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 the purposes of this blog, the best 4 benefits are- healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. Not too shabby, right? Read on to find out more
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 worth teaching your child early on about how to cope with and manage the stresses of day to day life- in a constructive way.
That’s where martial arts comes in! One of the benefits of martial arts for kids is that they can exert their physical AND mental energy in a safe environment.
Our instructors are super sneaky (like ninjas!) in how they teach important life skills that help your little one succeed outside of the dojo, including stress management.
They have a real passion for teaching martial arts to kids, 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
Stress and challenges are just a part of life- and kids need to be equipped with how to handle them!.
All humans, including your child, are 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 practice their instrument – they’ll say they just don’t “feel like” doing either of them.
But our world-class instructors teach them how to stay strong and do the right thing in order to keep up their healthy habits.
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 do, they feel absolutely amazing – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always puts a smile on parent’s faces! One of the BEST 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 be still and listen intently to the authority figure in front of them, we see those skills translate to the classroom.
Instead of losing their attention to the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their deskmate is doing…
They keep their attention on their teacher, and actually learn better than their peers. Kind of awesome, right? And that self-control and focus are key components of kids martial arts that they’ll carry with them FOREVER.
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 gain the confidence they need to stand up for themselves AND others in a non-violent way.
First, we build their confidence. As our young martial arts students see themselves improving on the mat – perfecting their punches and kicks, gaining better coordination, and learning new moves after lots of practice- they gain confidence they’ve never had before in being able to accomplish so much!
We also instruct our students to NEVER misuse their martial arts outside of class – instead of their fists, they learn that their VOICE is their weapon.
We teach them how to articulate themselves 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. Best part of the job! Hopefully now you see that the benefits of martial arts for kids go far beyond just self defense- martial arts is more of a mindset, or a way of life, that promotes success far beyond the dojo! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Martial Arts classes right here at our school!
