Self-Discipline
April 2, 2020 | 0 Comment(s)
How Martial Arts Can Teach Your Child Discipline
Every parent understands that it’s important to enroll their child in extracurricular activities to ensure that they develop the skills that can’t be taught in a classroom. When choosing an extracurricular for their child, many parents will toy with the idea of enrolling their son or daughter in a martial art, but worry that it’s too risky or dangerous.
The truth of the matter is that a martial art, if taught by a reputable school and instructor, is as safe as any other physical activity. Furthermore, a martial art can teach your child concepts and values that will be invaluable in your child’s development and growth, namely self control and discipline.
If you’re on the fence about enrolling your child in a martial art, then consider these ways that such an activity can help your child to develop fantastic life skills and grow into a wonderful human being.
Teaching The Importance of Consistency
Kids are naturally inclined to seek out instant gratification, a behavior that’s quite antithetical to the principles of discipline and self control. This is why little kids will throw temper tantrums at the grocery store when they’re not allowed to buy a piece of candy. They want what they want and they want it right now.
When you’re child is enrolled in a sport, they learn about the importance of consistency. You can’t become skilled at karate or baseball overnight. Instead, you have to go to practice every day if you want to see your abilities and skills improve.
This lesson is invaluable in raising a child who values hard work more than they value instant gratification. The lessons learned in these athletic extracurricular activities will spill into their academic pursuits as well, ensuring that they understand why it’s important to study a subject a bit each day in order to master it.
Teach The Importance of Setting Goals
Humans aren’t naturally inclined to want to set and achieve goals. If anything, we naturally prefer to keep on doing whatever feels safe and familiar, not what feels aspirational. However, since most of us have dreams and visions of who we’d like to be, we understand that we must create goals and work hard to achieve them.
Martial arts is wonderfully suited to teaching the importance of goal-setting. Activities like karate and tae kwon do offer students different tiers to reach, often signified by differently colored belts. By encouraging kids to try to reach these different tiers and move up in their level of achievement, you artfully teach them how to set and work towards a goal.
Again, this will be an invaluable lesson when it comes to your child’s academic excellence. By learning the importance of goal-setting and how one actually puts in the work to achieve those goals, your child will come to understand that excellence and achievement doesn’t come for free. Instead, it takes the aforementioned consistency and a passion for actually working towards what they want to achieve.
Teaching The Value of Teamwork and Respect
We’re naturally born to be quite self-absorbed. If you’ve ever been around a baby, the last word you’d use to describe that baby would be “empathetic.” We don’t naturally care for the people around us, but rather want to seek out what makes us feel happy and fulfilled, even if it’s inconvenient or displeasurable for the people around us. While this might be fine behavior for a baby, it’s horrible behavior for a young adult.
Good parenting is what teaches little children to be empathetic. Kids need to be taught concepts such as respecting their elders or working together with their peers to achieve a common goal. When your child participates in a martial art, they have to learn how to work safely and respectfully with their fellow classmates, to ensure that nobody gets hurt. Furthermore, they’re forced to listen to and respect their instructor.
When your child is taught the importance of teamwork and respect, it can help to prevent them from finding themselves in some very nasty situations. When kids become troublemakers in school, it’s often because they were never taught how to be empathetic to and respectful of the people around them. The martial arts help to ensure that your child learns and internalizes these essential life skills and values.
Give Your Child The Skills They Need To Thrive
It’s time for parents to stop worrying that the martial arts are “dangerous” or “risky.” This is not only a completely safe activity for your child, but it will teach them a level of discipline and self control that other extracurricular activities might not. Don’t be afraid to enroll your son or daughter in that karate class. You’ll be amazed at how this type of class will aid in your child’s emotional and psychological development.
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March 12, 2020 | 0 Comment(s)
One of the most important traits to teach children is discipline. Kids have a lot of independence and big decisions to make in these modern times thanks to innovative technology like smartphones and so many social media websites. It’s hard for parents to trust that their children will have the discipline to stay moral and practice good values as they take on this huge world without parental supervision most of the time. One great way for any child to learn good values and how to practice discipline as they grow up is martial arts classes.
Training to become a martial artist give kids a long-lasting appreciation for what is right through drills, practices, and routines. Children must stay much disciplined throughout each class to become successful in their training. Honestly, there are several reasons that martial arts classes provide a truly awesome way for parents to ensure their child learns how to stay disciplined and make the best decisions as they grow older.
Confidence is a very great and important quality for children to have. Training in classes to become a martial artist will really help children to become more and more confident. As they become more confident, these children will continue to train and gain more success. As they gain more success, they will learn some great values including respect for themselves and others which will certainly give them a good and growing amount of self-esteem and confidence.
Self-esteem is an extremely important quality for kids and adults to have; honestly, most people do not have enough self-esteem. Children especially lack this important quality because they often have to deal with bullies and tough social situations with peers. The fighting and disciplining training that children in these classes will receive help ensure that children know exactly what they need to do in any tough situation. They have learned all the skills necessary to handle the tough situations in a mature and responsible way.
Another great thing about this type of training is that it teaches children that the journey is just as or more important than the destination. It is so easy for children or adults to get distracted in a world that is so full of the most interesting distractions including phones, videos, and the never-ending past-time of social media. It is also very easy for children and adults to get caught up in the ending reward without caring about or appreciating all the steps it takes to reach that rewarding result.
Sometimes, the journey is tough, but the journey is valuable because it teaches so much. The journey is full of successes, failures, mistakes, and lessons that are extremely important. Marital artists are taught the importance of making progress and improving every day. They understand how important it is to focus on the steps they make each day which also allows them to appreciate every bit of progress.
Martial artists are then proud of themselves for every step in their journey and they use this pride to stay determined and disciplined in their training and in life. They know that without these things, they will not progress successfully. Martial artists know that without those valuable tools and skills, they will not reach their important destination on any journey they take.
Martial artists that have been training from an early age also learn how to make good, well-thought-out choices. Every parent wants their kids to know how to make the right choices in every situation, most especially the tough ones. However, teaching this quality is much easier said than done because often, parents themselves are making the wrong decisions every day. However, with this type of training comes special instruction that parents often don’t have time to give to their kids.
Marital artists learn to really observe situations well, they learn to truly digest the information they are receiving, and they learn to make strong plans that help them decide the best course of action to take. Not to mention, certain training activities like sparring helps children develop rational thinking skills, see lars remodeling. Children who have learned to train their mind to make rational decisions in any situation, no matter how tense, have learned a very valuable lesson that will help them to make the best choice throughout their entire lives.
Another wonderful thing that martial artists learn at an early age is how to take control of their emotions. This is by far one of the best qualities for anyone, especially a child to have. Every child will go through so many different emotions as they grow up, and this is quite possibly the toughest part of parenthood. Sometimes, a child’s emotions can be all over the place which causes their actions to be all over the place as well. When this happens, it is easy for children to do the wrong thing and make not so great decisions.
However, in training to be a martial artist, a child will learn to develop a clear connection with their inner self. Then they will be very in touch with who they really are and what they really want out of life at a young age. Everyone has been through the tough times growing up when you are discovering your self-identity; however, not every child has the necessary guidance that will help them manage their emotions during these times.
A child who is becoming a martial artist learns how to deal with their emotions in the right way by using their mind purposefully. During training, children learn how to keep their mentality and emotions healthy by meditating and clearing the mind every day, at every practice. Children in this type of training are also taught to help their minds get rid of distractions to ensure they have strong concentration, focus, and performance, visit kicrestoration.com. Children learn to stay calm no matter what they initially feel, and this ensures they do not develop any overwhelming negative feelings of despair, fear, or anger. Everything about martial arts helps to ensure a child can get the most benefits, the best qualities, and the most disciplined habits from their training and all those great qualities will surely last a lifetime.
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January 24, 2020 | 0 Comment(s)
A child beating up on each other has always been a problem since the school system first started. Many children in school today just don’t have the physical capability to deal with a larger student who picks on them. This leads to that student not wanting to attend school each day. The student knows the other classmate will bully them. They want to avoid the situation. That student’s school grades can suffer because of anxiety from being bullied by a larger student.
This must change for the student to attend school to learn. Until the parents take action, the student who is bullied will remain afraid. Enrolling your child into a martial arts system is the first positive step you can do for the child.
How Self-Defense Can Help Your Child
Learning how to defend yourself can change the way you approach problems dealing with all issues of life. Enrolling your child into a Tae Kwon Do academy can influence major changes to health, mind and physical ability. The training they will receive will build their confidence ability.
Several months into training in a class can boost your child’s mental and emotional health. As they progress with the skill, they will become able to defend themselves against anyone. The effort your child puts into class participation and training is the key goal of learning the skills of martial arts.
Children can enroll in most of the fighting arts to gain the confidence and skills needed to defend against bullies. They get to work with other participants in the class in a controlled atmosphere. It helps them build socialization skills to stop avoiding others. A child enrolled in the class can develop lifelong relationships with others that have dealt with similar problems in the past.
Your child will be more confident after several months of training in self-defense. As they progress through training, they will receive a higher belt level for the skills that they achieve. The philosophy instilled for students participating in self-defense will take them to levels far above those that never studied. The fighting arts are more than just learning a combative skill because it teaches a way of life in each field of study.
How Parents Can Help Their Children
You have a voice to help your children that are dealing with school bullying. Go to the school to discuss the situation with the faculty on how they can help solve the problem. If that doesn’t help, enroll them into a self-defense class for the child’s protection.
Talk to your children about school activities when you feel they are anxious or have anxiety issues about attending school. Children will seldom tell their parents that someone is picking on them in the school system. This is something within most children that they won’t inform a parent about because it could be embarrassing.
A child might be ashamed of being bullied. They may be afraid their parents will inform the school to make it more difficult to attend classes. Explain to your child why you feel that they need to inform the school about what is happening to them.
Your child could be picked on from disabilities. Size and weight can influence how other students view your children in school. One bully can choose several victims in school to toy with. Race can play a role in school bullying. These are things to consider when discussing problems your children are having attending school.
Parental Self-defense Strategies to Help Children Cope
Attending martial art classes can help your children in so many ways above learning how to defend their physical bodies. You can be a voice in helping your child succeed during those difficult times of attending school. You may have to attend some self-defense classes to learn how to help your children. You are their role model.
Teach your children to be aware of all surroundings. This is an important life-skill that many adults are unaware of. Awareness of what is happening around you at all times is the key to staying safer in an unsafe world.
Talk to your child about courage. Teach them that it takes more discipline to walk away from a situation. Any fighting art is all about how those who take it can find ways to avoid a bad situation. Self-defense classes will teach your children this but you play an important role in addressing it to them.
Talk to your children about how they feel. Things associated with school and daily life should be addressed in this conversation. Ask them about how martial arts class is going after they have studied for several months. Attitudes should improve as they move on in classes. Motivational skills will improve. Confidence will become better as they continue training. Physical ability with knowledge will ultimately help them avoid bully situations in time.
Be The Motivation Your Children Need
Your children can learn how to be a fighting force by attending self-defense classes. You must realize that learning a fighting art is about self-protection from harm. Never tell your child to punch someone in the mouth. Avoid any conversation that lets your child know it will be fine to hit another student. Your role as a parent is to help your children cope with the nasty problems they may deal with daily.
School bullying is more than a physical issue. They can bully by words and simple actions. A threatening nature by a school bully can intimidate your children. The fighting arts can develop your children with the ability to protect and defend others. Your job as a parent is to be their role model as a Mom or Dad.
What your child does in and out of the schooldays all goes back to how you have taught them during their young lives, check out cool gadgets site. You must be their leader and motivator throughout their younger ages as children. Taking a self-defense course along with your children can help give you the skills needed for them to succeed. You can learn the same teachings that the classes will instill in your child forever.
Martial art training can take your children a long way in life. They could grow from a young age into adults to teach classes on their own. The training could lead to them wanting to go into the military. So many things that they could make a career out of are positive results from the martial art training they receive.
Sometimes, a child needs the supervision of a parent shown as an example. You can take those steps by starting to be their ultimate role model. Show them how much you care by enrolling with them at a martial art school during the near future.
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January 16, 2020 | 0 Comment(s)
Enrolling your children into a martial art school can help them grow in a variety of ways. Some studies suggest that children suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can have a huge success rate with discipline and concentration by learning martial art skills.
Learning any martial art requires the student to pay attention to the instructor who teaches the class. Students learn discipline and respect for others while attending a self-defense school. Practice sessions may include attending classes several times a week for one-hour classes.
A typical class session involves basic exercise with stretching involved to loosen the body up for self-defense techniques. Students will learn kata movements as they continue to advance. Routine light-contact sparring is something else they learn how to do with each belt promotion. Belt levels start at beginner white, yellow, purple, orange, brown and black.
Experts agree starting children at a young age allows them to learn the art and gain the best results. Six or seven is a fantastic age to begin training in any martial art. A child’s body is developing the muscles needed for more rigorous training as they mature. The many benefits listed below are what children will gain by learning a martial art.
Self Defense
Children learn how to protect themselves with any martial art they learn. As they grow older, those skills will remain with them as long as they continue to practice their skills. They could have to rely on those skills during some moment of their life.
Attention To Details
Learning a martial art will help your child improve their ability to focus on schoolwork and physical activities. It helps improve mental function as they continue to master the art they’re receiving the training in. Parents should see a huge difference in how their child reacts to situations that involve them.
Self-control is another aspect that learning a martial art will help the child achieve. It involves the child is focused on the task at hand. They will have the desire to strive to finish anything they have the mindset to accomplish.
Improved Balance And Posture
Poor posture and balance can cause health problems as children grow into adults. Health issues can include back and spine problems. Sitting or standing the wrong way causes this. Martial art training builds confidence that helps your child develop good habits to avoid having health issues. They will learn how to stand properly while developing a healthy lifestyle from participation in martial arts.
Memory Improvement
Martial art training will take years to master. The skills learned will improve the student’s memory because there is so much knowledge about the art involved. As students learn a martial art skill, their ability to remember improves with homework and other school classes.
Improved Physical Fitness With A Healthy Lifestyle
Learning a martial art will increase your child’s ability with physical exercise. The martial art will promote healthy living to the student to only put nutrients and substances into their body that promotes positive results. Bad influences associated with wanting to use drugs or alcohol will be removed from a student’s thoughts after they begin taking a martial art. They develop the mindset to become the very best from learning any type of martial art skills.
Self-Discipline And Responsibility
Students taking a martial art class will develop strong behavioral skills when it comes to being a responsible individual. Although they are still at a young age, children seem to take on more responsible work that must be done at home for their parents. Learning martial arts helps develop a student into being careful not to use the skills they learn on others.
Awareness Of Surroundings
Children learning a martial art have a keen sense of what is happening around them at all times. This is important when it comes to society in today’s world. Children need to be aware of all types of danger that surrounds them. They develop this sense of awareness by the martial art philosophy they are trained in.
Courage And Bravery
Students learn to be physically and emotionally strong as part of the benefits of learning a martial art. They lose the fears that many people deal with in everyday situations, visit evergreenmaids.com. Confidence increases with a long study in art. Students can conquer the emotion of fear by an inner strength instilled in them from learning a martial art. Children learn this from participation in a martial art. They’re more capable of setting goals and being successful in life.
Leadership
Leadership begins inside the dojo where children learn martial arts. The classes teach students important leadership skills by allowing them the responsibility to lead the class during a session. This is something the instructor will do with students showing success in what they’re learning from the training. The instructor decides when a student has improved enough to allow them a leadership role with the class. What students learn will continue to follow them into adulthood.
Martial Art Systems To Consider For Children
Choosing the correct martial art class for your child to participate in is important to keep them happy and satisfied. All of the self-defense arts listed will teach your child respect and self-control, look this website . You need to learn about the types of skills offered in each art. You should visit the facility to learn more about who the teachers are. Here are a few recommended fields of study that make a perfect match for children.
§ The Japanese art of karate uses quick movements involving kicks and punches that involve students to warm up properly before participating in techniques.
§ Korean Tae Kwon Do remains a popular martial art participated in widely across the United States. Great art for children to participate in.
§ Japanese Judo teaches balance and leverage to throw an opposing opponent to the ground.
§ Chinese Kung-Fu is a great martial art that will keep the interest of children as they learn the skills to master the art.
Martial art training will impact children throughout their lives. Along with learning self-defense, the arts will give them what they need to be successful adults.
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June 28, 2019 | 0 Comment(s)
More and more, parents are hearing about the grave news of bullying in schools. For children who are victims of it, the experience can stick with them for the rest of their life. They may become depressed, anxious, and they may develop confidence issues that follow them into adulthood. Understandably, parents are concerned that their children may be bullied. After all, not every child is comfortable admitting that they are being harassed. Some parents may not even be aware that their child is a bully. One method that can help prevent your child from being bullied–and becoming a bully–is learning combat arts. This article will discuss how martial arts can impact bullying.
Learning Defensive Techniques
While bullies aren’t always physical, in many cases, it will eventually escalate to a form of physical violence. As a parent, you want to ensure that your child is equipped with all of the resources possible to defend themselves. That knowledge can begin with learning a fighting art. There are many different fields of combat arts and each differs from each other in terms of their physical techniques and their philosophies. You may find that you need to try out a few different arts programs until your child finds the one that best suits them.
Once you’ve found that school, your child will be taught defensive techniques. They’ll be able to defend themselves in a fight with any bullies that decide to pick on them. No longer will your child be helpless in keeping themselves safe. They may even be able to utilize these techniques in the protection of others who fall under the attention of a bully.
Emotional Control
Combat arts teaches more than just physical techniques, however. They place a great emphasis on emotional control. After all, you cannot expect to fight well if you are not able to master your emotions. Otherwise, your anger will overtake your reason and any fighting techniques you’ve learned will simply be forgotten. Emotional control is at the very heart of every combat arts school. It benefits children in two ways.
For those who are bullied, it helps strengthen their sense of calm and emotional durability. It will take considerable more effort on behalf of the bully to affect them emotionally. Because of this, the bully might give up and decide to terrorize someone else. It also means that your child is honing their development of emotional maturity. They may be able to interact and process other matters in school and life with a maturity beyond their years. This only further enhances them as a person and will benefit them later in life.
For those who are bullies, emotional control can help keep them from harming others. Children are typically bullies because they’re in pain. They may not receive enough attention or affection at home. In order to receive that attention–even negative attention–they act out by hurting others. Causing pain to others might also make them feel better about themselves because, even if for that small moment, someone else’s pain is greater than their own. There may be other reasons that bullies hurt other children, of course, but the most common reason is because of their own emotional turmoil.
If you suspect or know that your child is a bully, then they can benefit from the emotional control that combat arts offer, too. They can find peace within themselves. They may also find friends who are similar to them and no longer feel quite as alone. For bullies who are just extremely active, the physical exercise and emotional outlet provided through martial arts may be all the outlet they need for their own control.
Self-Discipline
Students of fighting arts are also taught self-discipline. It’s a part of emotional control. They need to know when to fight and when to walk away. These are key lessons that a fighting arts school will teach them. Their bodies could be made into weapons but the school is strict in their teaching. Self-discipline can help your child stay focused in school as well. They’ll understand their priorities in life easier. You may even find that they’re performing better in school.
Respect
Perhaps most importantly, fighting arts schools teach their students respect. They learn to respect their teachers or mentors, their fellow students, and themselves. This learning of respect isn’t something that is taught in a traditional school or even in life. It’s typically just a skill that you either have or that you learn how to mimic. Fighting arts schools ensure that their students respect each other and figures of authority.
This can be a great lesson for bullies. They typically don’t have a lot of respect for their fellow classmates or figures of authority. By learning it through fighting arts school, they can find the structure that they need to learn respect. In so doing, their perspectives of their classmates may change as well.
In Conclusion
Martial arts schools can offer a child many great lessons in life. All of these lessons can be utilized to prevent bullying. They can teach a child how to defend themselves from physical violence. It teaches bullies, as well, about respect and self-discipline. With security in their physical prowess, your child’s confidence will also increase.
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May 10, 2019 | 0 Comment(s)
Bullying is becoming an increasingly prevalent problem among children and teens. When children are bullied, it can affect both their physical and mental wellbeing. They may become more withdrawn, anxious and depressed. These children may have more headaches and may have a harder time adjusting to school. Some may be physically harmed or commit suicide. People who are bullies may have a higher risk of substance abuse and violent behavior later in life. For some children, they have both been bullied and bullied others. These children are at a greater risk for all these problems.
These are serious issues that need addressing on many different fronts. While there is no one cure-all solution to this problem, we are not powerless to stop it. One simple option to help reduce bullying is through martial arts.
Both a child who is a bully and a child who is being bullied can benefit from being enrolled in a martial arts program. Here are several ways that learning a martial art can help both these types of children.
Confidence
Being bullied often wears down a child’s self-esteem. They may feel lonely, scared and anxious. Going to school may become increasingly difficult. One of the best ways to combat this issue is to help your child build confidence. A child who appears confident is more likely to discourage bullies than one who appears shy and withdrawn. Through learning a martial art form, children will become more confident in their abilities, in their strengths and in who they are. This will make them less of a target for bullies.
Discipline
Martial art forms teach children discipline. This is important for both the bullied child and the bully. It helps children to control their impulses because they have to work hard and stay focused to do well in a martial art. This trait can help reduce negative behavior. For a child who may be bullied, having self-discipline helps him feel like he is in control of the situation.
Respect
Martial art instructors are great at teaching respect for others. This is evident in one of the first things children will learn — the bow. Instructors teach and model respectful ways to address one another and keep impulses under control. Children who bully others often do not have a sense of respect for their peers. When a child is bullied, their sense of self-worth drops, and they may no longer have much respect for themselves. When a child truly grasps respect, she will understand the inherent worth that each human being possesses. The more the sense of respect, the fewer instances of bully behavior. For the bullied child, respect helps him stand up for himself because he knows he has worth.
Body Language
Body language goes a long way in standing up to a bully. When a child feels threatened, she can use her martial art training to communicate through words and body language that the exchange should not go any further. She will be able to instinctively draw upon the stances used in her martial art training to stand her ground, breathe calmly and maintain eye contact. This body language will communicate that she has confidence, deterring bullies
Self-Defense
Ideally, the situation would not escalate past the need for assertive body language. However, if it does, martial art training will help your child know what he needs to do to defend himself. Your child will feel safer and more confident knowing that he has already learned the proper techniques in a safe place. His body simply needs to recall them until he has the opportunity to get away.
In martial arts, it is important to note that your child will not be learning how to pick a fight. She will learn how to defuse the situation before it escalates, and she will learn how to use proper self-defense techniques if it does.
Education
While many of these positive traits and behaviors will be inherently learned through martial art training, many martial art programs activity teach about how to handle being bullied. This is increasingly important in today’s youth culture where this issue is becoming more prevalent. Children will actively learn what to do if they are being bullied, how to defuse situations, and when it is and is not appropriate to fight. This kind of training is an invaluable resource for your child.
Martial art training is all about dignity, respect, and confidence. These qualities are vital in teaching children to stand up against bullies, as well as teaching them not to bully others. They will have the confidence to stand up for themselves, with a greater sense of self-worth that will not be easily broken down. Through training, dedication and hard work, they will be able to better defuse situations and know when the right time to use appropriate self-defense is. While it may not eradicate the problem, learning a martial art is a positive step towards reducing bully-related problems among today’s youth.
April 25, 2019 | 0 Comment(s)
Your goal is simple but important. You’re trying to raise your child to be confident and self-disciplined, to have a sense of self. There are so many unique advantages that martial arts can offer that other sports and disciplines simply can’t. Most sports are based on competition, and in the worst cases, youth sports can lead to aggressive behavior and a lack of self-confidence. In contrast, the practice of martial arts (MA) instills a sense of pride, because the students are competing against only themselves. With MA, your children get the opportunity to improve both their mind and body.
Martial Arts Develops Confidence
As you may know, the MA originated hundreds of years ago in Asia. Originally, the MA was developed as a means of self-defense. There are many different types of MA including karate, jiu-jitsu, tae kwon do and judo. There are so many advantages that the MA can offer to people, whether they are adults or children. When your child participates in the MA, they develop individual goals in consultation with their teacher. Types of commonly practiced MA include:
• Jujitsu – Japanese
• Karate – Japanese
• Tai Chi – Chinese
• Tae Kwon Do – Korean
• Judo – Japanese
• Aikido – Japanese
• Kung Fu – Chinese
The MAs are built on a system of personal achievement. When your children attain mastery of a certain skill, they receive a new color belt. It gives them a sense of accomplishment because they had to work diligently and consistently to achieve the next level of mastery. A significant advantage is that your child is set up to succeed, and not to fail. He or she is never expected to jump suddenly from a beginning skill to an advanced one overnight. Instead, they have the chance to grow gradually, which sets your child up for success.
Martial Arts Develops A Sense of Discipline
The long and esteemed history of the MA is Asia cultures are steeped in tradition. One important tradition is that, at the beginning of each class, your child and all the student bow to their teacher. It’s a sign of respect and it helps to develop self-discipline. They also learn the importance of waiting their turn, in order to have a chance with their teacher to practice their new skills. Your child will have the chance to develop personal physical fitness, and respect for themselves and for others.
At the same time, your child will be constantly learning a new, more advanced level of skill. Keep in mind that your child is setting their own pace and their own goals — which is a perfect way to nurture your child’s sense of empowerment. Feeling empowered will, in turn, promote a desire in your child to develop an even greater sense of self-discipline in order to learn a progressively challenging skillset.
An important element for a child to develop is the ability to handle delayed gratification. With MA, your child is tested on average every three months to see whether they’ve reached a new level of skill. It’s a great way to learn the important skill of goal setting. One challenge that many parents face with their children is learning how to create attainable goals and realistic expectations.
That’s when MA comes into the picture. When your child masters a new skillset, they get a new belt. They achieve something significant and get a visual reminder of their accomplishment. Since the students have to concentrate and focus to learn the new skill, they’re multitasking. It’s more mentally stimulating to learn a new martial art skill than merely running around a soccer field. Many MA experts suggest that a child as young as 5 or 6 is old enough to begin learning MA.
Individual Goals and Team Work
While your child is setting and achieving individual goals, they do it in a group setting. One of the wonderful advantages of MA is that the students develop such a strong sense of camaraderie. MA provides a stark contrast to team sports in many ways. While a team sport teaches your child how to be a member of a team, they are also poignantly aware of the internal competition within their team from a young age. With MA, your child is competing with their teammates from their dojo, but they never are in competition against each other. A martial artist is only in competition with their earlier versions of themselves — and never against someone else.
Martial Arts helps ADHD
Because of MA’s unique qualities, many parents report it helping their children with their ADHD symptoms. Many pediatricians including Dr. Mimi Johnson, MD, who is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, believe that MA is beneficial for ADHD symptoms in children.
Parenting Magazine reports that many physicians and long-time MA practitioners believe that it’s the combination of prolonged focus and systemized skill attainment that helps students with their ADHD. Many parents find that the benefits that their child gains through MA extend into the classroom as well, resulting in better behavior and higher grades.
While some people have the misunderstanding that MA promotes violence, practitioners are quick to dispel the myth. They are part of an ancient tradition that promotes a system of self-defense, but MA is much more than that. The system of learning new skills forces your child to practice concentration and focus. The team environment of the dojo helps promote self-confidence and socialization skills among their classmates.
Enroll Your Child in Martial Arts Today
Now that you have some understanding of martial arts benefits for children, you may be curious to know how quickly your child can get started. The good news is that MA studios don’t have a specific season like most team sports do. You can have your child get started at any time, in order to start experiencing the fun. Let your child get started exploring their new horizons today, and watch your child grow in confidence and self-discipline while having a great time.
SOURCES:
https://www.parenting.com/article/karate-kids-the-benefits-of-martial-arts
https://www.livestrong.com/article/338321-what-are-the-benefits-of-martial-arts-for-kids/
https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/child-social-situations/sports/9-benefits-of-martial-arts-for-kids-with-learning-and-attention-issues
https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/child-social-situations/sports/9-benefits-of-martial-arts-for-kids-with-learning-and-attention-issues
https://spiritoftheheart.org/blog/martial-arts-builds-confident-children
April 17, 2019 | 0 Comment(s)
Many parents wonder if it is a good idea to have their children learn martial arts. They have questions about whether it is just for some children, or if their child can benefit as well. One really important reason for children to learn martial arts is to boost their confidence.
The following are the ways in which the Asian fighting arts boost children’s self-confidence:
Self-Defense –
Children who have been trained to defend themselves have the poise and courage that comes with knowing they are ready to defend themselves whenever they may be called upon. Many children today are the victims of bullying, maybe more than in the past, because of cyberbullying. Cyberbullying empowers groups of children who don’t have good self-esteem to tear someone else’s up to get their “fix” of cruelty.
Children who are trained in the Asian fighting arts are prepared to defend themselves. That does not always mean a physical altercation. We teach children all of their options and provide a lot of practice so that they will automatically be able to make the right choices for self-defense when the time comes. This girds children with incredible self-esteem and poise.
A child who has no idea how to defend himself may live in fear each day of one or more bullies. Living in such a situation tears up one’s physical security needs every day and tears apart children’s self-esteem. Sadly, sometimes children who are living through this daily hell at school keep this to themselves. Their parents don’t even know, and their children carry around the shame each day, as though what is happening to them is their fault, which it is absolutely not. Self-defense training stops the bullying cycle, allowing children to go about their day free from harm and free to flower and grow in whatever way they desire.
Setting Goals –
Many employers today are having trouble with the new generation that is entering the workforce. Employers complain that employees from this newer generation don’t understand that you can’t just show up and get a gold star. These young workers have been conditioned by unwarranted praise when they were younger. Everyone was given awards in the mistaken belief it was helping their self-esteem, even when they did not earn the awards.
These young adults have not learned the value of hard work in order to achieve. They easily get discouraged when things don’t immediately go their way. They realize that they were operating in a system that was rigged in their favor, and they often feel like frauds. Giving everyone a reward backfired and produced the opposite of self-esteem and self-confidence. It produced a generation prone to failure.
Children who attend our classes learn that things are not just handed to people in life. They will have to work hard and practice diligently in order to learn the many moves that help them succeed in Asian fighting arts. They will learn that they don’t live in a vacuum and that achievement comes through practice, hard work, and devotion. They will receive the instruction and support to make that connection between hard work, practice, and results in a caring atmosphere.
When children know the value of their hard work and practice, it gives them the self-confidence that they can surmount other obstacles in the same way. This gives them discipline and tough strength to succeed in life.
Physical Strength, Agility and Fitness –
Children who are physically fit feel better about themselves. Children in Asian fighting arts classes become strong, agile and develop good cardiovascular fitness. Asian fighting arts classes are not seasonal, like other sports, so children who participate in our classes are fit the entire year.
Learn How to Achieve Under Pressure –
Children in Asian fighting classes have to demonstrate their learning in front of their class. This will likely be the first times of many in their lives that they will be called upon to achieve under pressure. They will quickly learn that those who take the time to prepare and practice are rewarded by growing achievement. This increases their discipline, confidence, and poise.
Learn Socialization Skills –
All Asian fighting arts classes are taught in a social setting. This helps children to feel more poised as they interact with others. In fact, since Asian fighting arts courses can be taught with a wide range of ages in one class, it helps children to learn how to present themselves to other children and adults and know how to socialize.
So often in the Internet Age, children are spending too much time in front of big and small screens. They often know how to deal with a virtual setting, but life is not like what is on those screens. For children to be able to achieve in the world, they are not going to just look at and interact with screens. They will have to interact with people. In fact, more employers today are looking for people with great “soft skills.” The “soft skills” are the skills about dealing with people in a respectful and positive manner. Too many young people today are coming out into the job market lacking those skills since they don’t interact enough with each other and the adults in their lives.
Children that learn Asian fighting arts must interact with their instructor and their classmates in their dojo. They first learn about respect for others in class and then feel that others are respecting them as well. Everything is learned and practiced in a social and safe environment.
If you would like your child to develop his or her confidence and self-esteem in a caring environment that emphasizes physical health, strength, and agility; self-defense and the importance of discipline, practice, and dedication towards achieving goals, then contact us today about enrolling your child in our martial arts training.
April 5, 2019 | 0 Comment(s)
Martial arts has been touted as an excellent strategy to enhance physical strength, improve overall health and enhance the well-being of practitioners especially the children and teens. As an after-school, extra-curricular or recreational activity, it remains one of the perennial favorites for families because of the valuable lessons in discipline and self-esteem that are at the core of different programs in this field. Programs such as taekwondo, jujitsu, aikido or other forms teach various strategies to defend yourself and are rooted in values that have to do with developing your sense of self-worth and confidence while building up your inner strength and physical abilities.
Setting Realistic and Real Goals
Every program provides guiding principles geared toward meeting very specific goals. Learning to live a life driven by discipline means upholding these guiding principles. The ability to follow a well-defined pathway or practice does not happen overnight. It takes careful planning and respect for each of the steps required to move up to the next level. This is how it is done in every program as participants undergo rigorous training and pass certain benchmarks to achieve higher ranks. In most cases, joining these classes entails a personal commitment to abide by the guiding principles as you move from one rank to the next. There is an established pathway to move up the ranks. All aspiring members are made aware of the step-by-step process, defining a route to success for those who are committed to the cause and determined to reach the top rank, which may be a black or red belt, depending on the program.
Developing Control in Different Aspects
Martial arts combines the science of movement and physiology and the art of self-control. It may seem like these defensive strategies focus on dominating the situation or gaining masterful control of the opponent or attacker. These programs instill the value of controlling yourself and channeling your inner strength for a reaction in a fully controlled manner. This is the core strategy. Instructors emphasize the need to remain aware of our surroundings at all times, keeping our instincts sharp to read developing situations correctly and responding in an appropriate way. This means developing the ability to control our thoughts, emotions and responses.
Following the Rules and Living by the Principles
Success in this endeavor is marked by progression through the ranks, which can only happen if you stick to the established game plan. There are no shortcuts to success in this field. Additionally, all students must comply with the guiding rules in terms of relationships between master and student, senior students and junior students as well as students and their equals in rank. Complying with rigorous rules teaches discipline and respect for seniority. Students learn the value of adhering to rules because this is part of the evaluation criteria for promotion to a higher rank. When the master maintains a respectful atmosphere in the class, much can be accomplished. This is especially important in multi-age training groups that would most likely include very young children and adult practitioners doing their training side-by-side.
Training Consistently and Continuously
Practitioners who are dedicated to the art of self-defense are constantly practicing in class and at home. You learn new techniques even as you hone what you have already learned. The master or instructor makes sure of this by checking form and movement in group and individual sessions. You will be shown the correct form, how it is achieved and why it has to be done in a certain way. It is up to you to practice on your own to perfect these techniques that will be the building blocks for more advanced techniques. Practitioners of various arts of self-defense emphasize the need for consistent and frequent practice to develop muscle memory, reactive skills and muscle strength to demonstrate the move perfectly. Dedication to practice and learning your forms will help develop the self-control skills needed in life.
Learning Self-discipline as a Life Skill
When you make the commitment to join one of these self-defense programs, you are making a commitment to abide by the guiding principles, the rules and the instructions of the master or instructor. Experts in this field will require mastery of each skill before proceeding with the next steps and levels. It is a well-planned journey that does not make room for workaround strategies or easy shortcuts, forcing you to focus on the present with an eye on the next goal. It takes a huge amount of self-control to stay the course and remain motivated for the next steps because there are bound to be difficulties and disappointments along the way. However, this is good practice for the rest of life as well. Having confidence in what you are capable of achieving and the self-discipline to remain committed to your goals applies to everything else in life. Your journey as a practitioner and believer in various arts of self-defense prepares you to reach the highest rank in the program, which is a lifetime achievement. The skills and values learned from the practice of these guiding principles are useful in overcoming obstacles in life.
Importance of Self-discipline
It bears repeating that learning self-discipline at an early age can set you up for success at all stages in life. You become more productive and creative, achieving more of your goals as you move through the inevitable hurdles that are part of every life. Your self-confidence and self-esteem improve with every goal met and every achievement gained. In the process, you build ga reater tolerance for frustration and disappointments, often viewing them as new challenges to meet rather than permanent impediments to progress. You have better control of your emotions, your thoughts and your actions. As a result of being goal-oriented and achievement-focused, two of the most important principles of self-defense programs, you develop a strong work ethic, driving you to greater heights in terms of better health, finances and quality of life.
Learning and practicing martial arts teaches perseverance and integrity while developing your capacity for inner calmness. For practitioners of these ancient arts, the more disciplined you are, the greater your achievements and the better your life becomes.
February 14, 2019 | 0 Comment(s)
Why Should I Consider This?
Despite what you may have seen in the movies, martial arts are not merely a method of fighting. Although that is certainly a part of it, these arts have many other benefits as well. In ancient times, many societies found that it was good to teach their young people the skills of war, even if they did not expect those children to fight in a war.. Why is that, you might ask? Were they just crazy and sadistic?
The answer is no. Ancient societies found that the process of martial training provided young people with a good way to learn self-control in a structured and stimulating environment, while at the same time learning skills that could be very valuable later on if they needed to defend themselves or their loved ones. With this approach in mind, here are our top five reasons to enroll your child in martial arts training.
1. Discipline:
It would be very hard to deny that children need firm discipline. However, society has moved away from the kinds of harsh measures that were often employed in the past. The fighting arts can provide a great alternative.
The martial arts are all about the achievement of perfect self-control. For instance, when a certain technique is to be applied, proper body control is necessary in order to make it work. The student will naturally want to be successful in the arts, but this can only be accomplished through disciplined training. This means that success and failure both act as reinforcement, teaching children the benefit of good discipline.
Because of this, the student is naturally motivated to do as they are instructed. They learn that proper performance brings success, and lack of effort will only bring failure. Even if a child doesn’t take orders very well, they will still have the same desire to succeed that everyone has. A good instructor knows how to use this process as a way to channel aggression into well-controlled prowess.
2. Self-Defense:
Most parents do not want their children to be exposed to violence, but the unfortunate fact is that you cannot shield them forever. Sooner or later, they will probably have to confront the fact that we live in a world that is sometimes violent and unpredictable. If and when this occurs, your children most certainly need to know what to do.
If you want to emphasize the self-defense aspect of the arts in your child’s training, then you should look at styles that are not used for sport-fighting. There is nothing wrong with Judo or Taekwondo, but these styles are mostly used in the ring. The competitive aspect of these styles make them great for building personal toughness and other virtues, but their self-defense approach is likely to be less realistic.
When teaching children, a good self-defense teacher should always emphasize escape as the main priority. For a child who is being attacked or pursued, this should always be the main priority. A child cannot normally be expected to overpower an adult (though it certainly isn’t impossible), so a good instructor should teach their students to seek escape above all.
3. Confidence:
If your child lacks in confidence, one of the sport-fighting arts would be a great choice for them. By giving the child a chance to engage in physical combat, you give them a chance to learn many beneficial lessons. At the same time, they learn what it means to struggle for victory and to attain it. Nothing can boost a child’s confidence quite like winning, especially in a one-on-one contest.
Of course, you should take care and make sure that all of this is happening in a controlled environment with competent people overseeing the whole thing. Proper protective equipment should always be used. While I firmly believe that controlled fighting is good for children, it must be done in the right way to avoid injury.
Children who are being bullied in school may be inclined to constantly back down from others simply because they don’t know how to handle a physical conflict. As such, the threat of physical conflict causes them to freeze up. The fighting arts can give a child the opportunity to get over the fear of conflict in a controlled and safe environment.
4. Cooperation:
Although the arts of combat are not usually team events, they do usually involve a lot of interaction with your training partners. Every training hall has a certain social aspect to it, just like any other group of people. As such, inclusion in a good dojo can help a child to improve their interpersonal skills. For children who are withdrawn and private, this is especially good. You don’t really have the option of being antisocial in a dojo since training often depends on good communication and mutual respect.
Most styles will also involve the repetition of techniques as part of a group. This will often take the form of drills in which the students line up and perform various techniques while moving up and down the line. This is just one example, of course, but it’s a good example of how these arts can build good teamwork and the ability to work well with others.
5. Increased Health:
It would be hard to overstate the importance of good exercise. Even though young children don’t usually have to worry as much about their health, it is never too early to start building good habits. A regular program of exercise can do a lot to help your child maintain a healthy body. The strenuous physical exercise of a regular class will help to keep them from becoming overweight and aid the development of various organs.
Good exercise habits will benefit the mind as well. The following study found that regular exercise actually improved memory in young adults. The study specified “aerobic exercise,” and that’s interesting to us because a martial workout is usually quite aerobic.
