Waiting for Sanjay

Kiley Baker is a mum of three, and the owner of Eltham Martial Arts Academy. She has thirty years of martial arts training under her belt (pun intended) and has been teaching both children and adults for over twenty-five years. Having taught hundreds of kids, she regularly bumps into past and present students, or parents of those students, whilst out in the local community. Kiley tells us it makes her feel old (although honored) when parents who used to be her students are bringing their own children to be taught by her! She is a big believer that being a karate instructor is not just about teaching someone how to do kicks and punches. A Sensei [Japanese for teacher] must lead and inspire a class full of different personalities and abilities. Motivating students when the basics get boring, tests are demanding, or they are scared to compete, involves guiding them through difficult emotions and realisations about themselves.Students must be taught to navigate and to deal with losses and failures in a positive and constructive way. Learning to improve the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of oneself is just as important as the physical side.During the lockdowns, Kiley had to learn to help keep her students engaged from a distance and teach them to adapt to the changing landscape. She found that the tools required to teach martial arts also were useful in helping her own children through mental health challenges and difficult times.This story is testament to that.