The 2020 Gap: Why Racine Kids are Struggling with Coordination (And How to Fix It)

If you’ve noticed your 4-to-10-year-old struggling with balance, tripping often, or appearing a bit “clumsy,” I want to tell you something important: It is completely normal.

As we look at the landscape in 2026, we have to acknowledge the “C-word” impact from 2020. For nearly three years, developmental movement was replaced by screen time. Playgrounds were closed, sports were paused, and the natural “rough and tumble” play that builds a child’s nervous system was sidelined. I recently spoke with a local daycare director who confirmed that today’s preschoolers are facing coordination challenges unlike anything we’ve seen before.

The Ambidextrous Solution

To bridge this coordination gap, kids need more than just “activity”—they need movement that engages the entire brain. While I love the scouts and traditional youth clubs, they don’t always focus on the bilateral physical development that a growing body needs.

In Championship Martial Arts – Racine, our curriculum is designed to be completely ambidextrous. Here’s why that matters:

• Left vs. Right: Most sports favor a “dominant” side. In karate, we don’t have that luxury. You must learn to punch with both arms and kick with both legs with equal power.

• Switching Leads: We train students to fight from a “left-side forward” stance, a “right-side forward” stance, and a neutral “square” stance for self-defense.

• Cross-Body Connection: Moving both sides of the body in complex patterns (katas) forces the left and right hemispheres of the brain to communicate, which is the “secret sauce” for fixing clunky coordination.

Getting Ahead of the Curve

The good news is that the human body is resilient. Whether it’s through swimming (which uses all four limbs) or Martial Arts, the goal is to get kids moving in ways that require “total body” awareness.

At our Racine school, we aren’t just teaching kids how to kick; we are helping them “re-wire” the coordination they missed out on a few years ago. When a child learns to control their body on the mat, that grace and balance follow them to the soccer field, the classroom, and beyond.

Visit Our Southeast Wisconsin Locations

Help your child find their balance again. Visit us in Racine or check out our sister schools in Kenosha and Oak Creek:

• Racine: Championship Martial Arts – Racine | 📞 (262) 205-5929

• Kenosha: Championship Martial Arts – Kenosha | 📞 (262) 288-9919

• Oak Creek: Championship Martial Arts – Oak Creek | 📞 (414) 250-7615