Here are five reasons you should enroll your child in the martial arts. They’re five reasons we feel are important to consider not only for their short term, but especially for the long term benefits they offer any child. So let’s get into them.
Positive self image
Positive self image is definitely a compelling reason to enroll your child in the martial arts. Kids are impressionable, and easily discouraged, and if they aren’t properly prepared with a healthy image of themselves, they can easily fall prey to self damaging behaviors, notions, and depression which leaves them even more vulnerable to even greater dangers down the line. A child that gets told they’re fat may decide they’re never going to amount to anything else but being fat. So they engage in behaviors that promote that because it’s what they’ve come to expect of themselves. They overeat, they eat bad things, they stop exercising or being active. And these things become habits, and habit becomes nature. And the next thing they know entire years can pass, their whole lifespan as a child is damaged and hampered, and their ability to function as a productive adult is already compromised, setting them up for further and greater failures in life.
Developing and having a positive self image based on real accomplishments and successes is crucial to creating a strong and healthy belief system around themselves and what they can achieve. And when we say a positive self image based on real accomplishments we mean it, because it is vital to understand that if their image is based on real accomplishments, they won’t be so easily damaged or influenced by the very real negative forces that will be acting against them as they navigate through childhood, and more especially into adulthood. They have to be armed against that vulnerability, and adequately protected by knowledge of what they can truly accomplish when they set themselves to succeed and overcome challenges.
Discipline and structure is a second reason children should be enrolled in the martial arts. The entirety of the environment and class experience is built on a foundation of discipline and structure. And it provides this in a child’s life, as well as teaching them the value and importance of having it in life, and how they can utilize it to make their lives better. Discipline and structure allows kids to have consistency in life, regularity, uniformity, so that they can understand the importance of using that for positive change, self analysis, and self improvement. Change can be exciting, the idea of adventure and difference, and while that certainly has a positive place of its own in life, discipline and structure should be the norm from which they operate. It helps them plan, and focus, learn, and grow in a safely controlled environment. And it helps them to understand that that is how much of the world operates around them as they grow older.
Challenge and activity is a third, and also very important reason to enroll your kids in the martial arts. Challenge helps kids grow, and mature. It helps them understand the importance of setting goals, understanding problems, engaging their critical thinking skills and gathering unto themselves all the tools they will need to overcome that obstacle. And furthermore it provides them with a very real and solid sense of success and accomplishment when they do overcome challenges. Activity helps them remain healthy and strong, it helps them grow and understand what they can achieve when they set their minds to building a better example of themselves. Activity helps them form good habits and avoid negative ones. And it helps them develop into stable, positive, productive adults who are eager to do more and enjoy life more.
Empathy and reason is a fourth aspect of the martial arts that represent a strong and good reason why your child should be enrolled in the martial arts. The martial arts teaches reason because a student has to listen closely, follow instruction, demonstrate what they’ve learned and utilize it on a regular basis to advance. It engages their critical thinking skills because as they compete and train with one another they have to formulate strategies within an instance of time, whether it is wise to attack or defend, how to do so, when to judge properly whether they should take a particular action. The martial arts teaches empathy for others because they learn respect. From the moment they enter the school they show respect to the instructor who shows respect to them. And they show respect to their classmates and receive it as well. They learn to treat others as they would want to be treated. They train rigorously and learn in a safe and controlled environment what it’s like to take a hit, and they learn that sometimes it hurts. So they learn wisdom along with their strength, and a mind governed by empathy for others around them because they are shown that empathy by others around them. And that is a crucial aspect of character every child should possess because it teaches them not to be a bully, not to bully others or be cruel to them because they don’t like it being done to themselves. So they learn to value and share empathy with other children, and other people. And that’s the belief system they’ll base further beliefs on as they grow older and mature.
And finally self defense is the fifth reason, and perhaps the most notable because it’s the most commonly known reason for why kids are enrolled in the martial arts. And it’s certainly true. The martial arts is without doubt one of the very best and most efficient systems through which a child can learn self defense. It strengthens the body, sharpens the mind, and teaches kids that they don’t have to be victims. They don’t have to suffer at the hands of a bully. They have a right to self defense, they have a right to not be a victim. It’s a simple, and sad, but valuable truth that the world can sometimes be violent and kids need to understand that. And they need to be equipped with the tools to adequately defend themselves and others around them.
Ultimately these things help kids develop a confidence in themselves that is based firmly within a track record of success, because success breeds confidence. The more they succeed, the more confidence they will earn for themselves.
And they learn that that comes through the practice and engagement of many qualities, discipline, focus, hard work, good listening skills, cooperation and empathy for others.
They learn that it comes through helping, and being helped.
Article reposted with permission from Go2Karate.com.