Are you experiencing undesirable behaviors in your children? Such as tantrums, disrespectful language, selective listening, and physical fighting with siblings or classmates? Or are you worried about bullying now that kids are going back to school? Parents often reach out to us and ask how martial arts can help teach their children respect, self-control, discipline, and self-defense. They often ask what the best age is to start their child in a martial arts program. We also receive calls from parents whose children are the victims of bullying – or acting out as the bully. They reach out to us to find ways to strengthen the children’s confidence and teach them tools that will empower them.
When children increase their self-confidence and improve coordination, they are better prepared to handle difficult situations and often stand up for others. Martial Arts has become increasingly popular as the secret ingredient to anti-bullying efforts. Enrolling your child in a martial arts program can have countless physical, emotional, and mental health benefits. We find such joy in introducing kids to training with our kid’s martial arts program as young as 6 years old! It’s never too late to start learning important life skills.
Are you curious about some of the benefits your child could gain from starting a martial arts program? Check out these top 10 benefits of martial arts for children…
Our children have the incredible opportunity to positively impact the world by staying active, and healthy, and rising up to help others. Martial Arts provide the total system to help them achieve all of their goals. The long-term effect of the benefits of martial arts will be seen throughout their lives. When choosing a dojo, it’s important to understand the style of teaching and the student-teacher ratio. KSD offers a trial class to see what we are about and how we can help your child reach their full potential. We want parents and children to feel comfortable with who we are and how we teach!
- Self-Defense: Our training program focuses on body alignment as well as the proper form for kicking, punching, sparring, and technique. Martial Arts is a reality-based art form. In life, we all have to learn how to “take” hits and get back up. Accepting how to get hit, teaches kids how to relax, better respond, and actually protect themselves better. Whether in the dojo or on the playground, learning how to maneuver and anticipate a hit, makes them wiser on how to actually avoid getting hit.
- Individual Growth: Martial Arts targets the student’s own self-improvement. This eliminates any stress that children feel if they have anxiety about team competition or letting down anyone on their team. The routines are broken down into patterns and they work on their own specific goals.
- Self-Discipline and Good Decision-Making Skills: What is self-discipline? It’s learning how to pay attention and focus on one’s self to act accordingly so they are able to complete a task in a timely matter at school or when home with mom or dad. Self-discipline is an important life skill to master so your child understands how to successfully achieve their goals in martial arts training as well as in life. An important by-product of self-control is good decision-making skills. As parents, we know that while we do our best to protect them, we cannot keep them in bubbles. Making good decisions for themselves when they are in difficult situations is huge for their self-confidence as well.
- Mind-Body-Spirit Connection: The basis of our program believes in impacting every student’s mind, body, and spirit as a whole. As we know kids are getting “lazier, crazier, and moodier” due to too much screen time. Psychology Today explains how “interactive screen time is more likely to cause sleep, mood, and cognitive issues because it’s more likely to cause hyperarousal and compulsive use.” Martial Arts is a total body workout that is high energy and full of fun. Our instructors value teaching children how to keep active, make healthier food choices, and how to really listen to their body.
- Team Work and Social Interactions: Our curriculum creates a healthy environment for kids to socialize together and understand that there are situations when working together in groups is necessary. As the child’s character and respect develop through martial arts, they learn that we are better together when we work as a team in school or are part of a community. As an added bonus, kids love to be in our classes with their friends and are often smiling, laughing, and having fun! The students develop friendships and experience being part of a team.
- Anti-Bullying Education: Unfortunately, bullying is still a real issue for young people of all ages. Bullying behavior is intentional and shows up in many forms. In our kid’s martial arts program, we talk about methods on how to deal with bullies before the repeated aggressive behavior is traumatic and causes issues for children such as anxiety, anger, depression, changes in eating and sleep patterns, and decreased interest in activities that used to bring him or her joy.
- Conflict Resolution: Martial Arts promotes a peaceful approach to conflict resolution. Students are taught proper form, ways to fine-tune motor skills and physical coordination. We teach them that physical combat is always a last resort. But if a child is in a dangerous situation, they will have the ability to defend themselves with strength and body awareness.
- Coordination and Motor Skills: Our program builds strong bodies, and physical coordination and helps kids fine-tune their motor skills. Increasing muscular strength and improving general well-being will support children with other activities such as dancing, art projects, soccer, baseball, or football.
- Balance and Posture: As we know, 6-year-olds usually don’t think about their balance or if their spine is in alignment. This skill set is critical for their little, growing bodies. If a child has poor posture, this will lead to improper breathing, cramped organs, jaw pain, and intestinal problems. Through balanced movement and age-appropriate skills and drills, children naturally correct their posture and improve their balance.
- Making Friends: KSD Martial Arts Unleashed understands how making friends is an important part of everyone’s childhood. We want to help young people make new friends while teaching them the important concepts of sharing, compassion, respect, listening, and conflict resolution. Our team provides activities such as game days and movie nights throughout the year to provide other ways for the students to interact.
