It's an all too familiar sight: my two young children, exhausted after a long day at nursery, return home and proceed to jump up and down, bounce off walls and throw toys at each other's heads in a rush of post-containment energy.

For a long time, I've wondered how to help them temper their over-tired energy levels — ideally without it ending up in tantrums, tears, meltdowns and switching on the iPad again.

One possible solution: martial arts. The idea of children attending martial arts classes has long appealed as a possible means of providing them with a useful tool to release their energy in a controlled manner, while also letting them roll around and have fun.