Many parents and their children insist they are growing together in body, mind and spirit, but few, I would bet, are doing it by learning self–defense with an appealing father–daughter team who are themselves a model of family spirit.

Paul Schmidt, an environmental and sustainability lawyer, teaches martial arts classes with his daughter Amanda at the Springfield Recreation Center Martial Arts Program, part of the Springfield Township Parks and Recreation Department.

More than six years ago, Arthur Walters, his daughter and son started classes at the center.

“In my youth, I had trained in many different martial arts with many different instructors.” said Walters, of Wyndmoor. “After 30 years away from regular martial arts training, I found the Springfield Martial Arts Academy and Sensei Schmidt. (‘Sensei’ is a Japanese word for a martial arts instructor.)

“We started as white belts, and I recently tested and was promoted to black belt in the Okinawa martial art of Isshinryu. The Springfield Martial Arts Academy is a welcoming place, which encourages students of all ages and has parents training in the same class with their children.”

The Schmidts started teaching with the recreation center’s martial arts program seven years ago. Paul Schmidt, an Ohio native who lives in Oreland, has been teaching martial arts for 20 years. Amanda, 22, an only child, began learning martial arts at the age of 5 and earned a black belt by age 16.

The classes emphasize traditional Isshinryu Karate, self–defense judo and Brazilian jiujitsu. The martial arts sessions integrate cardiovascular training, wellness and “the philosophy of excellence by habit.” Students develop self–discipline, mindfulness, goal–setting skills and respect for themselves and others.

“We belong to a larger organization called Kokoro Kai, run by Jonathan Exaros out of his headquarters Dojo, East Montgomery Martial Arts in Horsham,” Paul Schmidt said. “In that way, we are able to participate in a lot of other events that we don’t need to spend the time planning. These include special testing classes almost every month, a spring weekend, karate camp, kids’ night out events, extra training and many other activities.”

Amanda, who works as a sustainability analyst, describes martial arts as a “great workout connecting the mind to the body and the community. We are all one big family.

“It was hard to keep up with the martial arts training and teaching when I was a student at Drexel,” said Amanda, who majored in sustainability and minored in business consulting. “But now, if my dad was not around, I’d be able to take over. We have 23 students now, ages 6 to 65; 25 percent are with their parents, and 30 per cent are girls. We urge parents and kids to come together. We have two assistants, one with a brown belt and one with a black belt.”

Student Dennis Kusturiss, of Oreland, told the Local, “I have been taking martial arts lessons with Sensei Paul and Sensei Amanda for roughly one–and–a–half years. I initially joined when my son expressed an interest, but it is such a positive environment that I have chosen to continue while my son takes a break.

“The classes encourage you to push yourself and expand your comfort zone without being intimidating or overly competitive,” he continued. “It is truly about bettering yourself and self–mastery. Everyone is very welcoming and happy to help each other. The majority of the students are children, and senseis do a great job of steering them to work on control without being too harsh.”

In addition to the Springfield Recreation Center Martial Arts Program, there are several other local options for those seeking instruction in martial arts. For example, the Ambler YMCA offers martial arts classes for young people. According to their website, “As students continually work towards their belts, they learn resilience and prioritize activities to surpass their goals.”

Several private martial arts schools are also located in or near the Springfield Township area, including Tiger Kicks Martial Arts in Blue Bell, Springfield and Warminster; Flourtown ATA Martial Arts; and East Montgomery Martial Arts in Horsham. While not in Springfield, the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department also offers martial arts classes like Taekwondo, tai chi and jiujitsu at various city locations.

For more details or to register, visit springfieldmontco.recdesk.com or call 215-836-7600. Len Lear can be reached at lenlear@chestnuthilllocal.com.