self defense for the physically challenged

[The MMA kid!]

Hi all, I am a martial arts instructor who has never worked with physically challenged children.

there is the one 12 year old boy who is extremely interested in the martial arts. but for obvious reasons, he feels that he would not be comfortable inside a normal class.

I don't know what his condition is called, but i do know that it has something to do with his spine....
bear with me as I describe his condition, please excuse me if I offend anyone...
he wears crutches on each arm, they are wrapped around his hands, and he cannot move around without them. his feet are stuffed inside his shoes, but i do not think that he has any bones in his feet. his grandmother has told me that they are curled (?)
his right hand is a bit weaker than his left, and as he gets older, he will lose motor skills in each hand/arm.

he is a sharp kid, is into hip-hop fashion and such, real outgoing.

does anyone have any suggestions as how I can show the kid how to defend himself? he cant throw kicks, and I imagine someone easily throwing him to the ground. so i was thinking perhaps some kind of defense you can do while sitting/laying down, while not having any control of your legs. keep in mind that he has crutches, and is not physically strong.

thanks,
TMMAk!

 

[Robert Lee]

You might think about teaching how he can use the crutches as a weapon taking the place of hand strikes. As long as he can maintain a balance point on 1 crutch as he strikes with the other. but remember that as he gets weaker this will go away also. So teach him to fell good about hiself while you teach him what you can.

 

[mantis]

hmm..
it's hard to say
there are 2 things you have to consider:
1. his medical situations: do doctors allow him to exercise? (i.e. would it have negative inflections on his health or his situation?)
2. would a martial arts teacher agree to teach him? you/he needs to talk to the teachers in the schools your friend likes.
other than that i do not see a reason why he shouldnt start. MA's are supposed to work for the weak as much as for the strong.

 

[Jade Tigress]

It sounds like it could be spina bifida. If he is interested and motivated I would ask his parents to have his doctor call you (or visa versa) and discuss his condition and any medical contraindications and go from there. I hate to see the kid denied any knowledge of self defense if he is so interested, nor would I like to see his disability deny him another opportunity in life.

Perhaps if you find out for sure what the medical condition is you can research it as well. Then you will have a better grasp on his abilities and can modify accordingly. Even if it requires intense modification of technique, just the opportunity to learn what he can about martial arts would be a gift.

I used to be a certified instructor to teach therapeutic horseback riding to children and adults with special needs. There is an excellent book called "Aspects and Answers : A Manual for Therapeutic Horseback Riding Programs" by Fran Joswick. I have not looked at it in a while but recall there being alot of information about varying disabilities and limitations with each. You may find it helpful, you may not. But you can check at the library and see what you think.

It will certainly be a challenge and once you have more information you can decide whether you are up to it.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[Kacey]

I would agree - it sounds like spina bifida, although without more information I would hesitate to commit to anything. The cause of his disability is not the issue, anyway - it's his abilities and ways to modify the art for him that are the issue. I also agree that you need to talk to his doctor, or someone else with a detailed knowledge of his physical abilities; it's highly likely that he is receiving physical and/or occupational therapy, and that therapist would be an ideal person to speak to about what this boy can and cannot do.

I currently have two students who have physical disabilities, although my students are also developmentally delayed; one has cerebral palsy, and the other has Down's Syndrome - both are adults, and both have cognitive abilities in the educably mentally retarded range, which is, honestly, more of a problem than the physical disabilities. The man with Down's Syndrome has difficulty with coordination and power, but is able to perform all the moves once he is able to understand them; the man with cerebral palsy is unsteady on his feet, has uncertain control over all of his limbs, and he is spastic (his muscles are tight and his joints are loose, making all of his movements jerky). For both of these gentlemen, I have broken down all the movements into their smallest component parts (even farther than I do for younger students), and taught them the parts in very small increments; however, this is more for their cognitive needs than their physical needs. For their physical needs, I accept the closest approximation they are able to perform, and modify techniques (as little as possible) so that they perform the closest they can to the same techniques as other students.

Some ideas that might help, if you are willing to teach this student:

- Enlist the aid of your students. I would not be able to give these two men the help they need, but they are helped by whichever student is closest to them at the time.

- Be realistic in your expectations - but don't assume he can't do something until he tries it.

- Talk to him - he is aware of his needs and abilities, and is old enough to advocate for himself.

- As much as possible, modify the requirements so they are different, but not easier. For example, I know a student who was in a car accident and shattered her ankle. She can't jump, but all of the standard requirements for I Dan are jump kicks; because she can't jump (as in, her doctor told her if she did, he'd have to put pins in her ankle, and couldn't guarantee she'd be able to bend it after that) her requirements have been modified to very difficult standing kicks (in sets of 4 or 5 before putting the kicking foot down) - equally difficult, but within her physical capability if she works hard.

For IV Dan, I had to write a thesis, and I wrote mine on teaching students with various physical difficulties (short to long-term) - I would be happy to send you a copy, although I don't know how much of it would apply in this particular situation.

 

[The MMA kid!]

thank you all very much for your input. yes, his condition is Spinal bifida. I was also thinking of using his crutch as a weapon, but I myself am not educated in weapons training. thanks again for your help everyone!

also, he has not requested to take classes, but he is a big fan of watching class and he talks to me any chance he gets. I have been planning to ask him if he would like to work on some things (self defense wise) but I need a curricullum for him first.:idunno:

I plan to keep you who are interested posted.

TMMAk!

 

[bobster_ice]

Dude, if I were you I would encourage him to do Martial Arts, although he has Spinal bifida he would still enjoy it.

 

[mantis]

Dude, if I were you I would encourage him to do Martial Arts, although he has Spinal bifida he would still enjoy it.

that's a confusing statement
you're contradicting himself

how do you guys know what he has? just curious

 

[tshadowchaser]

ince you find out what is is llwd to do ( check with his parents and maybe his doctor) you can figure out whee to go .
His hands work and he can sit up so there are things that can be taught
not knowing how much rolling around he can stand/do its hard to say what ground work can be worked with him

sounds like an interesting challange

 

[shesulsa]

If his condition is deteriorating due to the spina bifida itself, you'd be more pressed to help him find ways to balance/steady himself if he has to raise an arm and use his crutch.

I think if this is out of your range of knowledge, you might either consider putting him in someone else's hands who can work with him -or- talk to a physical therapist who specializes in working with spina bifida patients.

You might consider bringing him along with the regular curriculum and let him do what he can, be prepared to make enormous allowances for him and present him with an honorary black belt. But for realistic self-defense you or the head of your school will have to open up a very frank conversation with him and his guardian/parents.

Is MMA your only style?

 

[still learning]

Hello, If the person wants to learn and you are willing to teach him.This will be a new learning experience for both of you. You each will teach each other about each other.

I am sure there will be things he can do to fight back and defend himself. Just find those areas where he can suceed in. This will be very challenging.

Most important here is willness to learn something...his mind is strong..body not so strong.....best of luck to you....Aloha

 

[Jade Tigress]

I think if this is out of your range of knowledge, you might either consider putting him in someone else's hands who can work with him -or- talk to a physical therapist who specializes in working with spina bifida patients.

oooo..excellent idea...it is likely he has a PT he works with on a regular basis...he/she could attend class with him as one of his PT sessions and assist you...

(my son has special needs and martial arts has been THE BEST physical therapy for him)

 

[MattJ]

Hi MMA Kid.

I have done a bit of looking for info on this subject myself. It is hard to come by, but I will share some of the stuff that I have forund. Most of it is related to wheelchair-based SD/therapy, but the principles may still be useful for you. Try these:

http://www.fightingarts.com/reading/get_articles.php?cat=Martial%20Arts%20and%20the%20Disabled

http://www.speedbagcentral.com/Rehabilitation_RehabTraining.html

http://www.speedbagcentral.com/Demos.html

http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~alh26/735martialarts.htm

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shintais/

Hope this helps.

 

[Brandon Fisher]

My wife's Neroligist has dealt with Spina Bifida a great deal. I would think you might want to talk to him about the effects it may have both positive and negative. Send me a PM if you are interested.

 

[HKphooey]

After this was first posted, I went back to some old computer files to find some research I had done back in 2003. Finally found one of the links I wanted to post.

See the vid clips at the bottom.

http://harrisksd.tripod.com/