Quiz the Coach - I Like Karate, Not Dancing!
Hey Coach,
I love karate, but I'm a girl and everyone (parents, friends, BFs) thinks I should just drop out. So I started dance lessons, ballet, and hip-hop to show them I could be a total girl if I wanted to. It's working and everyone's leaving me alone now, but I totally hate all those dance lessons and I know it's just wasting my time and money. But if I quit, everyone will start treating me like a boy again. What should I do?
ginko353
Hey ginko353
Take off your dance shoes, ditch the tutu and give your parents, friends and BF a swift karate kick. This is the 21st century!!! There's nothing "girlish" about taking dance lessons, just as there's nothing "boyish" about being involved in martial arts. Thousands of boys want to learn how to dance like Justin Timberlake, and thousands of girls want to learn how to kick some butt like the chicks in Charlie's Angels. Unfortunately, many people in North America, like your parents, still seem to hold onto stereotypes, which you would only expect to be held by those raised in caves.Tell your parents and friends you don't see the point wasting time and money on dance lessons when you'd rather be learning leg kicks and power punches. Explain to them that karate is a great form of mental and physical exercise, which is practiced by thousands of girls around the world. Most importantly, taking karate lessons is a healthy activity that you want to do! Talk to them respectfully and intelligently and they should be open-minded. If they still think it's not girlish to take karate, unleash some of your martial arts maneuvers, and give their ideas a kick back to the 1800s, where they belong.
Do you need tips or advice on sports, fitness or health? Send it to the Kidzworld Coach. Keep in mind peeps, the Kidzworld Coach isn't a doctor or a professional athlete or anything like that. He's just a dude who digs sports, plays 'em and knows a lot about 'em. You should always talk to your 'rents, a doctor or your school gym teacher before starting a new sport or a new exercise.
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