Most parents will enroll their kids in martial arts classes so that they can defend themselves against bullies. On the flip side, a parent who has a child who is a bully can benefit from the classes to help prevent their “violent” behaviors. The classes are not only geared towards teaching students how to punch or kick someone, but they also challenge children to push their boundaries and overcome them. The classes teach children many valuable life lessons, and they typically end up with a set of positive traits once they are through with training. Some of the ways that martial arts can teach bullies to be respectful include lessons in:
Respect
The most valuable lesson that kids take away from martial arts is respect. The classes encourage children to develop a sense of respect for authority figures and their peers as well. As they learn this vital skill, trainers present a formal environment where instructors and students are expected to maintain high levels of discipline. The second a child steps into the training room, they bow to their instructors and the other students. Such exercises show respect for the lesson and space. Other than this, the moves they learn in class, such as holding back move, controlling movement and continuing training even when tired requires discipline. Showing respect typically necessitates regulation. When students are frustrated or mad during a lesson, they still have to be respectful to their peers and instructors. After a short time in class, you will find that bullies show greater respect for their peers and even students who are younger than them helping them out when in need instead of harassing them.
Humility
Another valuable lesson that bullies can learn in martial arts classes is humility. During training, everyone makes mistakes and losses come matches. Humility showcases itself when students have to accept they may be people who have better skills. It should motivate them to become better.
Decreasing Aggression
Most bullies have anger issues and low self-esteem. Taking the classes can help the kids control their frustrations and aggression. Traditional martial arts focus on avoiding impulse actions and conflict, aggression and hostility building a non-violent, honorable, and respectful character.
Increased Self-Regulation and Self-Control
Martial arts also promote self-control as the traditional form has a strict moral code of conduct that emphasizes on courtesy and respect.
Enhancing Social Inclusion
Some bullies end up behaving irrationally because they feel like they cannot fit in and have friendships, so they try and bully their way to the top. Martial arts bring together people who have the same interests and goals. The feeling of belonging to a social group is enhanced at this point. While training, students have to interact with other children to perform some of the techniques and advances in the art. It can teach children how to socialize when out there in the world to develop meaningful relationships.
Note that martial arts classes can help end bullying tendencies among kids as they promote positive behavior in the training room and away. The classes foster an environment where students learn to respect themselves and the people around them. They also learn the importance of discipline, hard work, and perseverance to become better individuals.
People might wonder whether there are other components to martial arts other than defense. It is difficult to know how every person frames the individual experience of this practice. And even more debatable whether other more abstract concepts should be taught during the lessons. Some people say that respect should be a basic discipline, while others argue that martial arts is only about fighting.
The traditional martial arts that originated from the East incorporated both a psychological perspective, a spiritual component, and a set of offense and defense techniques for fighting. These lessons were deeper than just physical movements. The teacher was viewed as someone who had mastered all the holistic areas of one’s life. This person had mastery in learning to respect one’s body, one’s opponent, and nature. There was a mindfulness that the teacher had to be in the moment and almost at one with everything around. This meant that the teacher modeled deference to the student, and the student respected the philosophy behind martial arts.
Now as martial arts have come to the West, the practice is somewhat subdued. All of the same motions and movements are taught. However, the practitioners might shy away from some of the deeper lessons that the practice of martial arts once held. This may be because spirituality is different for people in different cultures. It is respectful to recognize that people have the right to their own beliefs. However, respect is a universal concept that has been shown to be positive. It is something that would be valuable to reincorporate back into martial arts.
People who know how to teach this skill should be given proper respect. This means that they can also give lessons to others in the class about the tradition of respect in martial arts. There might not be a space for spirituality, but respect is more of a psychological component of martial arts. Parents who have children in martial arts will appreciate this lesson because they know that their children need to be taught respect in order to function well in life. Sometimes it is better to give respect than to fight, and respect to others can often prevent physical fights.
Since martial arts is mostly about defense, people should learn how, in any culture, to take measures to avoid violence. This means mannerisms that display that a person does not want to have confrontation, and would like to respect the other’s dignity. Recent studies show that people often engage in violence when they feel disrespected. This is especially true in poor communities where the people have little left materially. These topics should be addressed in any form of self defense because violence should be a last resort. People should not fight with respect, but choose not to fight at all if possible.
In all cultures now, violent clashes might be unavoidable. However, people can try to respect the dignity of human life even when faced with violence. Martial arts teach people how to engage in conflict with the attitude that respect is always important. Even when fighting, learning how to take an opponent out while trying to respect their well being is valuable.
During every martial arts event we’ve always come across a couple of parents on the sideline who either motivate their kid to the core, or shout out inappropriate comments to make them feel even more uncomfortable. Very often, these words of motivation or discouragement uttered by the parents are not merely directed to their own kids but also to their teammates, referees and coaches. But have you ever wondered, how exactly this behavior influences your child’s performance? Have you ever wondered about how much you should actually be involved in the game? In case you haven’t, it’s high time you do, because you, as a parent, have a major role in child’s overall performance. Yes. Your words can either build or break your little one’s self-esteem. So it is better to choose your words wisely at any kind of sporting event.
It is undoubtedly true that parents do have a significant role in their kid’s sporting development. However, one should also take necessary caution in their behavioural approach, because as mentioned earlier, it might have a positive or even negative impact on your child.
According to a study by McCarthy and Clark-Carter in 2008, positive involvement of parents is indeed one of the most highly essential aspects in your child’s overall development. This further implies that when a child participating in a sport receives positive involvement of their parents, then they are likely to enjoy their sporting experience even more.
On top of that, with regard to child development, positive impact of parents can also help your kid develop several important skills like motivation, social interaction and most importantly self esteem. These are highly valuable skills that will facilitate the holistic development of your child. It is also likely to help them in their school work and co-curricular activities. Parents can effectively assist in their child’s development of skills by motivating them to ponder about the skills that they gain from sports. Parental involvement also plays a vital role in assisting the child to reach the standards of a professional. A recent study was conducted on children playing martial arts. Almost all of them suggested that their parents indeed have one of the most significant roles in their skill development. Coaches too suggested that there is a positive relationship between the support from parents and a child’s progress to perform their sport at a professional level.
Proper parental support can only be ensured when the parent does not get over-involved in their kid’s development. They should rather provide the exact emotional and tangible support that will pave way for their overall development. However, coaches have also suggested that certain parents exhibit certain detrimental traits while attempting to support their kid. While some of them over inflate the child’s ego, others provide inappropriate training advice and pressurize their kid. Such behaviour will only take a toll on your child’s self esteem. So while being supportive to your kid, you should not be too overpowering because that might pressure your child and mar their success in the sport. Considering these traits, we have listed a couple of common parental behaviours at a sporting event. Read on, to know how your persona can affect your child’s sporting event.
The motivators
These are the kind of parents who are much needed at every sporting event. They motivate their kids to perform their best, without pressurizing or overpowering them. They encourage their child to give the best shot without comparing them with others. These kinds of parents are the best from the lot, as they have a lot of positive influence on the child. Not only do they get a boost to perform better, but their self esteem too is commendably boosted with the positive parental support.
The over-doers
Yes. On one hand we have motivators who motivate their child to the utmost, and on another hand we have over-doers who end up overpowering their child and pressurizing them to rank higher. They are way too much into the game and take every possible measure to ensure that their child is ��the best’ in his sport. At times, they also give unsolicited advice to the coaches about improving their child’s performance. While on one hand, the effort taken by the parents to boost and motivate their child is indeed commendable, one should also take note that over-doing and pressurizing the child can end up having a negative impact on his performance. Instead of being motivated for good, he will always be under the pressure to live up to his parents’ expectations. Additionally, the child might also not be able to enjoy the best from the game due to this immense pressure. So, being too concerned about your child can take a toll on his self esteem and lead him to under-perform in his martial arts session.
The ones who constantly compare
Their child might win the annual martial arts tournament, but these are the kind of people who are never satisfied with their kid’s success. Instead of praising their performance and encouraging them to do consistently well, they would rather end up comparing the child to someone else. No matter how well the child performs, these parents constantly have this idea that they can still do better. Yes. We do know that setting goals and aiming big is going to help your child. But comparing him with someone else will only take a toll on his motivation. Instead of performing for himself, he will end up performing only to prove himself better than the other person. Competitiveness is essential in every kind of sport. But if you choose harsh words to pressurize the child instead of encouraging him for whatever little he has done, your parenting is definitely likely to break your kid’s will and confidence.
The clueless ones
In every sporting event, you will always stumble upon a couple of parents who are completely oblivious about what is going on. These parents don’t love their kids any less, but they are somehow just not bothered about how they perform in sports. Such kind of behaviour too is also not recommended. All of us are busy with our lives. But as a parent, it is your responsibility to ensure that the child encouraged and motivated enough during the sport. It is a part of parenting, to take some time out of your busy schedule and talk to your child about the sport he is about to perform. It is a part of your responsibility to motivate and encourage him to perform well. Laid back attitude from the parents give children an impression that they are not bothered at all. This affects their self-esteem and confidence level, breaking them completely.
The ones who think that their kid is never wrong
These are the kind of parents who scold the coach, if the coach scolds their kid or advises him to make his performance better. They cannot hear a word against their child and end up over encouraging them than they actually should. These kinds of parents too, have a negative impact on the child as they often end up over-inflating the child’s ego. The kids end up think themselves to be better than they actually are which makes them over-confident during the game.
Dos and don’ts for parents
Dos
Always encourage your child to develop an inherent self-awareness about the skills they have achieved during the martial arts session. This will boost your child’s self esteem and help them perform better in many other fields of life.
Try to put a lot of trust in the methods suggested by your child’s coach. If the same kinds of guidelines are given by both the coach and the parent, then the child is likely to be less confused about their techniques. They will end up focusing more towards better performance and also set goals to achieve the same.
Give them proper and consistent emotional support. This might seem quite obvious, but reassuring your kid that you are always there when they look out for you, will make them more confident.
Don’ts
Don’t become over-involved in the child’s sport. Although this might be your own way to show how much you care, be aware of the fact that there is one fine line between supporting them and getting over involved.
Don’t provide inappropriate advice about coaching. This might lead to a situation, where you and the coach have conflicting ideas about your child’s technique. If you disagree in some aspect with the coach, it is better to have a personal discussion with him, instead of being disrespectful in front of the child.
Don’t put too much pressure on your child to perform. Do not emphasize the significance of doing better than others and winning every tournament. No matter whatever the standard of competition is, your little one should always enjoy their sport. Additional pressure will not only take away the enjoyment but also act as a hindrance in their performance. Their confidence too might be broken due to this kind of attitude.
How martial arts boosts your child’s self esteem?
Self confidence is an ability to trust oneself and one’s inherent abilities. However, for that, one first needs to be aware of what and how exactly they are competent on a physical, mental and emotional level. For understanding this, it is highly essential for you to challenge yourself constantly and push limits to check how much you can actually take. Challenging and pushing yourself from time to time eventually helps in extending and improving your capabilities. Since martial arts, is an excellent way for self improvement of one’s mind, body and inherent soul, this training is an enjoyable way to gain self confidence.
As parents, you can always train your child to practice better by challenging their limits from a considerably young age. In this way, they learn to give their best in every kind of situation. If you are looking out to boost your child’s self esteem from a young age, enroll them at a karate class right from the pre-school years. These are the early and formative years that play a vital role in the development of their minds and bodies. This also boosts their self esteem and helps them to tackle the adverse situations of life, flawlessly.
Martial arts, involves a kind of progression, from one specific level to the corresponding ones. Each of the successive levels requires your child to perform a series of simple and complex moves. With every passing level they end up challenging their old self and performing for the better. The desire to perform better boosts their self esteem which in turn paves way for their overall success in life. Not only do they gain some amazing self defense skills, but with the support of their coach and the motivating words of parents they gain a different kind of confidence that plays a vital role in the long run.
By qualifying the different skill tests, your kids get a different sense of accomplishment. They learn to experiment with the different test strategies which further improve their agility, tolerance level and speed. Along with praise and good feedback from the coaches and parents, if the kids continuously progress in their martial arts skills, then their moves and techniques improve with time. This pushes and motivates them to perform better. Reaching every new level in martial arts can be a great milestone and this itself can be best achieved with proper parental support.
Being adept in martial arts also helps your kids to combat bullying. They end up defending themselves and being safer and better. Understanding themselves and improving their skills with each passing day, give your kids an amazing sense of self-motivation and self-reliance. Their attitude towards life changes and they have a positive attitude towards everything. Likewise, they also master the art of setting goals, being patient and tolerant while trying new things. They end up tackling the adversities of life flawlessly.
So as parents it is indeed essential for you to support your child’s martial arts training, in order to boost his confidence and motivation levels in the long run. With your consistent support and guidance he will gain better self-esteem to tackle difficult situations in life. Follow these tips to ensure better and consistent development of your child’s sports training.
They say honesty is the best policy but many kids today are not being taught this vital life skill. Parents often inadvertently allow their kids to get away with lying, not realizing what kind of habit this can foster and how it can affect the rest of their life. Just as with Martial Arts or any other type of skill, honesty must be practiced in the home and community to ensure a child can fully embrace it with confidence.
When it comes to teaching honesty, lessons can occur at any time and anywhere. By embracing these moments, they will stick with a child and help them to gain valuable insight into being honest in their everyday life. These easy lessons are a great way to engage kids in being honest and showing them how important their trustworthiness is.
Lesson One:
Taking kids to a jewelry store is a great way for them to learn about the importance of honesty. Ask the jeweler to pull out a fake gem and a real one and have the kids look at them to see if they can tell which one is real. They will likely find it very difficult to be able to tell which is the authentic gem. Explain to them how important honesty is and ask them how they would feel if they purchased an expensive ring and found out they were lied to by the jeweler and it was a fake.
This is a great way to teach kids the value of honesty in a way that can truly make the consequences real to them. They will likely never forget such a lesson because they actively participated.
Lesson Two:
Presenting a child with a real-life lesson is one of the best ways to instill honesty. When grocery shopping, parents can talk with their child about the importance of honesty. Ask them what would happen if they bought two candy bars and the cashier only charged them for one. Ask them who would be responsible for paying for the candy bar. It can be beneficial to explain to a child that being dishonest is about withholding information too.
When a child is presented with the possibility of causing someone to lose their job, the weight of dishonesty will be something they will not soon forget.
Lesson Three:
Depending on their age, it can be helpful to hold a child to one promise a day and make sure they are accountable. Ask them to make one promise, such as cleaning their room or doing their homework. Reward them for their honesty if they complete the task without being reminded. If they do not keep their promise, they have to carry out two tasks instead of the one. This can show them there is a consequence to every dishonest act and breaking a promise is being dishonest.
This lesson shows kids they should not make a promise unless they plan on keeping their word. By doubling their tasks, they learn to face the consequences and how very important their word is.
Lesson Four:
Since most kids love ice cream there is a fun lesson everyone can enjoy that can help teach the importance of honesty. This lesson teaches kids how it makes matters worse when they attempt to cover up a lie. For this lesson, parents simply need to dish a scoop of ice cream and then talk to their kids about making bad choices. Explain that we all make bad choices and then sprinkle salt on the ice cream and make sure to tell the kids a mistake was made. Then cover up the salt with chocolate syrup so it cannot be seen anymore. Ask who wants a bite and watch their faces as they realize the salt could not be covered up by the syrup.
This is a fun lesson and very effective. Kids will not soon forget the taste of the salt in their mouth. Explain to them that it is always best to admit your mistakes instead of lying to cover them up because the cover up can often affect others.
Lesson Five:
Playing a family game of Go Fish can be a lot of fun for most kids, even those who are a bit older and think this type of thing is lame. The premise of Go Fish is to tell the truth or the game becomes frustrating for everyone. When someone asks another player if they have a 7, they expect to be told the truth. In this game, everyone can choose to be dishonest from time to time and see how it affects the game. As everyone struggles to make matches, they quickly find the game to be pointless and no longer any fun.
This can be used to show kids how truly important honesty is, even when it is a game. Ask them how they felt when they found out another player lied to them and caused them to lose.
Lesson Six:
This is a lesson that can be an ongoing one and can be carried out every day. When the family is sitting around the table for dinner. Each person can discuss a dishonest act they saw that day and how it affected them or someone else. As each person tells what happened, they should discuss what would have been a better choice for the person to make. Ask them how they would feel if the person was dishonest with them.
Real life examples are truly the best teaching method and offer a deeper meaning for kids because they can truly relate to it.
Lesson Seven:
An honesty bank is a great way to introduce the importance of honesty into a child’s everyday life. Each time a child tells the truth or keeps their promise, give them a penny to put inside their bank or jar. When they are caught in a lie or do not keep their word, take two pennies away from their bank. Once the bank gets filled up, they get a special reward like going out for a movie or ice cream. This will allow them to quickly learn the importance of honesty because it will be something that affects them directly.
A child will quickly begin to see the more honest they are, the more benefits they will receive and that lies can quickly drain their bank.
Lesson Eight:
When it comes time for family dinner, everyone wants to know what they are eating. Talk with them about how they would feel if they were told they were eating a certain food and were instead given a food they dislike. If they hate broccoli, it would likely make them upset to know it was in the food they were eating and they were not warned. Simple lessons like this take only a few minutes to carry out but can have a lasting impression on kids.
The more these simple lessons are incorporated into parenting, the better they will equip a child to be honest in their everyday life.
Lesson Eight:
Talk with kids about losing money and ask them how they would feel if they had worked hard to earn money by doing chores and keeping good grades only to drop their money while they were walking. Would they hope someone would be honest and pick it up so it could be given back to them? Now, present them with the possibility of finding money. Though it can be tempting to keep the money, how will the person feel who lost their money?
A simple lesson like this can make a big impact on kids. When you use real life examples, children pay more attention and the results will be lasting.
Lesson Nine:
Most children will find a block lesson to be fun and demonstrative of their need for honesty. Parents can get out some blocks and have their child name a time they were honest. Each time they name an honest moment, they put down a block and begin building their tower. Once their tower is growing, they must name a time they were dishonest and attempt to remove a block without causing their tower to come crashing down. They will soon realize how difficult it is to remove the block without causing damage and will realize all their hard work of building up a good character (their tower) can be destroyed with one single lie.
This is an excellent way to show kids the true value of honesty in a way they can fully understand. While incorporating play in the lesson, kids will take it to heart and will not feel as if they are bombarded with a school-like lesson.
Lesson Ten:
This method of teaching honesty allows for ongoing lessons that must be carried out on a daily basis. Enrolling kids in Martial Arts training allows them to have help with their parenting because it further instills the importance of honesty. A child who participates in Martial Arts learns how important it is to keep their promises each day by training and working out. If they fail to keep their promises, it hurts them and they will have no excuses for losing as they test. Children of all ages can take part in Martial Arts training and can benefit from its core principles.
Conclusion
These valuable lessons will give parents some helpful ideas for instilling honesty in their child. These lessons do not take long periods of time but they offer great benefits for kids of all ages. When lessons like these are carried out on a regular basis, parents will finally be able to see their parenting efforts truly paying off because they will see positive changes in their child.
These amazing lessons can be further enhanced with parental modeling. Parents who show their child honesty instead of telling them will be better able to instruct and mold their child into having an exemplary honesty trait. Although it takes time working at home, in the community, and in training opportunities like Martial Arts, kids can be inspired to become more honest each day of their lives.
To pinpoint the character flaws in anyone is an easy thing to do, but to help them correct it, seems more difficult. Since it’s not known to many that martial arts can help overcome character flaws in an individual, therefore this article will cover this topic in detail. Training in martial arts is the only help’ one needs to perfect his/her character.
Martial arts have always been seen as one of the major skills of defense systems, but that’s not what they are entirely composed of. Their training in self-discipline prepares an individual to overcome any character flaws, irrespective of how deeply rooted they are.
Character flaws can easily be overcome in kids as well as adults through proper and rigorous training. Martial arts require a lot of integrity, honesty, disciple, and respect; that is hardly found in any soul, unless one is properly trained. An old adage says: “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”
In this article we shall have a look at how one can find flaws in one’s character and treat it accordingly; and we’ll also discover how proper training in the school of the martial arts can help one, in building a perfect character.
Martial Arts
Before we look at how martial arts can help in eliminating character flaws, we must know what martial arts are, in the first place. The phrase __martial arts’ is treated in both singular and plural forms. In its singular form it represents one particular kind of martial arts like: Thai-Kickboxing, Tae Kwon Do, Jiu Jitsu, Karate, etc.; and in its plural form it represents the entire school of all martial arts.
One of the oldest and most famous forms of martial arts is Kung Fu, which originated in China in around a period from 21st century BC to the 17th century BC. It gained popularity from 1271 AD to 1368 AD, and then witnessed its peak from 1368 AD to 1911 AD. Apart from the development of Kung Fu in China; Tae Kwon Do and Karate were developed in Korea and Japan, respectively.
Although all of the variegated forms of martial arts teach fighting skills like: punching, kicking, striking with knees and elbows, etc.; it certainly does not advocate the practice of using these skills to bully or harm any innocent being. Everything is taught for the purpose of defending and protecting oneself and if required, others as well. To achieve this level of discipline and moral status, students are trained to control their mind as well, apart from their bodies.
All martial arts classes teach meditation and self-inventory at all levels of training, for improvement on a daily basis. These two assets can teach any individual to find and overcome any flaws in their character.
Developing Integrity
Integrity has been defined simply as: “firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values”, according to the Webster. However, in real life, it means much more than that. Integrity involves developing the traits of always being honest; keeping your promises; and speaking the truth. Integrity is a lesson taught in martial arts so that students can reveal their personal truth to themselves.
Integrity makes you earn respect in society. Everyone loves to follow and imitate people who walk their talk. Think of the persons in your surroundings who promise something very confidently, but never deliver whatever they affirmed on. If your child or you fall under the group of the aforementioned people, then martial arts training can help you to become an individual holding immense integrity.
The following principles are taught in almost all schools of martial arts to train an individual to attain respectful integrity:
· While making promises, make sure that you over deliver them.
· Honor your word. Whether you reply in “Yes” or “No”, mean it, and then show it.
· Maintain proper behavior every time, whether someone is watching over you or not.
· Abhor excuses and finish the job, no matter what obstacles come in the way.
· Always be discrete i.e. be rational in your opinions.
The instillation of integrity from early childhood will enable a child to take school assignments seriously. In adults, the trait of integrity can help us win more clients in business; or a higher responsible position in jobs.
Developing Discipline
Discipline can only be developed, once an individual has started practicing the traits of integrity. Discipline’s main teaching can be summed up as “self-control.” This teaching is practiced not only by the students, but even by the most experienced and revered masters of martial arts till the very last day of their lives.
The doctrines of discipline, teach one to remain calm in any given situation. Easier said than done, this kind of behavior requires persistent practice on a daily basis. To achieve proper discipline, anxiety must be removed from our lives.
In martial arts classes, the following teachings are given and practiced to harness discipline in one’s self:
· Mediation must be done for at least twenty minutes every day, preferably early in the mornings, to calm one’s mind. Calmness of mind is the first step toward learning discipline.
· Make a habit of responding properly in a situation, rather reacting. Reaction is a natural habit that has been developed subconsciously in an individual depending on their environment. To respond, one needs to think. Therefore, proper meditation must be done to develop proper thinking which in turn will help one to respond duly in arising situations, rather than reacting.
· Keep a track of the goals you want to achieve and then make a schedule; allotting a certain period time for every action needed to fulfill each goal.
Can you imagine anything else apart from __discipline’ that can help a child keep his calm at all times; respond politely in any given situation, showing the validity of his arguments; and get every assignment completed in time?
Developing Respect for Others and Self
When you respect someone, it means that you listen to their thoughts, feelings and opinions attentively. It doesn’t matter whether you agree with them or not, you show respect to others by making them feel special. When it comes to respect; the more you give, the more you get.
We are always taught to give respect to others because it is one prime thing that helps us connect better with our humankind. By giving out respect, we open doors for ourselves where people easily reach out to us. Better grades, increased salary, more trustworthy friends, and better career can all be yours if you learn to give and receive respect.
In martial arts training, respect is one of the most vital modules. In this module, most schools of martial arts teach the following:
· To respect elders with responses such as: “Yes, Sir.”, or “Thank you Ma’am.”
· To respect classes by always arriving in time.
· To respect homework and assignments by taking them seriously and submitting them on time.
· To pay attention in class and listen attentively to the teacher.
· To treat both juniors and seniors with honor; just the way you’d like to be treated.
If one has not earned respect in life, it surely shows that he never gave respect to anyone ever. Students are taught to give respect to others, which helps them substantially during their school and career life.
Developing Self-Confidence
Kindly allow us to ask you a question. Would you associate yourself with a confident person whose speech and actions are strong, or would you like to be friends with a weak personality, who is uncertain of his speech and actions? Obviously, you love to be in the company of confident people and wish to be like them.
Martial arts concentrate on developing confidence and a good self-image in every student. How? The masters do this by asking the children to perform a martial arts routine in front of their classmates. In regular intervals, martial arts schools host tournaments and competitions, which are the best ways to develop confidence.
When children take part in tournaments, they know that they have to display all their skills in a formal spar. Going on stage; facing your opponent; offering him respect; indulging in a spar with him; showcasing your martial arts skills without hurting your opponent, except in self-defense; all these activities go into developing self-confidence.
When self-confidence is developed, everything in life seems easy because you exhibit the trait of tackling any task fearlessly. Confidence helps you to begin any task easily and end it effortlessly. Confident people never leave any task incomplete. Whether you are participating in a class or taking part in a tournament, every time you are training yourself, you are conditioning yourself that you can take anything that life throws at you.
Developing Perseverance
Perseverance is a unique trait seen in someone who does not give up his goals even in the most difficult circumstances. Perseverance directly leads to the development of resilience in one’s character. Resilient souls are rarely found.
However, in martial arts, perseverance is one of the pillars of its philosophical thoughts. The first three levels of martial arts training, namely: white, yellow and orange; students find it easy to pass and go on to the next level, but from there on every level starts getting progressively tougher than the previous one.
This format of training in martial arts, gives the students two options in the early stages: give up after being defeated; or to “fight” and earn a higher deserving position.
Perseverance comes only when martial arts students learn to: trust their own abilities; have faith in the ongoing process; accepting defeat as a valuable lesson to learn from; trusting peers; and the hard work put in for a very long period of time. The senior students of martial arts display magnificent perseverance in their character by showing that they broke all the barriers of problems to earn higher level positions in martial arts.
Have a talk with a black belt holder of any martial arts student and notice how hungry they are for taking in more knowledge of martial arts training and practice every day. They went through hurdles like: illness; work commitments; family issues; everyday challenges; fatigue; etc., and yet, achieved the highest position of black belt. Your trainer is your best living example of perseverance.
Benefits of Finding Character Flaws through Martial Arts
As we’ve seen from above, martial arts are not only beneficial for kids, but for adults alike. The dedication toward, and study of martial arts helps any student to develop:
· Integrity, in which the student learns to keep his promise, show honesty and speak the truth.
· Discipline, with which the student learns to control the self through meditation. Meditation and self-control reduce doubts, fears and anxieties in the mind, thereby leading to a more vital behavior.
· Respect, so that the student can give and receive respect graciously. The student also realizes that respect can only be __earned’ and in order to do so he has to honor the thoughts, beliefs, and ideas of others.
· Self-confidence, that brings out the __effulgent life’ in a student. Being punctual in classes; showcasing martial arts drills in front of other students; showing respect to the opponent in a formal spar; honoring the teacher’s instructions; etc., goes into building a higher self-image and confidence in students.
· Perseverance, in always completing all the goals ever dreamed of. Perseverance is an intangible trait that can be observed by a student in his teachers or other black belt holders in martial arts. The student learns perseverance from noticing the teachers’ way of walking, talking and acting.
It cannot be denied that developing all five of the aforementioned traits can help anyone eliminate their character flaws.
Conclusion
All in all, it can be said that any character flaw can be easily eliminated with proper martial arts training. When the student will see the exemplary teacher practicing beneficial traits, the student will automatically pick up the teacher’s habits. Think about it carefully; integrity, discipline, respect, confidence and perseverance are not easy traits to pick up or develop on one’s efforts alone. The student must be placed in an environment where the other students and the teachers are also practicing the same doctrine.
Toward the end of this article, it is hoped that you have erased your old thought about martial arts that they are violent sports teaching self-defense. Now, you know that all forms of martial arts are a strict school in themselves. Their doctrine not only teaches self-defense tactics; but also character traits that must be developed so that we can flow in harmony with the natural energies of our universe.
In closing, it must be asserted that your child deserves to be in a martial arts school to learn to live a balanced life. Not only your child, but even you should take out time from your busy schedule and take martial arts classes. What better way to erase all the character flaws in oneself; and to develop highly respected traits, than to be in the company of people who already possess them and live those traits in their daily lives?
Martial arts come with many intangible benefits. If you will make a bold step and introduce your kids to martial arts, they will develop virtues such as respect, discipline and positive attitude in life. You need to carry out prior research and know the best training classes where your children will access quality training. Martial art benefits both your body and mind. You will improve your physical fitness sand emotion after you enroll in martial arts classes where you will meet with people who have positive attitudes in life, and they are willing to work with you so that you will achieve different set goals in the classes.
The intangible benefits of martial arts training
Helps you get more active
If your children are no active, they will be faced with complications such as obesity and other health related problems. Martial arts make it easy for children to engage in different activities which are aimed at improving their lifestyles. Nowadays many people have turned to video games. The games make children spend several hours indoor playing. They lack the necessary aspects of playing which is physical exercise. You will not just sit in your home and learn the martial arts classes online. You can use online sources to find out more tactics, but you need to enroll in a brick and mortar martial arts class where you will interact with other people and train as a martial artist. Wight related health problems would be a thing of the past after you decide to enroll your children in the best martial arts class.
Improves Focus and Stillness
In today’s world, we are involved in TV watching and video games. The games are enjoyable to play especially when free, but they are not equipped with aspects which create focus and stillness in individuals who play them. Through playing martial arts, you will make your children develop the focus they need in life so that they will be successful. Famous artists in the field such as Bruce Lee pointed out important aspects of martial arts. For example, he noted that a successful martial artist should be more than just high kicks, punches, and knees. The artist should know how to relax and think about himself so that he will see where weaknesses are in his life. This is an important aspect of martial arts which create in people the urge to succeed. Remember if you learn on how to identify weaknesses in your life, it will be very easy for you to improve and become a better person. If your children are underperforming, then you need to introduce them to the martial arts classes. They will interact with talented tutors who will make them realize their weakness and improve on them.
Learn how to tackle failures
Failures are there in life just like success. It will reach a time when you will fail in life, but the difference between your failure and success is the ability to tackle the challenge and move on with life. When playing martial arts, it will reach a time when your kids will compete with others. They may lose the game. But, the trainers will prepare them well on how to handle such situations. This makes it easy for your child to know how to deal with failures. It reduces cases where your child will become suicidal after he fails in certain areas of life. Trainers are taught on how to take hits. Some hits are high to an extent where the player will fail. The coaches take the time to prepare the students well so that even if they are hit to an extent where they will fall, they will rise and move on with the game. This is a great aspect which is taught in martial arts and can be applied in several areas of our lives.
Gain Self Confidence and Self-Respect
Students in a martial art classes are taught to develop self-confidence. Nobody is born knowing all tactics in martial arts. The tactics are taught to students who later master them. At first, your children will not perfume very well in the martial arts classes. But, after they are taught different skills, they will learn and apply them. Even if your child thought he is good for nothing, he would realize with time that the tactics are taught, and he can improve his life. The self-confidence makes it easy for the students to succeed in different endeavors in their lives. Self-respect for trainers, teachers in schools, parents, and oneself is emphasized in the martial arts classes. You will be assured of great success after you decide to enroll your students in the classes if they have low self-esteem or they have no respect for other people. They will come back when they are fully changed.
Connecting with Mind and Body
Being able to listen to your body and create awareness for your emotions is imperative for your success in life. Martial art students are taught to listen, feel and see both internal and external forces affecting their lives. Your children will quickly tap into fear, intuition and develop the courage to tackle life as it comes. Developing both physical and mentally is very helpful in making you a whole rounded individual. The connection between your mind and physical health will make you enjoy life to the fullest.
Conflict Resolution tactics
In martial arts, students are taught to respond without reacting. It is very rare to find a fully qualified martial artist fighting in streets. There are several conflict resolution methods which are developed in the martial arts training centers. In all martial arts classes such as Kung Fu, Karate, and other classes you will know the right methods you need to use as a way of solving conflicts. It is highly discouraged for you to resort to fighting as a way of resolving the conflict. If you have children who have a bad temper, you can quickly teach them on how to contain her tempers through the application of the right tactics taught in martial art classes.
Learn how to Breathe
Breathing well essential for your success in physical activities. Professionals such as actors, athletes, dancers and singers should develop healthy breathing habits. This is necessary for them to have enough oxygen required for maximum energy output. In the classes, children are taught on how they can improve their breathing. The art of breathing is taught in all the martial art classes. You will know how to utilize breath as a way of achieving great success in your physical activities.
Fostering Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is the central tenet in martial arts. Children are taught complete focus on self-discipline. Nowadays children fail to develop the necessary self-discipline required for them to succeed in life. If you like to be assured of great success in your life, then you need to have self-discipline. You should be able to set rules and stick to them. The martial arts trainers pass students through different levels where they are supposed to set their goals and achieve them. You will find it very easy to interact with your children if you have them develop the necessary self-discipline. Trainers always remind students how important self-discipline is to their lives. This makes it easy for the instructors to graduate from the schools when they are highly disciplined individuals. The discipline will play a great role in making the students achieve great success in life.
Boosting Socialization Skills
In martial art classes, students are introduced to classes where they will meet with peers who have gathered with a common interest. This makes it easy for students to develop new friends who will help them reach great heights in their socialization efforts. Today’s lifestyle is characterized with video games which children play in the comfort of their homes. It is a great opportunity for you to get your kids out and have them make good friends. All students who go to martial art classes are focused on improving their rankings. They have shared goals which they will like to achieve. It is very easy for you to eliminate cases where your children will be exposed to the bad company which can ruin them after you resort to introducing them to the martial arts classes. They will develop the necessary discipline and the right group which will avoid them cases where they will join wrong groups which will affect their success in life.
Learning to Set and Achieve Goals
For anyone to succeed in life, he has to set goals and work towards achieving them. The martial arts classes are based on goals. The children will be introduced in the lowest ranks where they will have to work and improve on them till they are rated highly. The levels are marked with colors on their belts. You will know someone is about you in the ranks after you see his or her belt. The higher the rank someone has, the more respect he commands in the group. Learners are taught to work hard and rise the ranks. Your children will have the best opportunity to improve their levels after they sit down with tutors who will teach them the need to set realistic goals and work on them. You will make your children or yourself a successful person in the future if you take advantage of the skills displayed in the martial arts classes.
Improving Listening Skills
To master the skills you are being taught in martial arts, you need to listen to the instructions which the trainers will give you. The listening skills are very helpful if you will like to be successful in life. If you are involved in academics where you need to take instructions and act on them, you will achieve great success after you decide to enroll in the martial arts classes. The classes make it very easy for you to learn how to take instructions. Most accidents occur due to inability to take instructions and act on them fast. It is very easy to act on instructions which you will be given at different stages of life after you join martial arts class.
Developing Teamwork Skills
Teamwork is very necessary for you to accomplish different goals in life. For example, you will have to work in collaboration with other people for you to achieve different tasks in your workplace. It will be very easy for you to learn on how to tackle different challenges which come up in your life after you decide to enroll in martial arts classes. There are tasks which are carried out in a group in the martial arts classes. The functions make it easy for you to develop new friends whom you will work together as a team and accomplish different tasks. The teamwork skills will make it very easy for you to enjoy your life later where you will be required to work as the team so that you can accomplish different challenges in life.
Personal Safety
Self-defense becomes very easy after you learn the tactics taught in martial arts. You will know how to throw kicks, punches and other moves aimed at making it easy for you to defend yourself. If you are a lady, it is very easy for you to protect yourself against harms such as rape. The tactics taught in martial arts classes are very practical. Even if someone attacks you with a brutal weapon, you will be in a better position of tackling the person for your personal safety. There are incidences where your defense will be required. The martial art trainers will teach you on how to identify those situations and apply the tactics you will learn. People with bad intentions will be reluctant to attack you if they learn you have skills which you can use to tackle them. This will make it very easy for you to avoid cases where someone will take advantage and harm you. Self-confidence makes it even easy for you to defend yourself in extraordinary conditions.
Martial arts is about much more than merely physical exercise. The real study of martial arts is about exposure to mindfulness and how to become a better person in your everyday life. A quote from Bruce Lee sums up martial arts entirely:
“The martial arts are ultimately self-knowledge. A punch or kick is not to knock the hell out of the guy in front, but to knock the hell out of your ego, your fear, or your hang-ups.”
Although through martial arts people learn how to defend themselves and gain the ability to hurt other people, the real key to martial arts is learning how to respond intelligently to hard situations. This is achieved by providing students of martial arts with the ability to overcome some of the life’s challenges. Whether the student is a three-year-old boy or an eighty-year-old woman, martial arts can help to improve mindfulness in stressful situations throughout life.
5 Conditions Martial Arts Helps to Improve
In assisting people who struggle with everyday confrontations in their lives, martial arts improves standard conditions which can lead to a clearer thought process and the ability to make an intelligent decision when confronted with a desperate situation. Five primary conditions martial arts helps to improve include:
Depression
Depression is extremely common among adults, with almost one in ten adults suffering from major depression at some stage in their life. Signs of depression include fatigue, pain, and struggles with negative emotions. Even if you feel there is no light at the end of the tunnel, martial arts can help and is proven to combat depression.
Anxiety
Ordinary tasks can become a huge deal if you suffer from anxiety. Being anxious can produce many adverse side effects and prevent a healthy and enjoyable life. However, the mental lessons learned through martial arts can provide you with discipline and focus, helping to reduce feelings of anxiety. These experiences and the reduction in anxiety can lead to more intelligent decision making in stressful situations.
Aimlessness
Many people reach a stage in their life when they feel like they’ve lost direction or feel adrift with no escape. Feeling like you’re simply going through the motions in life can be tough, but martial arts can help you rediscover your spark. Finding that passion again and reconnecting with your inner spirit will reinvigorate the mind and lead to smarter decision making.
Stress
Daily life can be extremely stressful, and the effect of stress can stretch far beyond the day to day with long term stress responsible for heart disease, strokes, depression, and much more. Martial arts helps to reduce stress levels, relax, and refocus, leading to the energy and desire to deal with everyday confrontations that would have stressed you out before.
Loneliness
Feelings of loneliness can often lead to misplaced aggression and poor decision making. Upon taking up martial arts, you will instantly become part of a community of like-minded people and as you learn and grow together will form lasting bonds.
How Martial Arts Changes Your Response to Difficult Situations
The five conditions listed above can all contribute to poor decision making during a difficult situation or a conflict. However, martial arts teaches peaceful conflict resolution by improving these conditions and providing you with the ability to have confidence in your choices. Another aspect of martial arts which changes how you may respond to a difficult situation is the physical side. By learning how to defend yourself properly and becoming confident in defending yourself in any situation, you will gain the confidence to use other options to attempt to diffuse a situation first.
Martial arts teaches you to properly defend yourself but also demonstrates how to use mindfulness and intelligence to reach a non-violent resolution to a conflict. By improving and dealing with depression, anxiety, aimlessness, stress, and loneliness you will have the confidence to attempt to de-escalate a situation, and with the backup of your physical martial arts training, you will have even more confidence to try every other solution first.
The most important lessons learned in martial arts relate to the mind and its well-being. Once you have mastered your mind, you will find solutions to situations and problems that you may have never imagined before.
Martial arts offers a number of great benefits, such as improving your overall fitness level and helping you develop discipline, but there’s one huge thing you need to understand. You can’t get these benefits from just any martial arts class. In order to reap the amazing benefits discussed above, as well as the improved cardiovascular health, enhanced reflexes, increased muscle tone, and everything else that is associated with martial arts, you must take a class taught by a highly trained instructor several times a week. Are you?
Here are 8 reasons your martial arts class is horrible for your fitness. If you identify with any (or all) of the reasons discussed below, it is time to switch to a new martial arts class.
Class is held in someone’s garage.
Let’s face it. In most cases, a garage, especially one that is being used as a garage except for when “class” is in session, is simply not the same as a martial arts studio. Not only is a studio climate controlled, which is a must during extreme temperatures, but it also offers adequate lighting and plenty of mirrors. When it comes to martial arts, performing the movements correctly and adopting the proper stance directly impacts the quality of your workout. Mirrors allow you to do this.
There are rarely more than 1 or 2 people in class.
In martial arts, training partners are essential and unfortunately, the same training partner time and time again doesn’t provide the practice or test you need. After all, people come in every shape and size. To truly master a technique and be effective with it, you have to practice will all kinds of people…short, tall, thin, a bit larger, long arms, shorts arms. You get the drift.
Your instructor isn’t in the best shape.
Sure, your instructor may hold a black belt, but that doesn’t mean he or she is in the same shape now that they were when they got it. To effectively teach martial arts, you have to be able to go through the motions over and over without losing your breath or taking a few minutes to sit down and rest/ recover.
The instructor lets a student take over class.
While an instructor will call students up to demonstrate moves they have already mastered, a true instructor wouldn’t dream of letting a student teach class. There is a chance that your instructor will bring in someone who is training to be an instructor and allow them opportunities to teach under the instructor’s watchful eye. This is not the same thing.
Your instructor guarantees you will receive a black belt in 90 days or less.
If these words come out of an instructor’s mouth, pack up your things and go. It takes serious time (years!), effort, and commitment to earn a black belt. Anyone who tells you differently isn’t concerned with whether or not you really know what you are doing. It’s likely that shortcuts are being taken and you aren’t actually mastering everything you should, which means you are probably not getting all of the fitness benefits you should.
They only offer one or two classes a week.
Again, to master and eventually excel at martial arts, you have to practice, so attending one class a week simply won’t cut it. This is why committed instructors offer classes on numerous days and times throughout the week. If the class schedule is so limited that you will only be able to make it once a week, this is not the instructor for you.
When class is over, everyone heads out for dinner and a drink.
Even if you know that you just finished a martial arts class that gave you a real workout and burned up quite a few calories, it doesn’t mean it is time to go out to eat. In most cases, all of your hard work will be for nothing, at least from a fitness standpoint, if you eat a juicy cheeseburger and fries or perfectly grilled steak and loaded baked potato right afterwards.
Your instructor is constantly checking his or her phone.
One of martial art’s top benefits is its ability to help you develop discipline, which includes the ability to focus. If your instructor frequently stops to glance at his or her phone, chances are that they are still trying to master this very important lesson.
Do you have trouble feeling confident about yourself? Do you often question your own judgments? If so, you are not alone. Many adults have trouble with confidence both in their personal and work lives. Being confident and showing it outwardly is very important to your overall development and success. For many, this can be difficult to achieve. But luckily, there is a very old way to solve this often modern problem. Below we will learn more about adult martial arts and how this ancient practice can help you.
Martial Arts for Personal Development
Martial arts have been helping people for thousands of years in their personal development. Many adults make martial arts a part of their everyday lives and most feel that they benefit greatly from it. Not only does this age-old practice keep your body healthy, it also helps improve your mental cognition. There are many different types of martial arts to choose from, so finding one that fits your needs will not be difficult. There are many different benefits of this sport which we will learn more about below.
Five Major Benefits of Practicing Martial Arts
It teaches discipline: As we learned above, practicing material arts is a great way to add discipline to your life. Being disciplined will allow you to focus on those things that are important to your development, and leave those things behind that are simply holding you back. This will also help with procrastination that we all fall victim to which can be a big issue for some.
Your attitude will improve: Martial arts training will not only bring discipline to your life, it will also help improve your attitude. This sport teaches its practitioners to think positively about all aspects of life. When you have a positive attitude, it will add to your success. Remember, positivity only attracts positivity, so having a good view of life will only bring you good things.
You will command confidence: For those of you that lack confidence in life, martial arts can help bring you out of your shell. But the kind of confidence this sport brings is not of the narcissistic kind. Instead, you will learn how to be outwardly confident without even speaking a word. Your actions and the way you carry yourself will show the world just how confident you are.
Improved health: We all know that martial arts are physical sports. But their health benefits go even further than you might expect. Lower blood pressure, better mental health, and improved function are just a few of the health benefits that you can expect. Better health will also allow you to bring your game both in your personal life and while at work.
Better communication skills: One of the most important things in life is communication. Your interaction with others can make you or break you. The practice of martial arts can help you build your communication skills that are needed both in your personal and work life. The better you communicate with others, the better your life will be.
One of the best feelings while training in martial arts is to see yourself improving with each passing day. You learn new skills and gain confidence that helps you to keep going. Unfortunately, however, it is not a constant feeling. Many people experience a point in their martial art training where they feel as if they are stuck. No matter what you do, you don’t seem to cross that threshold to the next level. It is the time when you have reached the dreaded plateau stage, and it is not pleasant, to say the least.
There is a silver lining to all this though. First of all, everybody, and I mean everybody who trains goes through this phase. So, you are not alone. And the most important fact to remember- the plateau stage can be overcome.
The plateau can be a result of some issues. It can occur if your mind is somewhere else and you are unable to work with a discipline that is the cornerstone of martial art training. Another common reason can be the lack of partner variety. If you train with the same people day in and day out, you soon will figure out their weaknesses. It limits your ability to learn something new.
Whatever the reason, you must do something about this plateau stage, right? Well, here are some suggestions that will help you to overcome this dreaded stage in your training.
1. Experiment with new techniques
Variety is the spice of life. Training with the same old techniques over and over again can get monotonous. Try new techniques and training methods. Challenge yourself and learn new things. A new technique can act as a breath of fresh air can rejuvenate your entire training regimen. Always be on a lookout for something that entices you. Sometimes, all it takes is a single new move that makes everything just work!
2. Seek inspiration
The plateau stage can bring with it the feelings of lack of motivation to train harder. You will never be able to pull yourself out of this if you don’t find a way to motivate yourself. One of the best ways is to watch your favorite sports heroes in action. The internet is filled with videos of some of the greatest sportspeople in the world. Log on and let these icons inspire and motivate you. Communicating with your friends and training partners can also help you a great deal.
3. Take a break if needed
Rigorous training can cause a feeling of burning out, it is natural. If you feel that you are too tired and are unable to put your best effort during training, take a break. Engage in an activity that gives you pleasure, relaxes. Taking a break from training can help you get your mojo back!
4. Change your lifestyle
Another thing that people experience during a plateau phase is the change in their way of life. Too much junk food, too many late nights can make matters worse. Try to get back to your healthy routine as soon as possible. Make sure that you are eating the right kind of food, drinking plenty of water and caring for your body. It may sound a simple thing, but it can change your whole outlook toward training and can greatly benefit you.
5. Allow yourself to enjoy smaller things
Sure, you have been training hard, and you want to reach to that next level. But somehow you feel stuck; nothing seems to be moving, at least not at a pace you want it to move. Well, take a break and think of smaller things that are working. Set smaller goals and congratulate yourself when you achieve them. Sometimes alternating between the big picture and more trivial things can be a source of great motivation.
Something to remember
Plateau is an unavoidable phenomenon. It happens to the best amongst us. You are not the first person to experience it and certainly are not the last! Just dig deep and follow the tips mentioned here. Think of the plateau as a new challenge that you have been training hard to overcome all these years!
During every martial arts event we’ve always come across a couple of parents on the sideline who either motivate their kid to the core, or shout out inappropriate comments to make them feel even more uncomfortable. Very often, these words of motivation or discouragement uttered by the parents are not merely directed to their own kids but also to their teammates, referees and coaches. But have you ever wondered, how exactly this behavior influences your child’s performance? Have you ever wondered about how much you should actually be involved in the game? In case you haven’t, it’s high time you do, because you, as a parent, have a major role in child’s overall performance. Yes. Your words can either build or break your little one’s self-esteem. So it is better to choose your words wisely at any kind of sporting event.
They say honesty is the best policy but many kids today are not being taught this vital life skill. Parents often inadvertently allow their kids to get away with lying, not realizing what kind of habit this can foster and how it can affect the rest of their life. Just as with Martial Arts or any other type of skill, honesty must be practiced in the home and community to ensure a child can fully embrace it with confidence.
To pinpoint the character flaws in anyone is an easy thing to do, but to help them correct it, seems more difficult. Since it’s not known to many that martial arts can help overcome character flaws in an individual, therefore this article will cover this topic in detail. Training in martial arts is the only help’ one needs to perfect his/her character.
Martial arts come with many intangible benefits. If you will make a bold step and introduce your kids to martial arts, they will develop virtues such as respect, discipline and positive attitude in life. You need to carry out prior research and know the best training classes where your children will access quality training. Martial art benefits both your body and mind. You will improve your physical fitness sand emotion after you enroll in martial arts classes where you will meet with people who have positive attitudes in life, and they are willing to work with you so that you will achieve different set goals in the classes.
