The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Children
There are countless benefits of martial arts for children, including, but certainly not limited to:
- Discipline
- Balance and Coordination
- Improved Concentration
- Critical Thinking and Decision Making
- Emotional Control
- Physical Control
- Self Defence Skills
- Respect
- Social Interactivity
- Confidence
The above list is in no specific order, with each forming equal amounts of the benefits of martial arts for children.
Discipline
Although the below list is not in any specific order, Discipline is a great way to start our top 10 benefits of Martial Arts For Children.
This is a common idea that most carry when thinking of martial arts. Therefore it has become a driving factor in most parents decision to start their child in a martial arts class.
Discipline is evidently deep routed in martial art history, and for good reason. In order to learn an art such as Kickboxing, you need to have enough discipline to take part.
This discipline isn’t simply the instructors shouting at the children and enforcing a draconian standard, it’s much deeper than that.
The discipline, at least in my children’s Kickboxing Classes in Bristol, is from a mutual respect between instructor and student. More on this later.
As any martial art follows a strict code on conduct, children will learn how to apply discipline in their training but also in themselves. Forming not only good discipline when they do something, but also in how they do something.
For example, most dojos adopt a bow, to show respect to the instructor, the dojo, and the other students. The bow needs to be performed correctly and with intention, not something you are able to give 10% effort to.
When performing small disciplined and structured acts, like the bow, it enforces great self discipline within children. As I describe discipline during my Little Ninjas Bristol classes, Discipline is when you do something right, even when nobody is watching.
Balance and Coordination
Another one of the benefits of martial arts for children, comes in a more physical sense. Through the increase of balance and coordination.
As you can imagine, to take part in any martial art, will require a certain level of balance. This is due ,primarily to most arts including the use of kicking.
Within my Children’s Kickboxing Classes in Bristol, we focus greatly on balancing drills to increase the children’s efficiency when kicking.
The majority of Martial Arts will have Children performing techniques that their bodies will have never done before. This is a great way to develop strong balance at a young age.
Much like Balance, martial arts will also increase coordination. This is achieved from not just striking, but striking a specific target.
Most martial arts schools will devote a certain amount of time to what is called pad work. This is when the children will use their skills to strike specifically designed equipment in a safe manner.
During this element of training, it will skyrocket hand (and foot) eye connection, as they will need to hit a target with laser like precision.
The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Children
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Improved concentration
It will come as no surprise, given what we have covered above, that Martial Arts will improve concentration in children.
Todays society is one that centres around technology, even more so for our children. Unfortunately, along with the advancement of technology, has come the decline in concentration within children.
Martial Arts classes will enable a child to focus their attention on something away from the computer screen. This gives them the chance to really boost their concentration in a more practical way.
As Martial arts, especially children’s kickboxing, requires a high level of concentration, it’s understandable to grasp how important this would be.
Critical Thinking and Decision Making
As with the above, technology is also decreasing children’s ability in critical thinking and decision making. To be fair, the world itself has a tendency to take away our ability to think for ourselves.
Most tasks we complete today are done subconsciously. Traffic lights tell us when to stop or go, we have to be at work at a specific time and complete specific tasks. The ability of critical thinking and decision making, is one that will enable your child to truly thrive in todays society.
Martial Arts will arm your child with the ability to make more thought-out, and fact driven decisions. Additionally, your child will learn more emotional control, which we go into next, forming a strong base to make more fact driven decisions and think more critically.
The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Children
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Emotional Control
I think we can all agree on this. At some points in our life, we have made an decision based on emotion. Additionally, we have all definitely acted based on emotional triggers.
Emotional control is something that humans as a whole, wish they had more of. It’s easy for us to lose emotional control, act in a specific way, and then almost instantly regret it.
Something I like to teach in my Little Ninja’s Classes in Bristol, is what we do when we feel our emotions taking control. You can ask any of my Little Ninja Students and they will answer this question the same.
“What is the first thing we do when we are faced with an experience that causes us to feel strong emotions?” WE STAY CALM, TAKE A BREATH AND RELAX.
This is a skill we can all benefit from, the ability to face a situation with facts and figures, away from emotion.
Physical Control
Not only is emotional control an amazing benefit of martial arts for children, but physical control is also an important aspect.
One of the main things children will learn during any martial arts class, especially Kickboxing Classes in Bristol, is the ability to physically defend themselves if the situation calls for no other option.
More importantly, children will learn when, and when not, to use their new found self defence skills.
Additionally, children will learn more about their bodies and gain a better control over them. Using repetition in a fun and exciting way, children will gain strength in core muscles. Consequently, this growth in strength will lead to a gain in physical control.
The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Children
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Self Defence Skills
This is probably one of the most obvious benefits of Martial Arts for Children.
Lets face it, the world is not a safe place. And at times, through no fault of their own, our children may find themselves in a situation where they need to physically defend themselves.
A common misconception of martial arts, is that they will teach your child to fight. This is simply not true. But what it will do, especially in our Children’s Kickboxing Classes in Bristol, is it will teach your child the necessary skill set to defend themselves physically if there is no other option.
Of course we hope this will never happen to our children, but it’s as the old saying goes. It’s better to be a warrior in the garden, than a gardener in the war.
Respect
This is a huge ethic around all martial arts. One in which is will always be present and always a focal point within martial arts schools.
Respect is something that has grown weaker and weaker as time has progressed. Im not sure about you, but during my youth, all I had to do was see a police officer and it would create a feeling of respect.
These days, too many children will see an authority figure and think of ways to challenge it, rather than respect it. Now don’t get me wrong, challenging authority, if done correctly and respectfully, can result in a good outcome. But these days, it comes from a place of disrespect and entitlement.
Martial Arts will aid children in not only creating an ethic of respect for others, but also one of self respect, which is a very valuable ethic to learn early on in life.
Social Interactivity
Over the past few years, we have seen some of the most life changing events the world has ever seen. Consequently, with the rise of the coronavirus, it has limited the social interactions, not only in adults, but more importantly in children.
Social interactions are amazingly important for children. As it helps them to develop valuable skills that will aid them later on in life.
Increasing social interactivity is one of the best benefits of martial arts for children. As martial arts, especially in my children’s kickboxing classes in Bristol, given them a place away from school where they can interact with other like minded children.
I have seen countless life long friendships grown from a love of martial arts in children.
The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Children
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Confidence
With the 9 benefits of martial arts for children we have covered above, the growth of self confidence is inevitable.
Through developing critical self defence skills, boosting balance and coordination, increasing discipline, focus and respect, creating an environment for valuable social interactions and boosting emotional and physical control, its plain to see how a child’s self confidence will grow tremendously.
Self confidence is something all children should have, and with Martial Arts, especially our Little Ninja’s Classes in Bristol, a child can boost and grow self confidence every day.