus regulations, driver certification and safety. Once students arrive, instead of changing into a gi, they put on their thinking caps and dive into homework.
“The first thing they do is change and start their homework. … Then they have their snack, and after snack, depending on what time they get here, they play some games, and then they change for class,” sensei Najim Wali explained.
Wali is not only an instructor and co-owner of Enshin’s Fairfax location, but also a Pro MMA fighter, with more than a decade of martial arts experience.
“We provide some healthy snacks — they’re hungry, they’re all hungry … always! Then after the homework, we pretty much split them based on age and skill level,” Mazhari said.
Mazhari, who has been involved in martial arts for 30 years, says they like to separate the younger kids from the older groups, particularly kindergartners, so instructors can help them get accustomed to a new day-to-day routine. It can be a tough transition, he explained, particularly for children who are just starting school and getting used to days without naps.
And when it comes to working with young children, Wali says the Enshin style of teaching goes beyond the physical benefits.
“It really builds their confidence. I was a very shy person who barely spoke and always thought that whatever I do, it wasn’t good enough. Now, I can stand in front of crowds and speak and teach, and lead them. … It gave me the power to believe in myself,” Wali said.
Timid students benefit from individual attention and attentive teachers, who encourage them to set small goals within their karate lessons.
“All sports have different benefits; martial arts in general is a great sport for kids. One of the reasons is … all of your accomplishments are strictly personal. It’s an individual journey; you’re not competing with anybody — you’re competing with yourself,” Mazhari added.
Nima’s own daughter, now 11 years old, has taken classes at the dojo for six years. Sometimes, adult classes follow her through a warm-up before class, Nima proudly shared.
“It’s very inspiring when you come and see an 11-year-old is leading a big group of grown-ups. And you get that from martial arts — by training hard, by understanding the value and mental training that we give them every day, we boost them to a level where they believe in themselves.”
In addition to confidence, participation in Enshin’s programs teaches kids about accountability. Instructors use an app called Class Dojo to give parents frequent updates about their child’s progress. They also use little rewards, similar to charms for a necklace or bracelet, that encourage students to complete tasks — anything from cleaning up their room at home to tackling something new on the mat. Often, those rewards come from helping out around the dojo.
“They get so much out of helping us. We have a few students — just the look on their faces when they know that you’re trusting them to go ahead and do something, you can tell they really love it … they’re learning leadership skills,” said Posey, who also previously worked as a teacher.
In fact, a lot of students who start out training at Enshin Karate eventually end up on the payroll.
“I have a student who was 4 years old when he joined our school and right now he is our head instructor,” Mazhari added.
Students starting out as young as 4 may not have much in the way of homework, but Posey is making sure they’re in the educational loop. She makes math and copying booklets to make sure even the youngest students get a mental workout.
“We like our kids to not only be good at martial arts and sports, but also academics. We want to have them all be ‘A-plus’ students,” Mazhari said.
For those who may struggle with focus and attention in class, Mazhari says he can relate on a personal level. As a child, he dealt with ADHD — but Mazhari says things got easier for him when he began training in martial arts.
“I saw that I benefitted so much from this, and I decided to dedicate my life to this and help other kids,” Mazhari said. “I see here students that are following my path, and I’m very happy about that.”
For more information about Enshin Karate’s after-school program, visit their website.
