is Back!
​On Monday March 21, 2011, Rob Rinas from Breakthrough Martial Arts and Fitness in Kitchener visited two classes at St. Timothy School to give the Grade 3, 4, and 6 students and excellent introduction to Kung Fu.
Mr. Rinas provided an age-appropriate explanation of the philosophy behind Kung Fu, some effective kung-fu exercises and concluded with the teaching of some defensive moves using kung fu.
There were many things I liked about Mr. Rinas’s demonstration. Mr. Rinas interacts extremely well with children. He does not talk down to them but explains things thoroughly in an age-appropriate way. He also stressed safety even before starting his demonstration.
I also liked that he kept the students very active for 45 minutes. While the students had to listen a bit, 90% of the time was spent with the kids being physically active. His demonstration was not only a good introduction for the students but also an excellent work out for them. They definitely got their cardio workout on the day of Mr. Rinas’s visit.
The best thing about this demonstration was that the kids loved it. When I asked both classes who liked the presentation the response was enthusiastically positive. Here are a few comments from the students about the Kung Fu demonstration.
"It was awesome!" Grade 6 student
"The kung fu was fun and Rob taught us a lot." Grade 4 student
"The kung fu was fun and a good workout!" Grade 6 student
"It was fun" grade 3 student
"Rob was vey polite and he's cool!" Grade 6 student
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Herman Janssen
Grade 6 Teacher
St. Timothy School
Kitchener, Ontario
​"As a mother and as an elementary school teacher, I have been extremely impressed by Rob Rinas’s Rock Solid Kids classes at Breakthrough Martial Arts. He very quickly has transformed a group of kids of varying ages, abilities and backgrounds into a group infused with team spirit, mutual respect and the spirit of self-improvement. In a typical lesson, students not only demonstrate various Kung Fu techniques, but they are encouraging each other, practising defenses against strangers and bullies, practising anger management and using self-talk to improve their confidence in daily life. During stretches and warm-ups, students are taught which muscle groups are being used. The program is designed in such a way as to ensure that the student is respectful and cooperative at home and at school as well as in the martial arts room. Rob uses humour to put the children at ease and constantly encourages them to do their best. Parents are encouraged to watch and from everything I have personally seen in the classroom, Rock Solid Kids are learning self-defense and self-control skills that they can use their whole life long, with self-confidence being a natural by-product."
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Sincerely,
Katherine Rana
FSL Teacher, WRDSB
​This is a letter of recommendation for Mr. Rob Rinas of Breakthrough Martial Arts and Fitness. Rob came to A.R. Kaufman Public School for two full days of martial arts and fitness activities with students varying in ages from 6 to 14.
Over the course of the two days, Rob was constantly energetic, fun, and professional, both with students and staff. The students were fully engaged for the entire time that Rob was leading the class and could not stop talking about how much fun the martial arts gym classes were.
Rob would be an excellent resource to use in your school's physical education classes. His program not only encourages fitness and exercise, but also personal safety and self defense. I would be thrilled to have him back at our school again. Please feel free to contact me at (519)745-7312 if you have any questions of concerns.
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Sincerely,
Luke Stuart
Health & Physical Education Teacher
Grade 7/8