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| Why Study a Martial Art? Why study the martial arts?
Self Defense
Self-defense is often the first reason parents enroll their children in the martial arts. You will find that martial arts training is much more than a course in kicking and punching! It promotes self-confidence, assertiveness, goal orientation, calmness, and concentration.
Contrary to what parents might believe, martial arts training does not prepare children for a showdown with a bully. A bully usually has low self-esteem, and a need to feel powerful causes them to seek out others weaker than themselves. Martial artists learn to look their opponent in the eyes. Sparring teaches them to control of their breathing. Forms teach them balance, power and rapid movement. And students learn to respond to questions in a firm voice. In the most cases, the bully is defeated not by combat, but by the martial artist’s calm and confident demeanor. Your child becomes a less appealing target to them.
Grace Under Pressure
Study of the martial arts is a practical means of assertiveness training. The format is simple: apply a small amount of pressure, teach the student to handle it, then graduate slowly until the student is comfortable. Practicing and advancing in martial arts will help the student develop this grace.
Goal Orientation
The martial arts offer clear bench marks of progress that are not found in many modern-day activities. The belt ranking system bestows a different colored belt for each step up the ladder which provides a constant sense of achievement. New belt rankings are attained by passing a promotion test offered at periodic intervals. A by-product of this is learning poise in front of the instructors and an audience. Lastly, the belt system also gives them a goal to work toward – the rank of black belt.
Concentration and Schoolwork
Concentration is definitely a by-product of martial arts training. The traditional forms (a set of prescribed movements against an imaginary opponent) are lessons in focus and self-control. Maintaining a low stance, remembering each intricate move, and delivering it with power requires a great deal of concentrated effort.
Positive role models
A good martial arts school is full of positive role models in the instructors, junior leaders, and other students. Martial arts studios are places where you find ordinary people doing extraordinary things that are only possible through practice and determination! Children exposed to this type of determination have a greater chance of incorporating this attitude into their own personality.
As children advance they are given the opportunity to lead and teach in their class. This is valuable experience in developing leadership skills and confidence that will help them throughout their whole life.
Physical Benefits
Karate has physical demands that work on the child’s motor coordination. Both upper and lower body must perform intricate, coordinated movements. In a child, neurological development is a occurring at a rapid pace. Children lacking coordination may find the martial arts to be one of the best activities to develop balance and fluid movement.
Flexibility is a standard part of the martial arts training. A sport that promotes flexibility makes a young athlete less prone to injury and more flexible in later life.
Fulfilling the Need to Belong
A distinct advantage of martial arts study over team sports is that every child can participate. Unlike team sports, where a youngster may not make the cut or ends up on the bench, martial arts study lets everyone perform at his or her highest level. Children in the martial arts are often leaders in their peer group. They have an investment in their value system and things like alcohol, cigarettes and drugs are viewed as a risk to that investment! |
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