Is Kids Kung Fu a Workout? What Fitness Means in Class

Short answer: In kids kung fu, fitness isn't a separate workout. It's built into how class is coached. Kids stand in stances, repeat forms, move through drills, and hit pads. That's where kids practice balance, coordination, and strength. It's kung fu class, not a gym, and we don't promise weight loss or a replacement for sports or PE.

Parents sometimes ask whether their child will "get a workout" in class. Here's what kids kung fu fitness looks like from the inside.

What does kids kung fu fitness look like in class?

Stances. Holding a low, steady stance takes leg strength and balance.
Forms. A form is a set pattern of moves. Kids repeat it to practice moving in order and remembering the pattern.
Drills. Kids practice a skill over and over, with a coach watching and fixing.
Pads and mitts. Both programs use them. In Future Tiger Kids, the instructor holds the pads. In Tiger Kids, students hold them for each other.

A typical class starts with a bow and a warm-up. Stances are part of almost every class: they warm up the legs and strengthen and stretch the lower body. Then come drills, pads, and, in Tiger Kids, forms and partner work, with a cool-down before the bow out.

In our fitness classes, kids also move through timed circuits with stations like horse-stance holds, frog jumps, and bear crawls.

Karen Boyer started Tiger Kids with a hope that kids would grow in confidence, health, and character as they learn kung fu. Health is part of that aim, so movement runs through most of class.

How is this different from a gym?

Class isn't a workout plan. It's built around learning a skill, and the movement comes from practicing that skill well.

In regular class, kids focus on where their feet go or how to hit the pad cleanly, not on counting reps. The effort is real, but the goal is the skill.

How do Future Tiger Kids and Tiger Kids differ?

The two programs share the same spirit, with a different shape for each age.

Future Tiger Kids (ages 3 to 6) classes run about 30 minutes. Movement is simpler and more playful, and the instructor holds the pads.

Tiger Kids (ages 7 to 12) builds on the same base with more forms, drills, and fitness, in classes of about 45 minutes. Students hold pads and mitts for each other.

For a fuller comparison, see What Do Kids Learn in Future Tiger (Ages 3–6) Versus Tiger Kids (Ages 7–12)?

What does one study say about martial arts and kids' movement?

A study of children ages 5 and 6 found that a Chinese martial arts class, about 30 minutes twice a week for 10 weeks, improved balance on a motor-skills test compared with free play (Li and colleagues, 2022). For more on this research, see Balance and Movement: What Kids Martial Arts Research Does (and Doesn't) Say.

How does class fit into a kid's whole week?

Federal guidelines say kids and teens ages 6 to 17 should get 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. On at least 3 of those days, that should include vigorous activity and activities that build muscles and bones. Preschoolers ages 3 to 5 should be active throughout the day. The guidelines list martial arts as one example of vigorous activity for school-age kids and teens.

One class doesn't cover a whole week, and it isn't meant to. Kung fu class is one active part of a child's week, alongside recess, play, sports, and PE. It doesn't replace any of them.

What don't we promise?

We don't promise weight loss, a medical benefit, or a fitter child by a certain date. We don't say class replaces sports or PE. What we can say is that kids move a lot in class, and the movement comes from learning kung fu with coaches who watch and help.

Where are classes, and how do I ask?

This season, classes meet at these sites across the Akron area.

Future Tiger Kids (ages 3–6, daytime): RiverTree Christian School, Growing Places Preschool, and St. Luke's Church Youth Building.
Tiger Kids (ages 7–12, afterschool): St. Luke's Church Youth Building, St. Francis de Sales, and partner school sites.

Karen Boyer leads the program today, and the Boyer family has taught it since 2007. Karen holds a B.S. in Health Education and a current personal trainer certification from the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She earned it, along with an AFAA group exercise certification, in 2003. For more, see Who Teaches Tiger Kids?

Have a question about what your child would do in class? Email karen@victorydefensesystems.com with your child's age, the location you're considering, and what's on your mind.

Sources

Li, B., et al. (2022). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9408615/ · https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610204

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd ed.). https://odphp.health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-09/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf