our mission
This is a letter from Black Karate Federation (BKF) President KC Jones describing how we will continue to benefit inner-city underprivileged young teens.
Our nation has been traumatized by outbreaks of shootings in public schools and in our inner city community. Angry and/or emotionally disturbed students have been going on a shooting rampage at their schools, killing and injuring classmates as well as teachers.
Avoiding gang violence and drugs in American schools is almost like playing Russian Roulette.
Using drugs and/or alcohol has become an extracurricular activity in today’s society, for some students once they enter the school doors. It is our goal to offer this Karate studio as a preventive program.
The purpose of this Karate studio is to help young teens enhance their self-esteem and divert negative behavior into positive behavior.
Self-defense/Karate training can be a catalyst to promoting self-confidence, assertiveness, goal-orientation, calmness and concentration.
Avoiding gang violence and drugs in American schools is almost like playing Russian Roulette.
Using drugs and/or alcohol has become an extracurricular activity in today’s society, for some students once they enter the school doors. It is our goal to offer this Karate studio as a preventive program.
The purpose of this Karate studio is to help young teens enhance their self-esteem and divert negative behavior into positive behavior.
Self-defense/Karate training can be a catalyst to promoting self-confidence, assertiveness, goal-orientation, calmness and concentration.
"Besides the three R’s, every parent should ensure that their child knows two things – karate and how to swim."
Nicholas Cokinas, Child Education Specialist
Contrary to what some parents believe self-defense/Karate training does not prepare children for a show-down with a bully; rather, it short circuits the bully-baiting signals by building self-confidence and self-esteem through the supervised practice and learning of self defense techniques. As a student of BKF Karate, the student will learn how to control their anger and resolve conflict by using self-discipline. Some of the techniques are as follows:
Although this is an excellent program for young teens, it will not isolate children against drugs or violence for the rest of their lives. BKF Karate can make young teens more cognizant of the social influences, which may reduce their curiosity to get involved in criminal behavior. However, this program will also give them another positive outlook on life.
Instead of young teens loitering about after school, they can suit up and respond directly to the karate studio, which is in the neighborhood. Sometimes young teens need to be involved in positive activities so that they won’t have time to think about negative issues. With no communication or positive activity involvement, young teens are left idle. When teens are left idle, trouble will follow.
Thus far BKF Karate has been very successful, not only in Los Angeles, but in other cities and states as well. Without programs such as this one, where will our young teens be? Children are the future; therefore we must invest time and energy into them to make their environment a better place. This is what the BKF Karate program is attempting to achieve.
If I may offer to you as the current President of BKF, this personal side note. I can truly say that BKF Karate saved me from negative behavior when I was a young lad. As a young teen, I grew up when today’s gangs, with their violence, were forming their allegiances. Therefore, I found myself in the middle trying to decide, “Should I follow the gangs or follow the gang who were involved in after school karate.” Well, fortunately for me I chose the right fork in the road and went to karate. Karate has changed my life and the lives of others who participated before, with and after me. Sometimes I ask myself, where would I be if karate was not made available to me. In all actuality, I am one of many success stories that have been involved in BKF Karate for much of this organization's history.
In closing, always remember children are our future. Let’s give them a bright future by offering them direction, self-confidence and discipline so that they can look ahead in a positive manner and prosper.
- Defusing Bullies – A bully usually has low self-esteem and the need to feel powerful causing them to seek out others weaker then themselves. A bully senses weakness such as an unwillingness to look him in the eye, hunched posture, rapid breathing when confronted and uncertainty in replies.
- Grace Under Pressure – Karate/self-defense is a practical course in assertiveness training. The format is simple: apply a small amount of pressure, teach the students to handle it, and then graduate slowly until the student is comfortable.
- Goal Orientation – Karate offers clear benchmarks of progress that are not found in many modem-day activities. The Karate/Self-defense belt ranking system bestows a different color belt for each step up the ladder, which provides a constant sense of achievement. New belt rankings are attained by passing a test offered at periodic intervals. A byproduct of this test is learning poise in front of the instructor and an audience.
- Karate, Concentration and Schoolwork – Concentration is definitely a byproduct of Karate training. The traditional Kata (a set of prescribed movements against an imaginary opponent) is a lesson in self-control. Maintaining a low stance, remembering each intricate move and delivering it with power require effort.
- Role Models – Parents will find that Karate promotes achievement orientation. By emulating the instructor, the young teens have a strong, positive role model and learn appropriate use of their new skills.
- Physical Benefits – BKF Karate also promotes mental and physical health. A number of professional athletic teams have used Karate as training to improve performance. Children lacking coordination may find Karate/Self-defense to be one the best activities to develop a balance and fluid movement. Flexibility is a standard of Karate training that makes a young athlete less prone to injury and more flexible later in life.
- Fulfilling the Need to Belong – A distinct advantage over team sports is that every child can participate. Unlike team sports, where a youngster may not make the cut or ends up on the bench, Karate/Self-defense lets everyone perform at his or her highest level. Children in Karate are often leaders in their peer group. They have an investment in their value system, and things like alcohol, cigarettes, drugs and gang violence are viewed as a risk to that investment.
Although this is an excellent program for young teens, it will not isolate children against drugs or violence for the rest of their lives. BKF Karate can make young teens more cognizant of the social influences, which may reduce their curiosity to get involved in criminal behavior. However, this program will also give them another positive outlook on life.
Instead of young teens loitering about after school, they can suit up and respond directly to the karate studio, which is in the neighborhood. Sometimes young teens need to be involved in positive activities so that they won’t have time to think about negative issues. With no communication or positive activity involvement, young teens are left idle. When teens are left idle, trouble will follow.
Thus far BKF Karate has been very successful, not only in Los Angeles, but in other cities and states as well. Without programs such as this one, where will our young teens be? Children are the future; therefore we must invest time and energy into them to make their environment a better place. This is what the BKF Karate program is attempting to achieve.
If I may offer to you as the current President of BKF, this personal side note. I can truly say that BKF Karate saved me from negative behavior when I was a young lad. As a young teen, I grew up when today’s gangs, with their violence, were forming their allegiances. Therefore, I found myself in the middle trying to decide, “Should I follow the gangs or follow the gang who were involved in after school karate.” Well, fortunately for me I chose the right fork in the road and went to karate. Karate has changed my life and the lives of others who participated before, with and after me. Sometimes I ask myself, where would I be if karate was not made available to me. In all actuality, I am one of many success stories that have been involved in BKF Karate for much of this organization's history.
In closing, always remember children are our future. Let’s give them a bright future by offering them direction, self-confidence and discipline so that they can look ahead in a positive manner and prosper.