Part of the Team

Part of the Team

Here at True Balance Karate in Downers Grove, Illinois, we have a social-emotional learning program called True Character.

I’m Master H, the owner and chief instructor here at the studio. I have two master’s degrees in education, and we have developed this curriculum to meet the needs of our youngest students who are three or four and our oldest student who is 86.

This month, we are talking about teamwork. I work with others positively to reach our goals.

We started off the month defining what teamwork was, and then we talked about strengths and weaknesses. We talked about successes and failures as a team and what all of that looks like. Now we’re going to talk about when to be part of the team and when to go against the team.

When to Speak Up

It starts with honesty—that moment of actually contemplating and being honest with yourself. Is the team about to cheat? Is the team about to be dishonest? Are they about to do something wrong? Did someone suggest something that could be harmful to another team member? At that point, you might actually want to go against the team and get outside help—find a different mentor, different adult, different coach, or someone else to help you out with that particular situation.

Take, for example, playing soccer. Your team scores a goal, and you see that the score has been changed. Then one of your teammates says, “They never changed the score. We have another goal.” That’s cheating. Do you remain silent, or do you say, “No, no, they put it up there, it’s fine”?

This is when we talk about when to go against the team. Being part of a team is about positive interactions. It’s about working towards the same goal in a positive way. If they are about to do something wrong—like intentionally running into the goalie so hard that he falls down and gets hurt—that’s when you need to step away and seek help.

In moments where something feels wrong in your gut, like plagiarism—if you’re working on a school project and your teammates suggest copying and pasting straight from a website—this is when you should speak up. That might be the time to say, “This isn’t what we need to do as a team. We need to actually make this our work.” That would be the more positive action to take.

Finding Solutions

As we work to be part of a team, there are things we may have to do to contribute, aside from moments where breaking away is necessary. To be a productive team member, you might need to compromise. You may find yourself setting timers, turning tasks into a game, or doing something that wasn’t your first choice.

For example, if you’re in a school project and love drawing and coloring, but another teammate has taken that role, you may be assigned research. Even though it’s not what you wanted to do, you might have to do it anyway to support the team. Alternatively, you could compromise—talk to the creative person and suggest dividing both the creativity and research equally.

It’s about taking an honest look at the work in front of you, dividing tasks fairly, kindly, and respectfully. This helps everyone play to their strengths while also building up their weaknesses.

I hope you’ve enjoyed our discussion on teamwork. Continue to have a positive attitude in all the different teams you find yourself on.

Thanks, and I’ll see you on the mat!

True Balance Karate was founded in 2012 by Master Sue and Paul Helsdon.

We offer kids karate lessons for pre-school children ages 3-6 and elementary age kids ages 7 and up. These lessons are designed to develop the critical building blocks kids need — specialized for their age group — for school excellence and later success in life.

Our adult martial arts training is a complete adult fitness and conditioning program for adults who want to lose weight, get (and stay) in shape, or learn self-defense in a supportive environment.

Instructors can answer questions or be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 630-663-2000. You can also contact us here. True Balance Karate is at 406 Ogden Ave Downers Grove Illinois, 60515 (next to CVS) Check out our Facebook!