This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for stopping by.  The winner is Beth.  Congrats!

I never would have imagined karate could be so fun. In fact, I never would have thought to expose my son to karate had it not been for an invite I received (thank you Elizabeth and Tara).  But after our morning at the ATA Martial Arts studio in northern Los Angeles, I’m thinking we might just have to sign our son up for some lessons when he’s a bit older.

We have the privilege of attending events, and this by far was particularly enjoyable.  I love the opportunity to expose my son to unique experiences. ATA Martial Arts and Bandai America Incorporated joined together to spend a morning educating children on how to stay safe.  And to make the morning that much more exciting, Kamen Rider Axe actor and martial artist Mike Moh showed us some amazing karate stunts.

We learned everything from respect to self-defense.  Through video and demonstration, the kids learned several moves that involved kicking and punching (it looked like a lot of fun!).  I like that it was non-aggressive.  Taekwondo is more than just self-defense.  It involves physical fitness and mental discipline.  I am barely skimming the surface of martial arts and anyone knowledgeable in the field may chuckle at this post.  However, we learned a lot from one class and we’ll re-explore it more when my son is a bit older.

Kidz ‘n Power produced a series of videos designed to help resist parents and children learn how to resist child abduction and victimization.  We had an opportunity to view one of the videos during the class. The videos include interviews, role-play, and demonstrations.  I think that incorporating the videos into the class was a great way to teach children about self-defense as it relates to martial arts.

So what does Kamen Rider have to do with martial arts?  I know that was my question.  Kamen Rider is a Japanese kids television series where young men transform into Kamen Riders to fight evil.  Motorcycles and martial arts play a big part in the series.  Right now children ages 6-14 can enter to win a day of training with a Kamen Rider or other prize packs.

Here are some pictures and a video from the event:

Win It!  I just realized that I was given an extra 3 DVD Abduction Prevention Pack so I’d like to offer it to one of you!  Simply leave me a relevant comment (something about martial arts, self-defense, or Kamen Rider).  Comments will close on December 1, 2009 at 10 PM PST.  One comment per person, please (unless you do the extra credit). US residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

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