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Our Classes
KKC partners with hospitals to provide individual and group instruction in the martial arts for children with serious acute and chronic illness, including cancer and sickle cell disease. Siblings are included in all programs. KKC provides transportation to these classes, as well as martial arts uniforms, at no charge to program participants. During weekly classes, children are taught stretching, breathing exercises, guided imagery/meditation and traditional karate moves. The breathing and guided imagery/meditation techniques have proved to be very effective in reducing a child’s anxiety, pain and discomfort during difficult clinic and hospital procedures.
Once trained, KKC participants report remarkable success in using these techniques to calm themselves and decrease the trauma associated with their medical treatments. Many of our students, when hospitalized, bring their martial arts uniforms with them as a reminder of their own power and control in facing their disease. Sibling participation in our classes is very important, as it provides an opportunity for a shared positive experience. As parents of very ill children understandably have extreme demands placed on their time and energy, by joining in KKC classes, siblings who might otherwise feel left out are given an opportunity to participate in something special and to gain a sense of partnering in the healing of their brother or sister.
