So can the martial arts really help kids get better grades in school? After all, what’s Karate got to do with math or science or reading?
Well on the surface, nothing. But that’s not the sole reason people get better grades. They get better grades because they develop strong and good habits that promote learning, knowledge retention, focus, and discipline. Then when those things are applied to a given subject, getting a good grade is a sure bet and a certainty.
So when considered in this light, then the answer is absolutely, yes, the martial arts can and do help kids get better grades. And that’s all because of the environment in which the martial arts are taught, and the methodology used to teach.
The first means by which martial arts helps kids get better grades is through discipline. Discipline is practiced throughout a martial arts class and it’s among the first lessons a student learns to apply. They learn through a strict obedience to the instructors wishes and requirements of the art. A student has to learn to pay attention because they or another student could get hurt if they don’t. They have to learn how to perform the actions the instructor teaches, then they have to learn how to illustrate those before the instructor in order to advance to the next belt or rank. And learning how to master the techniques that the instructor teaches requires study in its own course. A student has to learn in precisely the way the instructor desires.
This naturally also requires that a student practice and learn knowledge retention. Discipline aids in this. So the retention of knowledge is another key aspect of martial arts that aids students and kids in achieving better grades.
The instructor will show the students how to perform a certain technique, and the students have to learn how to master that so they can illustrate it later. But the most important aspect here is knowledge retention. They have to learn how to do it the way they were taught because their safety as well as the safety of others relies upon this. So through the course of practice, and discipline students become well practiced in retaining what they’ve learned. This is also important because they’ll need those lessons of previous ranks or belts in order to build upon them and achieve the following rank or belt. So in essence a black belt has to know and remember all the things they learned as a beginner or white belt.
So we have discipline and knowledge retention to begin with. There’s also positivity and motivation. This is a big one, especially for kids, because it can be easy to get distressed, discouraged, and depressed when they feel down. They’re wrestling with emotional controls and maturity. But with positivity and motivation they can effectively counter that negativity, that sense of self image they have that can be damaging if it isn’t countered. That’s because people are creatures of habit, and just as we can form positive habits, we can form negative ones as well. We’ve all seen that one person who always seems down, who never seems to see the positive side of things. That’s because they’ve conditioned themselves to be that way over time. They’ve conditioned themselves to expect less, and to seldom accept that they can win, they can achieve goals and overcome challenges. And that’s something that martial arts excels at. It is built upon a foundation of achievement. Students learn that there are challenges, there are difficulties, there are trying times that will test them and are designed to. But they’ll learn that if they call upon all the lessons they learn in the martial arts they can achieve and overcome.
And this brings them to self confidence, because success breeds confidence. What that means is a person who succeeds, who works hard to overcome something earns confidence. And the more they succeed the more confident they become in what they can accomplish.
So this essentially translates to a kid’s ability to process and overcome setbacks.
Setbacks are simply a thing they will encounter in life. Things aren’t always going to be easy.
But if a person deals with those setbacks in a positive way, if they can move past them, and see that it’s only temporary, and they can overcome whatever challenge it is that is hard for them, they’ll excel, and they’ll achieve, and they’ll learn that they can get good grades consistently.
Throughout their time in the martial arts kids learn a great many things that translate into positive life skills that help them as they grow older to become well adjusted, productive members of society. And it is through the combination of these many smaller, but no less important skills that they learn how to apply them and how to discipline and orient themselves toward a goal. Indeed, everyday that they attend class is a learning experience, and it’s done in such a way that allows them to clearly see how they can apply those same lessons to their lives outside the martial arts school.
So absolutely, yes, the martial arts helps kids get better grades because it teaches them necessary skills they apply to the practice of getting those grades.
A child learns to pay closer attention to their teacher, they learn how to study with more focus and they learn the value of working hard to get those good grades. They can see beyond getting the good grade, and see what that accomplishment will do for them in terms of opening up further and greater opportunities.
Article reposted with permission from Go2Karate.com.