Kung Fu classes vs. Yoga classes in Amsterdam

Both Kung Fu and Yoga classes in Amsterdam are very popular for (young) children. Although there are differences between the two sports, Kung Fu and yoga also share many beautiful similarities. These similarities can be explained by the fact that yoga’s development originated in Indian Hinduism. Yoga focuses on the connection between body and mind. A beautiful similarity with Kung Fu, which always emphasizes the importance of balance between body, mind, and spirit. By starting yoga or Kung Fu at an early age, you make children more aware of their body. This has a positive effect on self-confidence and self-esteem. KEI Kung Fu always advises to start a sport as early as possible, even before children are truly aware of their body. This means around the age of 4. This way, you can positively influence a child’s unconscious, such as proper breathing or posture.

Another similarity between yoga and Kung Fu is that you can learn both sports in a very playful way. In the lessons of our monkeys (4 to 6 years), we unconsciously make the children stronger. A good example is having the children take the well-known plank position, while one of the other children has to crawl underneath. There are many different exercises where we improve the child’s motor skills and strength without the child being aware of it. During a yoga class, you can also make children stronger in a playful way by giving all poses an animal name. For example, the downward facing dog that you can teach children as ‘the dog’.

Are there also differences between the two sports? Yes, of course there are. Kung Fu was originally developed as a self-defense sport. Therefore, during Kung Fu lessons, you learn various punching and kicking techniques and how to defeat your opponent by using the opponent’s strength. Additionally, children have a lot of contact and interaction with each other. This improves children’s social skills. Yoga is a more individual sport where children focus more on themselves. Depending on the type of yoga given to children, the amount of active movement is more moderate compared to Kung Fu. And although both sports pay attention to respect, KEI Kung Fu also focuses on anti-bullying, precisely because it occurs more often at a young age than parents often think.

All in all, a few very beautiful similarities and a few important differences. Let’s start by stating that we always want to motivate and stimulate sports for children as much as possible. Therefore, there is no right or wrong in choosing a sport. Deciding whether following Kung Fu or yoga classes in Amsterdam is better for your child is a matter of trying out. To introduce your child to Kung Fu, KEI Kung Fu therefore offers free trial lessons!

At KEI Kung Fu, we start from within and the focus is not only on the physical and external element

What is Kung Fu?

Kung Fu is an ancient martial art that originated in China. Contrary to what people often think, Kung Fu was not developed by the monks in Shaolin. However, these monks did have a positive influence on it. For the monks, three pillars were always central to their way of life, and these three pillars still form the basis at KEI Kung Fu today: balance between mind, body, and spirit.

With the arrival of Chinese people in Europe, and of course through the fame of Bruce Lee and his teacher Yip Man, Kung Fu has become an indispensable part of the Western world as well. A popular style within Kung Fu is Wing Chun, characterized by short and fast movements. Legend has it that Mrs. Yim Wing Chun developed this style for physically weaker people. The style is suitable for everyone, regardless of age and gender. Learn to know and control your own body to defeat stronger opponents.

Development of life skills at KEI Kung Fu in Amsterdam

Children become more aware of their body and movements around the age of 6. That is why at KEI Kung Fu we advise starting Kung Fu before this age, from their 4th year. In this way, we influence the child’s unconscious and create certain physical habits that, as a child grows older, become automatisms. We make them unconsciously competent.

It is important that young children (4 to 6 years) enjoy Kung Fu. Therefore, at the monkeys class, we focus on physically strengthening children in a playful way, as opposed to traditional Kung Fu. For older children (6 to 11 years), the focus is on other elements because children of this age are capable of learning more complex movements. During the lessons, the focus is on the development of discipline, self-confidence, and improving verbal skills, among other things.

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