All martial arts programs are great for kids but if your child is looking for more than just recreation, the quality of instruction does make a difference. There are a variety of ways and places to check to see if instructors are qualified including governing bodies and coaching associations.

At Kicks for Kids, a Tae Kwon Do martial arts studio in Burlington, quality of instruction is so important to president and head instructor Shawn Trickett that many if his instructors are award-winning competitors.

“Because we have so many programs, having high level instructors is important because if you don’t have experts in their fields, it’s really hard to develop kids and take them all the way through as far as they can go,” Trickett said.

Kicks for Kids is a large school offering both recreational and competitive programs as well as specialized programming including bully proofing and leadership.

“We hire some of the best coaches and instructors in the world -- people who are competing in the ‘Worlds’ and ‘Pan Ams’ and who have also been carded for the Olympics, which means that Canada pays them to train.”

These top gun instructors are also an inspiration for kids who want to compete. “We try to bring in Olympians – right now we have a Bronze medalist and Silver medalist -- but some of our full time instructors are competing right now and have been carded by the Olympics. We’ve just won five medals and the Commonwealth Games.”

Picking the best instructors is not limited to whether they’ve won awards; they must exhibit qualities that make them excellent teachers. “We don’t just hire because they’re a great competitor, even though we have some of the best competitors in the world, we hire them because of how they work and interact with children.”

For more information visit www.kicksforkids.ca.