The Vero Beach Karate Association has been offering camps to young people for the past fifteen years. VBKA also provides holiday camps during the winter holiday season, as well as spring break camp.
"Some our best work takes place during camp," says Mr. Willis, VBKA&apos;s Head Instructor. “We want our students to be proficient martial artists, but we also want them to be ladies and gentlemen."
Camps center around the martial arts, and campers train three mornings a week. For students who already belong to the association, this intensified training schedule helps them advance in their martial arts skills at an accelerated rate, which is a great feature.
Afternoons feature enrichment training: Ballroom dancing, dance etiquette, music and art classes, and manners and etiquette training, such as table manners, dating etiquette, telephone etiquette, and hospitality skills.
Summer Camp is divided into three week sessions, with each week following a particular theme. Likewise, enrichment activities revolve around the week&apos;s theme. The camp schedule follows the public school system, and camp sessions start as soon as school is out for the summer and end when school resumes.
(Right) Music is also part of our camp&apos;s enrichment activities. Campers learn guitar and drums.
It is through the camps that long term friendships and bonds are developed.
These are young people who don&apos;t just train together. They grow up together and find that the friends they make at the Vero Beach Karate Association are decent, well mannered young people who are trying to make something of themselves. Many socialize with each other outside the karate school, and do so with the blessing of their parents who know these friends are good kids.