(photo Credit: Thinkstock)

Children performingĀ the ancient tradition of killing time while parents run errands.

A widely respected martial arts Grandmaster will be offering his services in the area of hand-to-hand combat training this weekend at the local branch of the Karate 4 Kids studio.

Having devoted his life to studying under the strict guidance of a well-regarded and rich lineage of predecessors in his native Hong Kong, the expert instructor can now be found teaching children aged six to ten on Saturday mornings from 8-10 am in Northampton, Long Island.

Having studied the martial art of Kung Fu from the time he was a young child, humbly embracing teachings dating as far back as the Qing Dynasty, Li Wei Lau, 52, will bring with him a wealth of knowledge, sharing important elements from his intense studies to New England third graders. When asked how excited he wasĀ to begin his new position at the school, which comes highly recommended by Yelp reviewer Tony C., Lau calmly replied, ā€œItā€™s fine.ā€

Although Lauā€™s martial arts background involved a delicate and trusted balance of diet, exercise, and meditation, as well as calling upon the principles of humility and gratitude, students at the Karate 4 Kids studio will experience a more gentle tutelage. ā€œWe do a lot of jumping jacks, I guess,ā€ explains Lau. ā€œThe kids spend a good amount of time repeatedly kicking the same area of air while I count to 20, as well.ā€

While many students enrolled in Lauā€™s class are not terribly eager to participate in a physical sport requiring constant self-discipline and rigorously structured lessons, the release of a new Karate Kid movie every 30Ā years continues to encourage over-scheduled children to enter dojos across the country. TheĀ promise of kicking someone in the nuts, or loudly exclaiming ā€œHiya!ā€ while chopping other students on the top of the head has proven to exciteĀ generation after generation.

As with any leadership role, the job doesnā€™t come without its set of difficulties and frustrations. ā€œWell, I guess aside from the fact that not a single person has noticed that Iā€™m trained in the art of Kung Fu and not Karate, the toughest part of the job willĀ be trying to get 17 kids at a birthday party to actually learn something,ā€ says Lau. ā€œAlso, the invoicing. Iā€™m not much for paperwork.ā€

ParentsĀ interested in enrolling theirĀ children in Lauā€™s beginner Karate classesĀ canĀ contact the school via their website. All experience levels are welcome, and snacks and juice boxes will be provided.

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