Boxing: At Cappy’s Gym, boxing is about more than slugging it out with an opponent. Along with boxing fundamentals, kids 8 and older develop life skills such as emotional management, self-discipline and mental focus. Classes include non-contact, contact and a competitive boxing team.
Capoeira: You won’t find scowling senseis or fierce “hi-yas!” in this Brazilian martial art. In Capoeira the vibe is positive and the movement incorporates kicks, cartwheels and lunges, but the goal isn’t to hit your opponent — only to get close. Capoeira “games” involve two challengers, encircled by other players who sing, drum and cheer them on.
Curling: It takes a certain kind of 7-year-old to get psyched about curling, but if medieval Scottish broom-based athletics speak to your kid, Seattle has the league for you. In curling, teams slide large granite stones across a sheet of ice, then rapidly sweep the ice in front of the stone to control its speed and direction. The goal is getting your stones closest to a bull’s-eye in the ice.
Hip-hop & break-dance: With competitions and battles popping up all over the place, more programs are offering competition teams and break-dance squads. Kids can learn the fundamentals from top rockin’ and drops to floor rocks and freezes. massivemonkees.com & coyotecentral.org
Parkour: This French sport derived from military obstacle courses can teach kids athletic skills more commonly associated with movie spies and superheroes. Imagine James Bond lightly vaulting car hoods, running up concrete walls and leaping gracefully onto narrow railings and you have a sense of parkour. Child, adult and family classes are available.
Skateboarding: More than two decades ago, Tony Hawk helped legitimize the sport of skateboarding. Now there are camps and lessons for girls and boys eager to perfect their ollies and kick flips. The indoor All Together Skatepark lets skaters at every level hone their skills year-round on a variety of ramps, steps and curbs.
