The list of benefits of martial arts for kids could seriously go on forever- that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But for brevity’s sake, the best 4 benefits are- healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. Pretty awesome right? Check them out below…
1. Stress Less
From juggling unprecedented issues like cyberbullying and social media pressures to making friends in a socially distanced world, kids nowadays are stressed way earlier than any kid should be.
Stress is a part of life, so it’s important early on to teach your child about how to cope with and manage the stresses of day to day life- in a positive way. That constructive outlet IS kids martial arts. One of the benefits of martial arts for kids is that it takes place in an environment where kids can not only find a physical outlet for all their energy and worries, but they can find a mental one, too.
Our instructors are quite sneaky (like a ninja! ;)) in how they teach important life skills that help your little one succeed outside of the dojo, including stress management. Their life passion is teaching martial arts to your little one, and they pass along their own sense of discipline and perseverance to your little one with every class they attend! Which leads us to…
2. Discipline and Perseverance
It’s so important for kids to learn not only stress management, but also discipline and perseverance. Every person, including your little one, is faced with tough decisions and mountains they need strength to overcome, and kids are no exception! Whether it’s a math test they’re studying for or an audition for a lead role they want to knock out of the park, your little one will be tested in many ways over the course of their childhood that they’ll need discipline and perseverance to complete.
Martial arts for kids is so fun- trust us!- but it is definitely challenging sometimes- and that’s intentional.
There will be days when your child doesn’t want to come to class, just like there will be days when they won’t want to do their chores – they’ll say they just don’t “feel like” doing either of them. But our world-class instructors teach them how to dig deep and find self-discipline to keep on keepin’ on. If a student is struggling to break a board, maybe they’re crying or feel like they can’t do it- we’re not giving up on them. All of us, instructors and classmates included, are going to rally around that student and cheer them on. Because they CAN do it, and when they finally do, they feel on top of the world – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always puts a smile on parent’s faces! One of the GREATEST benefits of martial arts for kids is that it helps improve your child’s grades. How? Well, as we mentioned, they learn how to stick with their goals, which helps them stick it out when doing their homework or during a long school day. But perhaps one of the best benefits of martial arts for kids is that it helps them improve their BEHAVIOR.
When our students learn how to control their bodies and listen to their instructors, we see those skills transfer to the classroom. Instead of wiggling in their seats and dividing their attention between the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their deskmate is doing… They give their full attention to their teacher, and actually learn better than their peers. Pretty cool, right? And that body coordination and focus are key components of kids martial arts that they’ll carry with them well into adulthood.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of martial arts for kids, this one might be the most unexpected. We’re really keen on building our students up to be BULLYPROOF, meaning they learn the skills they need to stand up to bullies and resist being picked on in a non-violent way. First, we help them grow their confidence. As our young martial arts students notice themselves improving in the dojo – perfecting their punches and kicks, gaining better coordination, and learning new moves after lots of practice- they become more confident in their ability to “do hard things.” We also teach our students not to use their martial arts outside of the dojo – instead of their fists, they learn that their VOICE is their weapon. We teach them how to speak confidently and assert themselves to our instructors, their peers, and the classroom bully, to stand up for themselves AND others. It’s incredible, and we’re very proud of our Bullyproof kids!
Conclusion
So- did these benefits surprise you? We’re not surprised at all! We see it time and time again- kids walk in the door with behavioral issues, low self-esteem, or difficulty focusing, and they walk out the door with improvement in all these areas and a HUGE smile on their face. Hands down, it’s our favorite part of our jobs! Hopefully now you see that the benefits of martial arts for kids go far beyond just self defense- martial arts is a life-changing tool that promotes success far beyond the mat! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Martial Arts classes right here at our school!