It's been wonderful watching our daughter learn martial arts. Even as a four year-old she was been able to enjoy the virtuous circle of physical exercise, concentration and pride in reaching goals. Certainly Ken's easy nature with children and quickness to smile are no small part of the reasons she looks forward to class every week. 

AJ


Ken Gibson is one of those extraordinary teachers. We've enjoyed watching our son thrive in the Pouncing Tigers Children's Martial Arts School - gaining both skills and discipline, as well as having a whole lot of fun.

Carolyn and Jonas


Mr. Gibson is patient and very in-tune to what my son needs during each class. He challenges and encourages my son each session and my son looks forward to Karate class every Saturday.

Felicia


Early in his life, our son, Brayden, shied away from physical activity. My wife and I enrolled him in the Pouncing Tigers Program and he has made a lot of progress both within the program and out of the program. He not only moved up the ranks to his orange belt but has been enjoying all other sports outside of this highly kid-friendly martial arts class. Mr. Gibson has truly mastered the art of teaching the kids discipline while maintaining an environment that is fun and enriching! 

Ted

 Philosophy

Pouncing Tigers, Martial arts for children, is a combination of complementary martial arts styles. It is designed to teach children that respect and learning are fun. Strength building games, listening exercises and martial arts techniques are covered in every class. The martial arts techniques in the Pouncing Tigers classes have been specifically crafted to challenge the students and to encourage their success beyond the dojo, now and for years to come. The goal is to plant a seed now so that a love of martial arts, and the excellent habits that come with it, will grow with your child for the rest of their lives. And they love it!

My hopes for my daughter

I hope my daughter will have Self Confidence. I hope she will have Fortitude. I hope she will be Disciplined enough to work hard. To know she will succeed if she practices regularly. That she will be challenged and learn to overcome obstacles with Perseverance. I hope she develops habits of health and fitness that will last her whole life. To know she is not better than anyone else, but can excel beyond the norm if she puts in the time and consistency.  I hope she enjoys herself most of the time and learns to not give up when things are difficult.  I hope she will be brave enough to make mistakes, and wise enough to learn from them. I hope she will help build a more peaceful world and be able to protect herself any time she might need to. I hope she can forgive. I hope she can love. I hope she will always have gratitude in her heart for all she has and all she can become. And, I hope she earns her black belt.

Because I have seen this happen with so many students already, I don't believe I am asking too much.  I believe we should have clear expectations of our children.  I think they should know we expect a lot from them.  They should know we love them and support them and that we want them to succeed.  And when they don't succeed, they should know we expect them to learn and keep trying. 

I hope my students become honorable adults and earn respect where ever they go.  I hope they smile easily and are filled with self confidence.  I hope they contribute to their community and set examples for those who look up to them, as surely there will one day be.

About the Instructor

My name is Ken Gibson. I am the founder and Head Instructor of Pouncing Tigers.  Over the last 22 years I have been training in martial arts.  I started with Hapkido and continued on to learn Russian Sambo, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Farang Mu Sul, Boxing, Kick Boxing, Escrima and Estacada. I received my first black belt in 1993 when I was 18 years old. More recently, for a short time, I even fought professionally in Mixed Martial Arts.  But, my wife decided she liked my face the way it is.  Currently I am also studying Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

I have been teaching in various martial art schools throughout New York City for over 10 years. I’ve taught in many afterschool programs during this time. I love teaching kids.  Working with them is a joy to me and my classes are unique.  Keeping things entertaining as well as educational is one key to success with young minds.

I have always enjoyed children, but teaching them martial arts did not come naturally. My first attemt to tame wild children was ... shocking. If you told me then that I would found my own children’s martial arts school, I would have thought you were crazy. I discovered quickly that children learn in a very different way than adults. After ten years I have learned a great deal about how to work with kids. To be more exact, they taught me how to work with them.  If I can just be myself with them, have fun and follow a few simple rules, everyone has a great time.  Though, I specially love when the parents get caught up in class and start shouting out the answers.  The moms and dads I am talking about know who they are!

Teaching martial arts to children is, for some, automatically a bad idea. They think it is about violence. To bring a child who may or may not be having a behavioral problem to a school where they will learn to punch and kick does not make sense. But the truth is very different. Discipline, self control and respect are imbedded into every lesson. In our classes the students learn to listen more carefully and respond respectfully. And they do it with a smile. They don’t realize they will improve at school work, get along with others more easily and work harder at everything they do. Even children with developmental issues like ADD and ADHD excel when they participate in a good martial arts program.  It happens all the time.