How many days of sport a week during the school year?
For most children, two structured classes a week is the right place to start. One class isn't enough to carry a skill forward; every week feels like starting over. Three classes suit children who love the sport and don't wake up tired the next day. Four or more, during the school year, is only for teens with a competition goal.
Outside these classes, a child needs to move freely every day: walking, cycling, playing in the park. Classes are added on top of free play, not in place of it.
Does sport harm schoolwork?
This is parents' biggest reservation, and experience shows the opposite. A child who does sport regularly burns off energy, falls asleep more easily in the evening and focuses better the next day. Martial arts add one more thing to that: structured attention. Listening to the coach, waiting your turn, holding a combination in your head and carrying it out are the very same skills needed in the classroom.
The problem isn't sport, it's the lack of a plan. A child whose sports days are fixed learns to do homework around them; that's a first lesson in time management. We've covered what martial arts give children in detail in the guide to martial arts for kids.
A sample weekly routine
- Pick two fixed days. For example Tuesday and Thursday evenings, or one weekday evening plus Saturday. Leave at least one day between them.
- Not “homework first, then sport”; homework that's planned. On sports days, part of the homework moves to the day before. The rule “if your homework isn't finished, you're not going to training” turns sport into a punishment; don't use it.
- A light snack before class. Between the end of school and the class: fruit, yoghurt or a sandwich, not a heavy meal.
- After class: a shower, dinner, and an hour without screens. Sports days are the days when sleep comes most easily; don't spoil that with a screen.
- Leave one day completely free. Children also need to be bored and to do nothing.
What to expect by age
- Ages 6–9. The aim is a love of sport and basic movement skills: balance, coordination, attention. The class is built on play, and there's no partner work. Two classes a week is more than enough.
- Ages 10–13. Technical fundamentals and conditioning. At this age children notice their own progress, and motivation starts to come from within. The school workload also grows at this age; this is where a fixed-day routine helps most.
- Ages 14–18. Technique, conditioning and, for those who want it, controlled partner work. In exam years (LGS and YKS, Turkey's high-school and university entrance exams), sport is the healthiest outlet for stress; rather than quitting, fixing it at two classes a week is the right decision for most teens.
The groups are described in detail on the kids' and teens' classes page.
Exam weeks and holidays
In an exam week, cut sport back rather than cutting it out: one class instead of two. An hour of movement does more good than an hour of unproductive time at a desk. A routine that's dropped completely doesn't come back easily after the exams.
In the mid-term break and the summer holidays the schedule loosens up: a child who wants to can take more classes, and a family going away can take a break. Because membership at F8 is monthly, you don't pay for a month you won't attend; there's no contract and no freezing fee. The prices are on the prices page.
For a child coming back after a long break, the tempo is kept low in the first week; just tell the coach that you've had a break.
Practical information for Konyaaltı
F8 Training Studio is in Bahtılı, Konyaaltı, on Atatürk Caddesi. The kids' and teens' groups are split into ages 6–9, 10–13 and 14–18 and run on weekday evenings, timed around the end of the school day, and at weekends; we send the current timetable on WhatsApp. If the group times don't fit, private lessons can be arranged for ages 6 and up.
- Drop-off and pick-up are easy. Free parking is right in front of the gym, and there's a café area for parents who wait.
- You can watch the first class. After that it's optional, so that your child can focus.
- Safety. Classes run under coach supervision and with protective gear; there's no partner work in the younger age groups.
- Coach. The classes are taught by Doğukan Siler, member of the Muay Thai Technical Committee for Minis and Juniors.
You can find how long it takes from each neighbourhood on the Konyaaltı neighbourhoods page.