There are dozens of benefits of martial arts for kids- that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But for brevity’s sake, the best 4 benefits are- healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. Pretty amazing right? Read on to find out more
1. Stress Less
From juggling unprecedented issues like cyberbullying and social media pressures to making friends in a socially distanced world, kids nowadays are really struggling to manage their stress.
Stress is a part of life, so it’s worth teaching your child early on about how to cope with and manage the stresses of day-to-day life- in a constructive way. And that’s where martial arts can help! One of the benefits of martial arts for kids is that they can exert their physical and mental energy in a safe environment. Our instructors are ninja-like and sneaky in how they teach important life skills that help your little one succeed outside of the dojo, including stress management. They have a real passion for teaching martial arts to kids, and they pass along their own sense of discipline and perseverance to your little one with every class they attend! This leads us to…
2. Discipline and Perseverance
Just like stress is a part of life – so are challenges. All humans, including your child, are faced with tough decisions and mountains they need strength to overcome, and kids are no exception! Whether it’s a math test they’re studying for or an audition for a lead role they want to knock out of the park, your child will need discipline and perseverance to see it through. Martial arts for kids is so fun- trust us!- but it’s not a walk in the park- and that’s intentional.
There will be days when your child doesn’t want to come to class, just like there will be days when they won’t want to do their chores – they’ll say they just don’t “feel like” doing either of them. But our world-class instructors teach them how to dig deep and find self-discipline in order to keep up their healthy habits. If a student is struggling to break a board, maybe they’re crying or feel like they can’t do it- we’re not giving up on them. All of us, instructors and classmates included, are going to rally around that student and cheer them on. Because they CAN do it, and when they do, they’ll have a gigantic smile on their face – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always puts a smile on parent’s faces! One of the best benefits of martial arts for kids is that it helps improve your child’s grades. How? Well, as we mentioned, they learn how to persevere, which helps them stick it out when doing their homework or during a long school day. But perhaps one of the best benefits of martial arts for kids is that it helps them improve their behavior.
When our students learn how to be still and listen intently to the authority figure in front of them, we see those skills translate to the classroom. Instead of getting distracted by the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their deskmate is doing… They can focus intently on their teacher and the instructions, and actually learn better than their peers. The results we see are amazing. And that body coordination and focus are key components of Kids Karate Class that they’ll carry with them FOR LIFE.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of martial arts for kids, this one might be the most helpful. We’re really keen on building our students up to be bullyproofed, meaning they learn how to stand up to bullies and defend themselves in a non-violent way. First, we focus on their confidence.
As our young martial arts students notice themselves improving in the dojo – perfecting their punches and kicks, gaining better coordination, and learning new moves after lots of practice- they gain the confidence they’ve never had before in being able to accomplish so much! We also teach our students not to use their martial arts outside of the dojo – instead of their fists, they learn that their voice is their weapon. We teach them how to speak confidently and assert themselves to our instructors, their peers, and the classroom bully, to stand up for themselves and others. It’s an awesome process, and we’re very proud of our Bullyproof kids!
Conclusion
So – did these benefits surprise you? We’re not surprised at all! We see it all the time kids walk in the door with behavioral issues, low self-esteem, or difficulty focusing, and they walk out the door with improvement in all these areas and a huge smile on their faces. It’s the greatest part of our job! Hopefully, now you see that the benefits of martial arts for kids go far beyond just self-defense- martial arts is a way of life that promotes success far beyond the mat! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Karate Class classes right here at our school!