It might seem counterintuitive to teach kickboxing to people with disabilities. After all, it's a competitive sport that requires a fully functioning mind and body. However, legendary martial arts instructor Paul Vunak says that the benefits of kickboxing training are even more important for the disabled than they are for the rest of us.
Benefits
Confidence, patience and discipline are three character traits commonly associated with any kind of martial arts training. Oregon martial arts teacher Dave Coffman watches them grow in his students every day. When working with disabled students, Coffman notes that being disabled already means many of them have patience, but their disability often leads to reduced confidence. Says Coffman, confidence is the main reason for the disabled to study kickboxing, or any other martial art.
Modification
Coffman notes that modifying curriculum is the key to successfully teaching the disabled a martial art. Kickboxing normally includes circling an opponent looking for an opening, a maneuver that would be impossible from a wheelchair. However, a wheelchair-bound student could still work punching combinations, elbow strikes and torso motions inherent to good kickboxing. The trick, says Coffman, is to teach a mixture of techniques the student can perform easily and techniques that push the edges of the student's ability.
Reinforced Success
In "Drive," his book about why people do what we do, Daniel Pink notes that success reinforces future success. In kickboxing, this means that the more times a student delivers a successful punch, the more likely he is to successfully punch in the future. People with disabilities often live lives of reinforced failure, as they can't do many things the rest of us take for granted. By reliably succeeding in the challenges of a kickboxing class, students get the reinforced success so crucial to confidence and motivation.
Finding a School
Not all kickboxing schools take on students with disabilities. Not all that do will teach appropriately. If you are looking for a class as a disabled person, have a sit-down meeting with the head instructor and ask how he would address your specific challenges. Listen particularly for his plan to modify the curriculum to suit your needs. According to Vunak, the best schools will already have a program, and even a separate class, for students with disabilities.
Competition
Kickboxing competition, in a ring against a live opponent, is strictly regulated. Standard competition holds people with disabilities ineligible. However, a well-taught class often includes opportunities for any student to compete appropriately against classmates, the clock and himself.
References
- Paul Vunak; Martial Arts Teacher; Los Angeles
- Dave Coffman; Martial Arts Instructor; Hillsboro, Oregon
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