Many children join martial arts because they think it will be fun. They want to learn the moves and break boards and such. Parents think that allowing their child to join martial arts will teach them discipline and self defense. A child will learn how to protect themselves in a number of ways from attackers and those looking to cause harm to them. There are many benefits of joining a martial arts class as a child and self defense is one of them.
Self Defense
When a child learns martial arts they will be placed in real world situations where they will learn how to defend themselves. They will learn how to escape from a standing position, when someone is attacking them in front or from behind, when they are faced with a fight, and how to defend themselves from an attack with a weapon. There are different self defense curriculum and skills that the child will learn as they progress through their training. They will also learn how to block punches and kicks. The child will be taught that violence is not the answer to a problem and they should avoid a fight with another person if possible. If the child is placed in a situation where they are being threatened they will have the skills needed to get out of it safely.
Focus
Focus is very important in all aspects of life. From the classroom to the outside world it is important to be focused and pay attention to the task at hand. In martial arts training a child will learn how to focus on a task. They will work on related skills as well such as listening and reaction skills. They will be able to handle themselves physically if threatened. They will be able to prepare for an oncoming assault and take measures to defend themselves. They will also learn how to listen to others as well. This is a skill that is useful in both the home and the school settings.
Self Control
Just because a child has the skills needed for fighting and defense this may not always be the answer. If the child is not in a situation where they can get hurt they should not resort to their skills. Training will help the child learn self control. They will work on this every class period. They will also learn how to make good decision. They will learn the importance of listening to their parents and their teachers. This is often difficult for smaller child to learn and to use and that is why the martial arts teachings will focus on this .
Proper Posture
Posture is needed for some of the techniques and it is needed to help the child stay healthy. Not only do they need to be in the correct form to defend themselves they need it in just about every other activity in their daily life. Poor posture has man effects that people do not even thing about. The organs inside of the body can become cramped, they will do breathe properly, and this can lead to other health conditions. The training will help a child develop their balance as well as proper posture. They will learn this through forms and drills.
Personal Safety
In addition to self defense training the child will learn about safety. They will learn how to interact with others and the dangers of going off with strangers. They will learn how to say no to peer pressure as well. All of this is done in an age appropriate way. The child will learn these skills without being frightened. They will learn what to do if they are approached by someone they do not know. The child will also learn about meeting others as they age and what to do if they find themselves alone. Personal safety is important for all children to know and they need to be prepared when faced with unsafe situations.
These are some of the skills including self defense skills that a child will learn in martial arts. They will learn how to defend themselves and they skills they need to be a well rounded person. All of these skills are taught in a fun ways. The child will like learning these new skills and the parents will know that their child will be safe.
Self-discipline is a valuable trait that everyone should exercise. It is the art of controlling a person’s impulses, emotions, behavior, and desires. In turn, a person can resist the demand for instant gratification in favor of long term fulfillment and satisfaction. Note that the most successful people on earth exert discipline every day in various aspect of their lives. It brings structure and stability, and the world would be chaotic without discipline because everyone would do what they feel like. Additionally, it also helps people to be respectful and responsible.
There are various ways people can learn how to improve discipline. One of the means that are tried and tested is through martial arts training as you will uncover below.
Martial arts is not all about learning self-defense tactics or improving health. It allows students to enjoy numerous benefits one of them being able to develop as well as maintain self-discipline. It achieves this by:
Teaching about Self Control
Martial arts trainers have an excellent way of instructing their students about control. They do this in a subtle yet efficient manner where the practitioner does not learn how to gain control or overpower weaker opponents. Instead, it lets a person know how to capitalize their strengths, skills, and perseverance in an entirely controlled manner. It is the only way a person can win say in a self-defence scenario with both strategy and strength.
Controlled movements of martial arts require a person to think before they act. The conscious act of sharpening response to the environment with situation awareness also contributes to increased discipline that an individual has. Expert instructors will instill the fundamentals to the practitioners. It is not something that they will only practice in the training room as they can apply it in both their professional and personal lives.
Disciplined Approach to Learning
When a student sets out to learn martial arts under the guidance of a master instructor, they get certain goals that are unique to their journey. You will never find instructors telling the students to first aim for the highest goals. They usually go step by step through a path that is well planned successfully reaching one goal after the next achieving perfection in each step.
The ability to strive to set realistic goals and see them through is very beneficial. It gives a person the much-needed discipline to sail through life setting goals that are good for them and working hard towards achieving them without cutting any corners. When it comes to the younger ones, martial arts use self-improvement records which encourage self-discipline and good behavior and self-discipline at home and in school.
Incessant Training and Practice
Martial arts students continually learn new techniques, practice all the time, and hone skills even after they get acknowledgment from their masters. It is something that helps to boost discipline in a major way. Incessant training, combined with unfailing patience, and intense practice characterize the skill paving way developing self-control in students.
The self –discipline comes into play when practitioners are practicing new skills whether it is during training or in real life situations. Reactive expertise and muscle memory that a person gains through repetition becomes a thread that instructors instill in their students.
Nurture Intrinsic Motivation
A majority of martial arts instructors offer external pressures that motivate the learners. It is safe to say that intrinsic motivation begets discipline. The motivation when it comes to martial arts refers to practicing the sport for the satisfaction and pleasure that students obtain and not for any material or monetary benefit. Most martial artists do not receive prizes or cash for belt testing which means that avoiding the perks is not a primary concern.
Instructors make the process enjoyable even though at times it may be challenging. It also works outside the training room because people can find the motivation to achieve particular goals they want in life without giving up just because the road seems to be a little bit rough.
Trainees Must Follow Rules
A martial arts students cannot get into a training room and start doing what they feel is right. The instructors present a group of rules that they must follow even when they are not things that they agree with. It is very beneficial when it comes to establishing self-discipline.
The instructors do not put up with any disrespect or people who do not want to stick to the rules, so the learners quickly learn the importance of adhering to set regulations. It also comes in handy as a person goes through life because there are some rules they must follow to make it in life rather than become rowdy and end up in trouble.
The discipline that people learn through attending martial arts classes is one of the best foundations for forming a healthy sense of self. Ability to maintain control over emotions, thoughts, and responses is of tremendous value both at school, professionally, and personally.
“Be respectful to others” and “show some respect” are common phrases that people hear and use almost on a daily basis. Respect is due regard for feelings, wishes, or right for other people according to the Oxford Dictionary. With synonyms like politeness and courtesy, it is an essential value that everyone should have. However, there are times when it feels like there is a significant lack of respect in the globe.
Being respectful increases an individual’s happiness. A person who thinks highly of themselves becomes open and honest to themselves something that assists them to create opinions and have unwavering support for what they believe in. It helps individuals to make proper decisions.
Respecting others goes a long way to maintain positive relationships. It is where the principle of treating others the way you will like to be treated comes into play. There are many things that people can use to learn how to be more respectful to make the world a better place. Martial arts is one of the old age methods that helps people of all ages to learn about respect. The classes achieve this in a variety of ways which include:
Holding Training in a Disciplined Environment
Respect is one of the core lessons of martial arts. All the students develop a sense of respectfulness for peers, older & younger people, as well as figures of authority within the first few classes. While attending the training session, the masters typically hold them in formal environments where both teachers and students are required to maintain high levels of discipline at all times.
Before any classes begin, learners must bow down to their classmates and instructors signaling that they are ready to start training. It is a sign that shows respect for the lesson and space. The fact that a person is willing to pause their life to focus on training is a sign that the practitioner recognizes their teacher and the art.
Additionally, learning how to hold back force, engage in controlling movements and going through with classes even when a person is tired shows discipline which necessitates respect. When students get frustrated or mad during class, they still have to be respectful to the other learners and their children. Martial artists can use what they learn in class in their professional as well as personal lives to become successful and a joy to be around.
Humility
If there is one thing that people who practice martial arts know is that they do not celebrate their winnings by rubbing it in the face of their opponents. They are respectful of their achievements and will never make other people feel as though they are inferior even though they are in the same class. It is a crucial lesson in the outside world because it never makes sense to think that you are more superior than others because you might be better at one thing and other people exceptional at other things. It means that people should be respectful towards everyone else regardless of their abilities or weaknesses.
Noteworthy is that everyone in martial arts training makes mistakes or loses matches. There is always a student who has greater skills, but, teachers include humility as part of the lessons. Individuals who have humility because they can see that they still have a long way to go to achieve desired goals normally have a lot of respect for others, particularly the ones who showcase incredible talent. Humbleness is an integral part of an individual being respectful.
Getting Along with Others
Most people do not have what it takes to engage with other people in a social space. Respect is necessary so that there is harmony. During martial arts training students interact freely with other learners and their masters even when they do always see eye to eye. Furthermore, teaching people a new skill can at times be frustrating and if people are not respectful, it can result in ugly outbursts. For this reason and more, teachers must develop discipline when they need to since they never tolerate poor behavior during training.
Being respectful means that students remain calm even when they make mistakes and put more effort to improve skills to move on to the next level. When a person gets knocked down by their opponent who pulls them at the same time, it helps to enhance mutual respect. It applies in day to day life because it has its ups and downs and people must learn to get up and dust themselves when they fail and employ other strategies that will help them become successful in life.
Martial arts classes whether for adults, kids, or teens help to promote positive behavior both in and out of class. Instructors conduct lessons in a respectful manner which has a powerful impact in helping their students to be respectful in various aspects of their lives.
“Mommy, John hit me while on the school bus.” Or “Mommy, I want to be like Po from Kung Fu Panda.”
These and many other questions have bombarded parents of young children over the past few years. For example, the first question tries to highlight a bullying incident while the second one shows the admiration and yearning a child has towards learning martial arts.
Regardless of the reason, children should learn self defense techniques. Not only will they be prepared against attacks and bullying but they will have skills which will enable them to fight off abductors. Furthermore, they will gain the much needed exercise finally eliminating a sedentary lifestyle.
In this article, we discuss more reasons why your child should learn self defense techniques.
Learn how to deescalate a situation
Bullying has been around for so many years even the parents of today experienced it when they were young. Problem is today the intensity of bullying has been on the rise. In some cases, not only have other kids bullied others using words but they have gone to the extent of being suspects in their murder. No parent wants to lose their kid just because another kid was not taught manners and how to handle problems.
In case of a bullying incident, it is common for kids to defend themselves. They end up fighting each other which will result in injuries. Furthermore, it will escalate the situation and result in more fights in the future and away from the school.
Students who have attended self defense classes have been taught how to deescalate a situation. Instead of attacking the offender, they end up talking themselves out of the situation. This is achieved by calming the attacker and explaining to them that they don’t need to engage in combat.
Self preservation
There are many self defense classes. In these classes, children may learn one of the following: karate, tae kwon do, judo, jujitsu, aikido, kung fu, T’ai chi and krav maga. Each of these classes incorporates different movements which is great for your child’s body. For example, in karate they will learn self development using kicks and punches. As a result, your child will be able to make quick and sharp actions.
On the other hand, judo is competitive and will teach your child how to throw an attacker using balance and leverage. This will allow them to learn respect, self preservation and self protection techniques.
Improves the development of your child’s body
As said earlier, self defense classes teach children self preservation and self protection. As a result, your child will develop strength, stamina, coordination and flexibility. In order to achieve this, your child must attend all the self defense classes, learn keenly all that is taught by the master as well as practice what is taught.
Unlike cardio workout where you may need the use of a machine, self defense classes help with the development of cardio vascular strength and stamina through movement. This is great as it allows your child to exercise.
Self discipline
Enrolling your child in a self defense class has the positive effect of improving your child’s self discipline. The advantage of this is that your child will have the ability of coming up with solutions for problems that he or she may encounter. Self defense classes do not concentrate in teaching children how to kick, how to punch or even how to defend themselves against attackers only but they impart knowledge allowing your child to make the smart choice when faced with a situation.
For example, one of the bullies may learn that your child attends self defense classes. Just to taunt him or her, they arrange a fight with one of their bullies. Thanks to the knowledge your child has learned, he she will take the high road – walk away from confrontation. Even as your child gets older, he or she will make smart decisions.
Final Thoughts
In a world where danger is lurking not only in the streets and schools but in homes too, enrolling your child in a self defense class is the smartest choice you will ever make. Not only will your child learn self discipline but he or she will develop confidence, assertiveness, learn respect, better communication, listening and social skills too.
That is not all.
Your child will learn how to make smart choices not only now but in the future too.
Ever heard of this saying “time and tides wait for no man.” Well, if you have, then you already know that time is a precious resource. A single day has 86, 400 seconds. This may sound a lot but actually it’s not. Every single second is precious. If wasted, it will never be recovered. Whether you are a teacher an, entrepreneur, doctor, pilot or federal employee, spending time while doing something meaningful will be rewarding in the future.
This is the same with children. Did you know that you can invest your spare time and learn something new? In this case, what you will learn is martial arts. Not only will you be learning new moves but you will get to meet new people too. You will end up forming new bonds with like-minded individuals. As a result, it will surely impact your personal and professional life positively.
So, how does martial art make the world a better place?
Builds confidence
As you walk from school or work, how many dangers do you think are lurking around you? Even when you are strolling along the beach in a foreign country or drinking quietly in a bar, you need to know that danger is all round you? So, how do you protect yourself? Many people rely on one of the oldest technique – running away. While this may seem a bright idea, what if you are surrounded by your assailants? How do you get out of such a situation?
Martial art training imparts a wide array of techniques in the student. Not only will you learn how to make an excellent kick but you will learn how to tackle an opponent using judo moves or tae kwon do. As a result, you will reduce the chances of getting beaten or injured by your assailants. Thanks to the knowledge acquired from martial arts, you will be more confident when walking home from school, work or other events. Why? You have the skills to protect yourself against assailants.
This will boost your self confidence. As a result, it will impact positively in all areas of your life. From work, school and home, you will be able to make tough decisions much easier.
Teaches you that failure is part of life
Yes, failure is part of life. In everything you attempt, from learning to starting a business, there are occasions when you have to endure failure. Problem is how do you handle yourself afterwards? Do you quit and start blaming life or other people for your failure or do you pick yourself up, dust yourself, take a break, try to learn where you went wrong, come up with new strategies and implement them? If your situation is the former (quit and blame life), you will never be successful but if your situation is the latter, success is close at hand more than you thought.
This is what martial art teaches everyone – failure is part of life and it’s not the end. Assume you are in the dojo, the master asks you to spar with an opponent. There are two ways this situation will play out. One, you will triumph over your opponent or your opponent will triumph over you. If you are taller, more successful than your opponent in business or much older, you will surely take defeat from the younger opponent in a bad way. But what will you learn at the end of the lesson? Life is not perfect. It’s full of ups and downs. Today, you are a winner, tomorrow someone else is the winner. To ensure you are successful, continuous self improvement is the answer.
Improves your focus
At school, students are required to learn. They are required to study a wide array of subjects. In turn, they are give home work which is supposed to help them practice what they learned during the day. This is a burden that most students are unable to handle. When you add the stress at home, life becomes unbearable. As a result, fatigue kicks in which results in insomnia. This leads to students losing focus in class during the day. As an employer, you probably have experienced the same with your employees. So, what is the best remedy?
Imagine this, every single student or employee is enrolled for an hour session of martial arts. During the session, one gets to learn new techniques. Apart from that, the different moves improve your mental health allowing you to be focused, committed and decisive.
As a result, students and employees will be focused at work finally meeting their objectives. At the end of the day or month, success will be experienced everywhere. This will in turn improve the economy and make the world a better place.
Connects people from all walks of life
When you enroll in a martial arts dojo, you will meet people from different parts of the world. Unlike in other places where you will find people congregating according to race, color or language, in a dojo everyone is equal. People will converse and spar as brothers and sisters not enemies. No one will request for special treatment and receive it. The master will not favor a few students over others.
So, how does this have a positive impact on the world? Thanks to the acceptance of everyone despite their background, people become one community. They are able to interact with each other while keeping stereotypes at bay.
Furthermore, the connection does not end in the dojo. It extends to the neighborhood, workplace and school. As a result, negative feelings like hate are easily forgotten. In its place, love, kindness, trust and sharing are cultivated.
Peace prevails
It is a common misconception that when children are taught martial arts skills and techniques, they will become violent. Well, this is not true. Martial art teaches everyone how to respect others regardless of their age, social standing, language or background. Furthermore, it cultivates self discipline and self control among the participants. As a result of these qualities, peace is able to prevail.
Unlike bullies who use force and intimidation in order to show their might, martial arts students use techniques like talking to deescalate a situation. It is quite difficult to find a martial arts student engaging in fights whether at school, home or at the workplace. Instead, they are known to promote peace wherever they go.
If the world learned martial arts, peace would prevail.
Final Thoughts
Martial art has been found to awaken the warrior spirit in each student. While you may think that martial art students will engage in violence thanks to their new skills, well the opposite will happen. Peace will be promoted in areas where they reside, learn and work. Thanks to the use of non violent methods to settle disputes, no injuries or deaths will occur.
That is not all. Martial art helps you to focus. Focus is a mental ability that is very important at work and school. As a result, the student or employee will improve productivity finally attaining their objectives and goals. In turn, the benefits will spread to others in form of knowledge and economic boom.
Lastly, you will get to learn how to prevent negative stuff from affecting your life. If you fail, you can pick yourself up and face all problems head on with new strategies. This will place control in your hands allowing you to become a master of your own destiny.
It is a common occurrence for people to attend the gym with the sole purpose of weight training. Not only will they be able to do so in order to tone their muscles but to stay fit and attain the ideal weight. One thing you need to note is that attending the gym is not bad. But there is a much better option that eliminates the need of lifting heavy weights – martial art.
Martial art has been found to impart benefits to the mind and body. Not only are people able to gain self discipline and learn self protection but they get to improve their stamina too. It is very common to find people signing up for gym workouts only to decline attending the sessions. While this may be attributed partly to one being busy, it may also be attributed to lack of satisfaction among people.
Here are 5 ways martial arts is way better for fitness than gym workouts.
Total body workout
When you attend the gym, you will be met by different machines and weights. You will find kettle bells, treadmills and barbells among others. In order to attain fitness, users will be given a 3 day, 4 day, 5 day or 6 day workout plan. For example, on Monday one will be required to concentrate on the chest, biceps, back and shoulder muscles. On Tuesday, one will be advised to concentrate on the triceps, quads, hamstring and glutes. On Wednesday, one will be asked to repeat Monday’s routine as well as incorporate cardio workout for 10 minutes. Basically what you will be doing is interchanging between lower body workout, upper body workout and core muscles.
In martial arts, you don’t have to create such a workout. From the first day, you will learn basic movements and commands. For example, before starting any session, you will bow. This is the same when combating an opponent in the dojo. Unlike in the gym where you only concentrate on a particular part of your body on a single day, martial arts allows you to use full range of motion each day.
Thanks to sparring in martial arts sessions, not only will you learn how to defend or combat an opponent but you will become fit. As a result, martial arts offers total body workout.
Mental gain
If you have attended the gym, you will notice that many people spend much of the session talking. On other occasions, they will spend more time trying to check out female gym attendees as they workout. Apart from that, majority of weight lifters at the gym spend so much time flexing in front of the mirror. They will lift barbells or bench press for a few minutes before spending more time flexing in front of the mirror. If you were to calculate the amount of time wasted talking and flexing, you will realize that gym workouts are less beneficial especially for people who are focused in life.
When you turn to martial arts, the opposite happens. You will find attendees learning new movements as instructed by the master. Furthermore, non will be talking during the session, flexing in front of a mirror or have friends take selfies. There are strict rules that govern the dojo unlike in the gym. In the dojo, participants follow every single command issued by the master. They follow the teachings provided which mean they have no time to chat or flex. As a result, martial art is the best workout for anyone who wants to become fit and eliminate chances of wasting time.
Improves your emotional health
At the gym, it’s quite easy to call it quits. Why? You started the session on a high note but as time goes by; your muscles are used to the weights and movements. As a result, your body is not experiencing the tremendous growth you anticipated. So what happens? You hit the plateau stage of physical limitations finally resulting in you quitting. On the other hand, many people end up injecting steroids in order to improve their momentum and attain the muscle mass they have been craving for.
In martial arts, you can forget about hitting the plateau stage when it comes to learning. Each day, you will learn something new. This will go a long way in improving self discipline, your strength, muscles, knowledge of techniques as well as skills. Martial art gives you a chance of becoming better every day. Thanks to the belt system, you are able to move up according to your accomplishments. Furthermore, you will learn how to manage your emotions as well as keeping them under check. This will help to calm your mind and strengthen your spirit.
Encourages you to lead a healthy lifestyle
Gym attendees are encouraged to consume healthy foods where protein takes a large percentage. This is because protein is a muscle building nutrient. During the first months, it is common to find people consuming 6 meals in a day. The goal is simple – to provide the body with the much needed nutrition. As a result, one’s metabolism is heightened leading to fat burning and weight loss. Problem is healthy foods cannot provide fast muscle growth which is what gym participants expect. This results in them using steroids.
When it comes to martial arts, participants don’t need muscle growth shakes or foods in large quantities. Why? Martial art helps to make the muscles fit naturally. Furthermore, the different movements results in the burning of calories which promotes fat burning and weight loss. As a result, one’s natural eating habits are regulated much better thus eliminating food cravings. This results in one consuming a balanced meal each day.
Social gain
While gyms advertise that there are trainers available, you will find out that this is not true to some extent. Yes, there are gym trainers present but the problem is there are several attendees who need help. These strains the time gym trainers allocate each participant which ultimately results in poor learning. On the other hand, gym attendees are required to perform the same movements’ day in, day out. Within a short time, one will run out of motivation. Furthermore, their focus will also waver.
Martial art is totally different. Instead of having several trainers, only one trainer is required. He or she imparts training to all attendees from one point. This ensures that students are able to learn every movement. Furthermore, one is allowed plenty of time to practice. In a martial arts dojo, you will feel that you belong to a community. You will get to make new friends and form a stronger bond that will extend even outside the dojo. When you meet on the streets, you will recognize each other as companions and not competitors.
Final Thoughts
Martial art has so many advantages over gyms. For starters, martial art offers a safer environment unlike in the gym where you are required to lift heavy weights. The chances of you getting injured are too high. In martial arts, competition is healthy while in the gym, everyone wants to outdo each other especially when it comes to how much one can lift or their muscular size.
That is not all:
Martial art sparring is dynamic since it’s done under the watchful eye of the master. This lessens the chances of injury.
Many children join martial arts because they think it will be fun. They want to learn the moves and break boards and such. Parents think that allowing their child to join martial arts will teach them discipline and self defense. A child will learn how to protect themselves in a number of ways from attackers and those looking to cause harm to them. There are many benefits of joining a martial arts class as a child and self defense is one of them.
Self-discipline is a valuable trait that everyone should exercise. It is the art of controlling a person’s impulses, emotions, behavior, and desires. In turn, a person can resist the demand for instant gratification in favor of long term fulfillment and satisfaction. Note that the most successful people on earth exert discipline every day in various aspect of their lives. It brings structure and stability, and the world would be chaotic without discipline because everyone would do what they feel like. Additionally, it also helps people to be respectful and responsible.
“Be respectful to others” and “show some respect” are common phrases that people hear and use almost on a daily basis. Respect is due regard for feelings, wishes, or right for other people according to the Oxford Dictionary. With synonyms like politeness and courtesy, it is an essential value that everyone should have. However, there are times when it feels like there is a significant lack of respect in the globe.
