Finding an extracurricular activity for children, in which to exercise, release energy and come home content, has only recently become a difficult task for parents. Parents used to simply inquire after the closest class in judo, basketball, ballet, jazz or football, and cross their fingers for prices to be reasonable and for their children to stick to the activity; then they would enroll their children. Those children who wanted to learn to skate had to do it the hard way - by trial and flat-on-the-face error, and those who wanted to ride a bicycle practiced at the park with their fathers.

Today the search for extra-curricular activities for children is a nightmare. Choosing between a rock climbing course, a kite surfing course, an extreme sports class, a technical bike riding course, an archery class or personal fitness training has become a practically impossible mission. The basic sports of bygone days have also undergone a makeover, and those interested in martial arts no longer consider Judo or Karate, but rather Kung-Fu, Jujitsu, Capoeira, Taekwondo, Aikido, and every other known (some more, some less) martial art. Instead of stepping on a skateboard and learning to skate in the parking lot, children enroll in the "Skating Academy."

Also, clearly no one learns to surf anymore by trial and (drowning) error, but rather at one of the many schools along the country's coastline. Football is taught at various "academies," preferably ones with English names, such as "Total Sport."

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Extreme kids

Options abound, from classes for extra-sensitive children, to extreme sports for 5-year-olds and up. Yoga fans, for instance, will discover it is never too early to start practicing asana positions: In "Yoga Flowers," a class for Rehovot-, Ness Tziona- and Rishon Letzion-area children, yoga is practiced through movement and stories, and correct breathing is taught to the tune of music. Tougher kids will find their niche at the Yoga Center in Yehud where Ashtanga Yoga is taught, a method that uses a structured series of postures and focuses on combining breathing with movement.

In the martial arts, as well, it seems it's never too early to begin. At the "Martial Arts Gymboree" coach Itzik Franco teaches 4- to 6-year-olds "Gymbo-Kick" (Karate Katas combined with various games). At the North Tel Aviv gym, Franco also teaches children from the age of 6 and up "Combined Martial Arts," a mix of Karate and Thai Boxing.

Yoga and marital arts classes are held in gyms. And what of those who love the beach? Exceptionally brave children can learn to kite surf in Beit Yanai with Amit Inbar. They may learn together with their parents, or on their own. Those who seek something more exciting than regular surfing, but find kite surfing to be a little too daring, may join the "Ocean Challenge" class in Haifa, in which surfing, wind surfing, body boarding, kayak rowing and kite flying are taught.

Children who won't bother leaving home for anything less than extreme may join the "Progress Extreme Sports" class in Ra'anana, for kids aged 3 to 9 (in separate age groups). "We use various objects - balls, hoops, rings, ropes," says Guy Salame, "the studio has modular extreme routes ... in varying height levels, with ladders, balance beams and benches, which strengthen the muscles and instill self confidence in heights."

And what of children who asked for rollerblades on their 10th birthday? The "Jerusalem Skating Academy," a center for skating studies, relieves parents of the teaching chore. The center is run by Radan Reiss and Lior Uliel, members of the Israeli national skating team, and classes are open to children aged 4 and up.

Yuval Bar Halevy, 10 from Tzur Hadassah, studies hockey and rollerblading with Uliel. "When my brother taught me to rollerblade a year ago, I fell a lot and it wasn't fun ... So I joined the rollerblading class and today I'm an ace skater."

Removed parents

Rollerblading led Bar Halevy to hockey, and today he participates in the "Rollerblade Hockey" class, and hopes to be a hockey player when he grows up. "I go to the class because it's fun. I also do Judo, that's also fun," he says.

"Since when do we need national team members to teach our kids to rollerblade and do what every mother, father or brother have done so far?" asks Hani German, an elementary school counselor and mother of two from Ramat Hasharon. "Teaching kids to skate, ride or surf is part of being a parent, and the multitude of classes which remove this role from the family is disturbing."

What bothers German is a "trend of less parenting and more consumerism of services of entertainment, occupation for the kids and skill training. Parents are removed from their children's side. Parents should be with their children and assist also in learning physical skills such as roller skating. When you give up on that you not only damage the parent-child relationship, but you also damage the chance for children to develop their athletic hobbies in a healthy manner that is suitable for them."

How is the process of acquiring athletic hobbies damaged?

German: "Classes in which children learn football, surfing, bike riding or roller skating are structured classes, whose progress is pre-planned and runs on schedule. As soon as a child attends a class or course, he no longer discovers things on his own. There are no individual learning processes and no self-discovery of personal capabilities. The difference is the same as between walking on a treadmill in a gym, at a set pace and with a static view, and running outdoors, in the fields or parks, at your own pace."

An interim solution may be for parents and children to attend classes together. At the "Israeli Center for Sports Climbing" (which has branches in Kibbutz Haogen, Kiryat Ono and Ashdod) climbing is taught from the age of 5, in a class for parents and children together. "We climb on the big wall, but the routes are easier and adjusted for children," explains guide Ofer Fischler. "The class is suitable for everyone, boys and girls, and it doesn't require special physical attributes. There is an added value in having the parents come with their children and share the experience, and since it involves dealing with fear, it helps children to have their parents by their side."