Motivation

Confidence and Martial Arts

Martial Arts for Kids – Building Confidence and So Much More

Ask an adult raised in, say, the 80s and a child today what comes to mind when they hear the word “recreation” and you are likely to get two very different answers. The adult will tell tales of spending days outdoors from sunup to sundown playing with friends, riding bikes, or spending summer days at the beach or pool. You won’t hear much, if anything at all, about fun times spent indoors. Conversely, today’s kids will answer with days spent playing video games, watching their favorite TV shows, and scrolling through their preferred social media apps. There is very little physical activity unless it involves heading to the kitchen for a snack during commercial breaks.

In fact, children are moving less than ever these days. Unless they are involved in school sports or possibly a recreational team, they are not nearly as physical as the kids of decades past. Of course, it is easy to lay the blame on technology. However, it is hard to deny that our hectic schedules are enabling our kids to become lazier than ever before. The good news is that many parents are starting to recognize this and are trying to break from the trend. They want to give their kids something fun to focus on other than a screen but other than traditional sports teams, what else is there?

Martial arts can have a multitude of positive effects on a child. These classes offer training for not only the body, but the mind and soul as well. We want our children to be fit both physically and mentally for their whole lives, not just while they are playing sports during their school years. The ways that kids can benefit from this activity are vast, so let’s touch on a few changes you can expect to see in your child once they begin their training.

Bullies Will Think Twice About Messing With Your Kid

It’s no secret that bullying is a tremendous problem in our schools, on our playgrounds, and even online. A bully preys on someone that they perceive to be weak and defenseless. Kids that take martial arts classes are learning self defense as well as self-discipline. The discipline enables them to just ignore a bully and walk away but they will also know how to defend themselves if need be. A bully will detect that your child is not prey and look somewhere else to start a problem.

Self-Confidence that They Will Carry With Them Forever

Knowing that they can handle themselves in any situation will go a long way toward bolstering a kid’s self-confidence. It will give them the courage to stand up for themselves and others and to speak their minds. Instilling this kind of confidence in a child at an early age gives them an advantage heading into adulthood as they will already know how to carry themselves. They will also know how to interact with others respectfully, even if they have a difference of opinion.

They Won’t Become “Followers”

Many children, by no fault of their own, often find themselves becoming followers of a more dominate figure in their social circle. However, a child learning karate or judo for example, will be exposed to strong examples of leaders in the form of their instructors. They will use them as a model to follow when they encounter a group that is missing leadership. Kids also learn the significance of teamwork and the importance of team leadership, which will serve them well in adulthood.

Learning How to Fail is as Important as Learning to Succeed

Most children are inherently shy. They are afraid of looking foolish in front of their friends or people that they hold in high esteem. Learning confidence through martial training will help to alleviate this fear. Their instructors will impart to them that perfection is not the ultimate goal. They will learn that progress is far more important than always being perfect and that they will have to fail occasionally in order to succeed.

It’s a Fun Workout that Will Combat Obesity

Kids today are battling excess weight more than any generation before them. Combine an increase in fast food intake with a decrease in daily activity and the result can be devastating to a child’s self esteem. Obesity opens a child up to bullying as well as an array of possible health issues. Martial training is a fantastic way to get a kid in shape and keep them that way. They will be burning calories while learning an important skill and having fun the whole time!

It Increases Focus and Mental Stamina

Focus is one of the seven skills that a child learns in martial training and it can benefit them far beyond the studio. A kid focused in the classroom is obviously going to do better than their peer who isn’t. As an adult in the workplace, the ability to focus on the task at hand is a very valuable skill. The mental stamina that is acquired during training helps a child become aware of their responsibilities and enables them to be disciplined.

Martial arts can do so much more for a child than teach them self defense. It bolsters confidence, which increases self esteem. A good class provides structure as well as a place for kids who are still growing into their bodies to learn coordination. It’s also a safe space for a child to chop and kick out their extra energy or frustration while figuring out how to do it with control. Learning how to listen to and respect others along with conflict resolution are also invaluable skills that will serve them well for their whole lives.

The sense of accomplishment that a child feels when they make progress is incomparable. The feeling of success, knowing that it came from setting goals and accomplishing them, is unparalleled. Taking off one belt and replacing it with one representing the next level can boost a kid’s morale like nothing else. It’s these moments that a child will carry with them forever as wonderful memories made while learning some of life’s greatest lessons.

 

The post Confidence and Martial Arts appeared first on Better Kids Institute.

Confidence and Martial Arts

A child’s confidence can be a very fragile thing. It takes a very long time to build up, but only moments to completely break down. If you have a child that’s dealing with poor self-esteem or bullying, you might be frantically searching for a way to build your child back up before despair can talk hold. While there are many viable solutions out there, there’s one tried-and-true method that has helped many children who might be in a situation like your own. When it comes to making a child more confident, nothing seems to have as much of an impact as taking up the martial arts.

The first thing that any parent should know about martial arts is that they are not inherently about fighting or violence. While they certainly involve fighting and techniques that can be used in fights, the vast majority of classes teach restraint and self-control. These are skills meant to be used entirely within the classroom and in competition, skills that are more akin to what one would learn in any other sport than those about which parents should have misgivings. Children who participate in a martial art are no more likely to get in fights than any others, but they are more likely to exercise the self-control that they are taught while in class.

If fighting’s not the point, you might wonder exactly why your child might take a martial art. For most, it’s primarily about learning how to have control over one’s own body and mind. Excelling in any martial art requires a child to learn how to follow directions, replicate instructions precisely, and follow through in a manner that will lead to direct results. For most children, simply being taught that they have the ability to see something and then to accomplish the same task can be incredibly rewarding.

There’s also the life skills that are taught in these classes to consider. These arts require a great deal of not only external instruction but also internal motivation. Those students who excel do so because they try harder and work towards goals. Being able to see that one’s ambition is rewarded can make a huge difference for a child who is grappling with issues of self-doubt while having an external reward for self-discipline can be very useful for those students who have difficulty accepting the fact that following a code of behavior can actually lead to worthwhile results.

There are physical results to practicing a martial, of course. Students who come into their first lesson and feel uncomfortable with their bodies will soon see the benefits of attending regular lessons. It’s not just about getting into shape, though most techniques do help to improve a child’s muscle tone and cardiovascular help. In many cases, it’s about allowing the child to see his or her body as something that is useful and worthwhile. In a world where positive body image is so hard to come by, these techniques can really help children who are in dark places.

For children who deal with bullying, it’s hard not to see why the physical activity builds up confidence. When a child knows that he or she has the ability to protect himself or herself, something special happens. It’s not that the child chooses to engage in fights or in other types of violence, but rather that the child becomes less afraid of those would bully him or her. For many, there’s a moment of realization that occurs when he or she realizes that even the worst bully has very little ability to actually case him or her real pain.

An instructor also helps to build up a child’s confidence in a way that precludes violence. He or she is taught to practice the techniques as a way of building a person up, not tearing another person down. Instead of being a sport that is defined by trying to hurt people, these arts are defined by self-improvement. When dealing with a bully, then, most students are able to look past the initial moments of conflict and pain and are able to use the lessons that they’ve learned to extricate themselves from the situation without ever having to lay a hand on the other party.

Finally, a good martial art helps a child to become part of a community. The early stages of most lessons involve a student being part of a much larger group, full of students who are on or near their own level. If they have trouble with a technique, they can count on more experienced classmates to help them. If they can excel, they’ll be expected to do the same for others who aren’t quite on the same level. It’s a great way to help a lonely child feel like he or she is part of something bigger.

This community aspect also gives a child the motivation to do better. Achieving a new rank isn’t just about pride, it’s about advancing one’s place in the overall community. Becoming more successful should always lead to more responsibility, so children are given the ability to gain new skills that they can then use to help others. Being thrust into this kind of leadership role can absolutely work wonders for those who suffer from poor self-esteem or for those who just don’t think that they have anything worthwhile to contribute to the world at large.

If you have a child that you feel isn’t confident or doesn’t value himself or herself enough, enrolling in a martial art may be the best thing that he or she can do. It will build him or her up both physically and mentally and will allow your child to become part of a larger group. Though not everyone will excel in the physical aspects of these lessons, every child who takes up martial art is given the chance to learn valuable social and emotional lessons. It is often these lessons that lead to the greatest amount of change in those who truly need the most help.

The post Confidence and Martial Arts appeared first on Better Kids Institute.