At Ripple Effect we channel a confluence of training in the fighting arts and the active development of positive personal character. For children, the benefits aren’t vague or theoretical. They’re real. Academically, students have gone from subpar performance to the top 10% of their class. Many are straight-A students. School teachers write us about specific demonstrations of good behavior, even in students who had been prone to poor choices.

We use many approaches in this effort. In daily “mat chats” instructors engage you with simple questions that go deep. What is modesty? When have you had to be patient? As a student, what does courtesy mean to you? As a parent, what does it mean to persevere?

These aren’t lectures but brief, impactful question and answer sessions that reach both the students on the mat and the spectators on the sidelines. Students as young as three and four draw incredibly powerful conclusions. You’ll walk out of the school with fresh perspectives that’ll carry on with your family and peers.

Throughout their weeks, months and years of training students also take on character-related assignments. These range from weekly job lists and Word-of-the-Month worksheets to 1,000-word essays on Black Belt character and volunteer projects that benefit the homeless, troops overseas, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and other organizations large and small. We also craft original short tales and videos that demonstrate values in story form–a proven tool to help students learn about abstract concepts and their relevance to daily life.

Everything is designed to reinforce the rewards of honesty, positive thinking and a solid work ethic that are proven to help people succeed in whatever paths they choose, over the course of their entire lives.

It really works. Come in and see for yourself.