Is Martial Arts good for kids?

It was over 20 years ago that I first enrolled in martial arts, Taekwondo to be specific. I was notoriously known as the rambunctious child and could never seem to sit still. I was always jumping off furniture, fighting with my siblings, and finding mischievous where there shouldn’t be any!

For that reason, my parents sought stability and discipline from enrolling me in a small family run martial arts school located in our hometown. I can confidently say that this was one of the best decisions my parents could have made and I benefit from my martial arts experiences even to this day!

Therefore, I will write this blog post with the intention of providing you with some of the most important reasons why I believe that every child, teenager, and adult alike should give martial arts a try!

Martial arts are often portrayed very violently in the movies and television shows that are released to the public, and this has led to a loss of understanding in some of the other very important parts of training in martial arts. Unlike many other sports, martial arts carefully focuses on the individual development of both the mentality and physicality of its students. This includes buildings one’s self-control, confidence, and physical abilities.

Individual Growth and Finding Your Learning Style

Martial art schools typically operate on a very tailored approach to learning and finding a program that will be the right fit for the individual. It’s never about being the best or leveling up faster than your classmates; instead, it focuses on figuring out what style and tempo is the perfect fit for you, or your child. The key point is progression and ensuring that the student is actually growing on their martial arts journey and not just succumbing to stagnancy.

Instructors are trained to adapt the program based on the child. You will know you have found a good school when the instructor is able to identify your child’s learning style and then use positive reinforcement to help them advance.

Goal-setting

Success is often correlated to one’s ability to set goals and then work towards them. This is how people achieve university degrees, advance in their careers, or learn new skills and languages. Martial arts are aware of this fact and utilize it to help encourage students to set goals and work hard to achieve them.

For example, the infamous term ‘black belt’ that is often thrown around whenever the discussion of martial arts enters a dinner table topic. This is perfect example of how martial arts uses achievements as a means of encouraging growth and effort.

Here is a little secret…the colour on one’s belt really doesn’t matter. The importance lies in the journey to achieving that belt and what lessons you gained on that journey. Now, the inventor of the belt system was a pretty smart individual because they realized that just having one belt that takes three years to achieve would be pretty difficult, and even scary for someone just starting out. So, they decided to add multiple belts that could be earned in smaller increments and timeframes as the student began to advance in their skill level.

This is extremely important because it helps to keep students motivated and forces them to set both longterm goals (achieving a black belt) and short-term goals (achieving my blue, yellow or red belt). This teaches the lesson that you make it to the top of the stairs without climbing up the steps.

Coordination and Physical Growth

Another huge benefit to training in martial arts is that it is excellent in building coordination and strength. Unlike many sports, Martial Arts puts strong emphasis on flexibility and coordination. This can be a great asset for your son or daughter because it can be applied to many other aspect of life or sports they may wish to try in the future. Many forms of martial arts involves kicking and rolling which will challenge a student to balance of one leg or perform techniques they wouldn’t otherwise use in most other sports. This can help with flexibility and ensure that the child has a healthy and active lifestyle.

Martial Artists Mentality

The positive effects that martial arts can have on a person’s mental health is one of the biggest benefits that comes from its training. Martial arts is dedicated to the importance of respect, discipline and self-confidence. It is important for a student to feel like they are being productive and that they are capable of reaching their goals and ultimately becoming more confident and happy individuals.

As we discussed above, martial arts typically follows a belt system which allows for the celebration of smaller successes. This system is hugely beneficial to one’s mental health because it creates a sense of pride and accomplishment when moving from one belt ranking to the next.

The same can be said for different forms of martial arts that adopt different systems or levels to help evaluate one’s progress. We want to celebrate our student’s successes and help them feel motivated to continue and reach new levels.

Martial arts is also great for children of all ages because it reinforces discipline and self-control. We want to train students to respect the people and world around them, so that they can be productive members of society.

Conclusion

These are only some of the positives that come from training in martial arts. We hope that this may encourage you to consider enrolling yourself or you kids in a local school and start your journey to becoming a black belt!