Karate Class Trains Kids for the Fight of Their Lives

It’s a jungle out there, and I suppose it’s never too early to realize it.

There’s nothing like watching a group of grade schoolers in karate class to realize we’re not in Kansas any more.

“Hand blow to the head,” instructor Blaine Carter says.

“Knife-hand to the neck. Clean ‘em up. Those look sloppy. Clean.”

“Two cross-knives to the neck. . . . Reverse hammer to the groin. . . . Leopard’s paw to the philtrum (the upper lip area).”

“There’s a person behind you with a knife. He’s going to kill you. Are you going to miss him or are you going to get him?”

“The only time you take your eyes off your opponent is when he has a gun, right?”

“No-o-o-o-!” comes the response.

“When do you take your eyes off?”

“Never!”

“Right. You never ever ever take your eyes off your opponent for any reason at all. Even if you think he’s dead.”

The 11 kids in class, almost all of them under 10 years old, are having a rollicking good time. They are learning balance and agility and discipline and, not incidentally, how to deliver a nice spinning back kick to the breadbasket.

They know Carter well enough to know this is for fun. Sort of.

Lest you think this is some wacko training ground for future Green Berets, be advised: Carter said his company, United Studios of Self-Defense, probably has more than 1,000 kids under 10 years old in karate classes in Orange County.

But the class isn’t about dismembering your schoolmate or extorting good grades from teachers. It reflects a growing realization that karate teaches not only agility and self-confidence but also prepares kids for the realities of modern-day life.

When Susan Brayton had her first child nine years ago, she wanted as well-rounded a son as she could have. “Some of the books said it’s important when you start out that they’re given not only love but good nutrition and they also talked about sports and education and a good religious background. When I read some books about athletics and how to develop a fine body, many of the books said start with gymnastics and then move to karate.”

That was for physical dexterity and self-confidence, but the Braytons also wanted to teach their son, David, about the other facts of life.

“I think people were surprised when they learned we put him in class,” Brayton said. “It was like, ‘What is she thinking of?’ I’m not trying to create a mass murderer, but I want to give him the very best education and the best of sports and the very best of self-defense. And that’s becoming just as important as outside school activities and sports are.

“We have it nice in Orange County, but the crime rate is increasing. Robberies are up drastically in our neighborhood in the last few years. We try to raise kids in a sheltered environment--and let’s face it, Orange County is a sheltered environment--but then we don’t give them the tools if they go outside of their little nest area.

“And that’s the other thing that worried me. We may not be in Orange County forever. There’s a real world out there and I want him to be able to handle it. . . . We’re setting up little safe zones to live in and that’s not realistic.” Blaine Carter has just finished running the students through some paces. “You can go outside and kick anybody you want to, right?”

“No,” says one student. “You can, but it’s against the law.”

“When do you defend yourself?” he asked.

“When you go out on the street and someone bothers you and they won’t stop and you can’t get out of it,” says one student.

“Peter, you’re a jerk! You’re so stupid!” Carter says to a boy in the front row. “Should he hit me?” Carter asks.

“No-o-o-o!” the students say.

“So, words, no,” Carter says. “If they’re not hurting you, no. Try not to fight over words. Words and hurt. This is the line, and you have to know when to cross it.”

“In the beginning, I was wondering, ‘Is he going to go kill everybody at school?’ ” Susan Brayton says. “But Blaine worked to make sure this is not for attack mode, but for self-defense and when someone is aggressive toward you. He started out with another friend of ours, and neither has gone around beating up anybody. But they have it, their reflexes are ready and they have in the back of their head that they know what to do. I can’t be with him every moment. I want to protect him, but when I can’t, the best thing is take him to an expert and give him the knowledge to protect himself.”

You look at these kids, all tow-headed and angel-faced, and tell yourself it’s the future. Besides, as Susan Brayton says: “Our other son, he’s now 3. He’s mimicking the moves of our 9-year-old. He’s already ready to go. If Blaine would take him tomorrow, I’d send him.”