Martial arts has emerged in recent years as not only one of the fastest rising sports in the world but also as a viable option for a health and fitness program. It has many benefits that go beyond just physical exercise. In fact, training in martial arts has different effects based on age.
One of the best things about martial arts is that it is open to people of all ages. Whether you are a senior looking for an engaging new fitness routine to reclaim your youthful exuberance, or a child just beginning to find your footing in this world — martial arts is for everyone.
Martial arts is particularly beneficial for children. During a child’s formative years, it is important to expose him/her to the proper environment where they can learn and develop various physical and interpersonal skills.
Understanding his/her own physical capabilities and learning how to socially interact with his/her peers are both essential to a child’s personal growth. Martial arts provides a unique environment conducive to incredible growth and much more.
Let’s dive deeper into how martial arts impacts the lives of our children, and how it enhances their physical, mental, and emotional capacities.
1) It helps them with setting goals
Martial arts helps children understand how to set both short and long-term goals. Training is both process driven and results oriented. There is always a clear path to every achievement. Through constant training, children learn how to create their path to greatness by setting goals.
Furthermore, martial arts has the power to help us get in touch with our inner being, as we discover our capabilities and potential. By learning who we are and what we can do, martial arts serves as a catalyst for unleashing our greatness.
Martial arts helps children to trust the process and understand the value of hard work. This is important because children begin to develop various habits that they will carry into adulthood. Martial arts can help our children learn how to set goals for themselves.
2) It helps them become better students in school
Studies and school are a very important aspect of our children’s lives, and of course, we want them to do well. However, school can also prove to be a very stressful and strenuous time for kids.
Luckily for us, martial arts directly affects how well our kids do in school, and it’s definitely something we should take advantage of.
By training in martial arts, children are given the perfect after-school activity to participate in. Furthermore, martial arts improves their sharpness, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and interpersonal intelligence — all critical to their learning and development in school.
As parents, we are tasked with finding ways to keep our children motivated and wanting to learn as much as they can.
3) It develops them into leaders of tomorrow
One of the most important benefits martial arts has for children is that it develops leadership skills. By accustoming children to operate in a thriving team environment, they discover how to work together to achieve common and individual goals.
Because they are given a grasp of how a team functions, they begin to understand the importance leadership plays in success. Even more, they are taught how to lead and inspire their peers whether by example or by direction. Either way, children learn and grow in many different ways during training.
While school plays a significant role in a child’s development, there are things that cannot be learned in a classroom environment. Martial arts gives students the power to educate and help others. It builds confidence and develops critical interpersonal skills.
As children progress through their martial arts training, they gain tangible leadership skills that they can use in the real world.
4) It helps them overcome stress and anxiety
Stress and anxiety is a real problem, not only for children but for everyone. But most especially in children, stress and anxiety must be dealt with accordingly.
The minds of children are highly-absorbent. Things that happen early in their lives directly translate into the kind of people they will become. Whether it is pressure to perform in school or fit into their social circles, children go through a lot of stress and anxiety, perhaps even more than we truly realize.
Of course, it is our duty as parents and guardians to steer our children toward the right path. One of our most critical functions is to teach our children how to deal with stress and anxiety.
Martial arts is one of the best stress relieving activities that can help children cope with stress. Through its practice, it has the ability to improve many aspects of our daily lives.
One way martial arts helps with stress is by clearing the mind. It teaches kids to remain calm, even under immense pressure, and mentally prepares them for handling problems and the stress that comes with it.
5) It teaches them self-defense
As parents and guardians, we have to make sure that our children are safe at all times, away from any physical threats or harm. When the time comes that they must deal with physical threats, like childhood bullying for example, it is our responsibility to ensure our children are well-equipped to defend themselves if the need arises.
Martial arts isn’t fighting, it is a system of self-defense principles aimed at improving the human capacity, and resolving conflict with the best resolution.
There may come a time in our children’s lives that they are faced with a situation wherein they have to protect themselves or those around them. In this day and age, when childhood and school bullying are happening right under our watch, self-defense is an essential life skill at an early age.
Make sure your children are equipped with the knowledge of self-defense. More importantly, make sure your children are given the gift of martial arts.