BEDFORD MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY

Our ADAPTIVE MARTIAL ARTS Program

The Gift of a Martial Arts Community:  
Improving Fitness and Mental Health

 After exhausting typical therapies and not making a lot of progress with medication, I decided to look for a program that would help channel our son’s aggression and where he could work on impulse control.  Doctor’s in the past suggested martial arts, however, we did not want to encourage more kicking and punching.  After a particularly challenging period, I revisited the idea of karate and started researching programs in our area.  I quickly found that most karate schools hesitantly said they would give it a try; however, I was concerned with the class size, the format of the program, and the process in which the kids advanced through the belts.  Our son had already had so many false starts, I did not want to put him in a program, have him struggle, and not feel successful once again.  I then searched for adaptive martial arts programs and found only one in our state and luckily it was within 30 miles of our home.

I called Bedford Martial Arts and spoke with the owner and head instructor, John Stewart, about their adaptive program.  We talked about the mix of kids and how they support different learning styles and needs.  Mr. Stewart assured me that the program was structured to support the success and growth of all kids, including those who benefited from one-to-one instruction.  I finally brought Ryley to a class and I watched with such emotion.  We left the karate school with a new gi (karate uniform) and his first karate belt.  More importantly, I left with a child who was proud, confident, and full of dreams in becoming a black belt, the highest earned rank.

This is not a story about our journey in finding Bedford Martial Arts.  Instead, this is a testimony of a leader who truly understands how to build a community which values and respects all students regardless of how they learn and communicate, or their degree of athleticism.  Through leadership, education, and peer mentoring, Bedford Martial Arts has created a truly inclusive environment in which all the students experience success.

The adaptive program is led by a team of senior instructors who are committed to the emotional and physical well-being of the students.  They immerse themselves in learning about Autism and other disabilities and participate in regular training opportunities in order to provide the best instruction to the students.  They understand how to modify the curriculum and create a safe and fun learning environment.  This commitment to learning is directly and indirectly transferred to the rest of the instructors, students, and parents through formal discussions, informal modeling, and daily conversations about empathy and tolerance. 

Although important, this is only part of the equation of what makes the adaptive program at Bedford Martial Arts so successful.  In addition to the senior instructors leading the classes, each student is partnered with a junior instructor.  The junior instructors range in age from 12 to 15 and are on track to earn their black belts.  The junior instructors not only model the karate techniques, they also model behavior, language, and humor.  These young instructors demonstrate tremendous leadership, patience, and are role models for all the students enrolled at Bedford Martial Arts.  They teach, they motivate, they listen, they laugh, and most importantly, they create a sense of normalcy for the students in the adaptive program.  This pairing of students, beginner with a more experienced, is what creates a special community in which all are responsible for learning and teaching, not just about karate, but about each other.  I can’t help but think that when these junior instructors walk the halls of their middle or high school, they continue to be friends of, role models, and advocates for their classmates who need an extra voice of support, and for this I am grateful. 

Regardless of Ryley’s day, when he walks through the door at Bedford Martial Arts he is confident and just another student amongst many who have similar goals.  Like all the other students, he is treated with respect and held accountable to follow the student creed.  What I value most is that success in not measured by belt color alone.  Instead, success is defined by how you support, encourage, and teach others.  What Ryley is proudest of since starting karate was being asked to work with a little boy on his kicks.  This boy was in a “typical” class and having an especially difficult time focusing that day.   He felt valued and honored and for the first time realized that he could be a junior instructor if he continued to practice his techniques and work on regulating his emotions.  These ten minutes of helping another child did more for his confidence and self-esteem than any other therapeutic program.  Ryley recently shared that he feels “normal” when he is at karate and commented on the fact that “the other kids and instructors also have a hard time remembering their techniques, just like me”. 

What amazes me the most is how much the students in the adaptive program learn, retain, and can demonstrate on demand with limited coaching.  Most of the students in this program have a difficult time following two-step instructions, maintaining a regulated state, and recalling information.  And yet when the students participate in class they are focused and willing to step out of their comfort zone.  The students learn and demonstrate new techniques weekly, each of which included multiple sequences and a degree of motor coordination.  I recently sat and watched with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes as Ryley responded with determination when his instructors asked him to demonstrate twelve different techniques.  By his side was Mr. Josh, a junior instructor, providing encouragement.   The one-to-one instruction and the relationships Ryley has with the instructors gave him the confidence to successfully participate in a “typical” class.  Depending on how he is feeling, Ryley now has the choice to participate in either class.     

Bedford Martial Arts is truly a special place and we are thankful to be a part of this safe, supportive, and inclusive community.  I believe that the success of the adaptive program does not lie with the accommodations and modifications for each student alone.  Instead, under the leadership of John Stewart, Bedford Martial Arts understands how to create a community that fosters acceptance, respect, and friendships by creating opportunities for all the students and staff to learn from each other and celebrate accomplishments. 

By:  Karen Fisher