Character Development Through Martial Arts
Many studios around the country offer Kids Karate and Tae Kwon Do as extracurricular activities. Undoubtedly, martial arts provide excellent exercise, but there are also other ways your children can enjoy exercise, so why even pick martial arts?
As many martial arts pioneers recognized, training in a physical defense system brings mental and emotional rewards beyond physical health. Parents often send their kids to martial arts programs to help them build character. Martial arts are a great way for kids to build their character because they require more than just physical skills.
Discipline
First, martial arts can help every child develop discipline. We’ve all seen the Hollywood martial arts movie stereotype of an older master reprimanding his young student for lack of discipline. We use cliches because we’ve come to believe them to be true – martial arts are a great way to teach a child to be disciplined.
Why stress discipline in children?
The easiest way to address this issue is to remember that no matter how brilliant an individual might be if they do not have the discipline to use their talents in a constant manner, they won’t have as much success as they normally would if they were disciplined. Character, especially discipline, helps children succeed in life. Most worthwhile goals take time. Because learning martial arts takes a long time, students must practice regularly over time. Getting a child involved in a long-term activity that requires consistent effort builds discipline.
Patience
Patience is among the most important traits that martial arts can teach a child, and it’s also among the most essential attributes for success in life. In our instant-gratification world, where kids are used to high-speed internet and fast food, martial arts has no shortcuts or fast forwards. Martial arts take a lifetime to master; there’s no fast fix. Mastering a move requires repeated repetition until the right form takes hold.
In today’s world, teaching children patience is greatly neglected. Telling them to wait until after dinner to watch TV won’t teach them patience as well as martial arts. Your youngster learns the value of patience in martial arts. Nothing is more fulfilling than a child who practices a new technique for hours before ultimately succeeding.
Focus
Many parents struggle to get their children to focus on schoolwork and other tasks. Parents understand that a child’s ability to focus is crucial for their future success. Children who can’t focus in school becomes an adult who can’t focus on their job. The capacity to focus on a job for lengthy periods of time is frequently what distinguishes people with equal capability.
In a world where cell phones and entertainment are always available, martial arts help kids develop the focus they need for success and good character. Martial arts require attention throughout practice, which helps trainees focus. Students must focus on their instructor and practice to master methods. Sparring with other kids tests their focus, since lack of attention results in a quick loss.
Confidence
Discipline and focus come to mind when thinking about building character, but we can’t overlook the importance of confidence. A kid who lacks confidence may avoid academic initiatives or social interactions that would benefit them.
Developing character entails building children’s confidence. Yet, building a child’s confidence is typically perceived as a process of showering continual praise. Self-confidence must be developed by the individual. Confidence is the conviction in one’s success. Martial arts is the perfect training ground for boosting confidence. Your child may make efforts at success through practice, ultimately improving their self-confidence.
Building children’s character is a parent’s top responsibility. Every child needs discipline, patience, focus, and self-confidence to be successful in life. These traits commonly separate average and above-average adults. Martial arts is a great way to help kids build healthy character. Martial arts have been used for ages to teach discipline, patience, focus, and self-confidence. This ancient practice is crucial for modern parenting.
Pinnacle Martial Arts Academy knows how to help students develop character by teaching them high-quality martial arts. If you’re looking for an excellent Monroe martial arts school for your child, have a look at our training facility. Call us now for an appointment!
Other Than Character Development, What Are The Other Benefits Of Learning Martial Arts?
For people who have never done martial arts before, the benefits may not always be noticeable. Some people will say, “Sure, they’re great workouts. Just look at “Ty Bo.” With all the kicking and punching, it’s also great for self-defense. But martial arts training has many more benefits than just making you stronger, especially for kids and teens. Martial arts training helps with a wide range of mental, physical, and social skills. Martial arts training can help you learn and improve all of these skills.
The Physical Benefits
- Get in shape
- Keep yourself safe (personal security)
The Mental Benefits
- Abilities for learning
- Goal-setting
- Discipline
The Social Benefits
- Belongingness
- Calming
- Respect
- Self-esteem
Adults, of course, may benefit from these as well. These traits may, however, be cultivated early in childhood, resulting in healthy and happy adulthood. That’s why it’s so critical to get your youngsters moving.
Physical Fitness
Kung fu began as a means for monks to be physically healthy. A Buddhist monk journeying from his native India (and what is now southern China) came into a temple full of unhealthy monks, some of whom were so focused on their studies that they neglected their physical health. This site, the legendary Shaolin Temple, quickly became a place where people from all over Asia could learn martial arts.
Cardiovascular Fitness, Strength, and Balance
As a form of exercise, martial arts improve both your cardiovascular health and your muscle strength. Martial artists also get a better sense of balance and learn special skills that help them avoid getting injured (such as learning how to properly fall in jujitsu and aikido).
Physical exercise has several well-documented benefits for children. Children who are physically active experience reduced chronic health issues than sedentary kids, says the American Council on Exercise. No matter what kind of martial art your child practices, the techniques that involve moving the body are great exercises. Even though martial arts classes don’t burn as many calories as Tae Bo or cardio kickboxing, they still work out all the joints and muscles. After warming up and stretching, people usually do a lot of intensive activity and then cool down. Regular exercise leads to gradual gains in fitness.
There are also certain physical benefits to martial arts that are unique to them. Morehei Ueshiba, the creator of aikido, said that the somersaults and rolls of aikido are good for the internal organs. Those rolling breakfalls, which are meant to prevent harm while being tossed by an opponent, are also useful in riding a bike or skateboard. According to the American Council on Exercise, 63 percent of kids are no longer physically active when they enter high school.
Non-Virtual Fighter
Because kids can do so much online these days, it can be hard to get them to stick to a fitness plan. Most of the time, kids would rather sit in front of the TV and play PlayStation or risk getting carpal tunnel by using instant messaging than work up a good sweat. In martial arts classes, they learn valuable skills while getting exercise, and often continue to remain interested because they are learning something from a unique culture.
Self-Defense and Personal Security
People may know martial arts best for making people better fighters. After all, that’s what we see in movies and on TV: a good guy with martial arts skills kicking the butt of a bad guy. But these self-defense skills aren’t only used for fighting. “This is what I do, so I don’t have to fight…” When kids can protect themselves, they don’t have to worry about being picked on by bullies or living in a place where street violence is common. They rarely have to put their martial arts skills to use on someone. Their awareness and presence make people less likely to be violent. In the end, they can reach their goals with less force if they understand and master a higher level of the force continuum.
Winning Without Fighting Is Gold
Basic martial arts training teaches how to avoid physical injury in a conflict by blocking a punch, dodging a blow, or checking the approaching limb before it reaches full speed. Their ability to evade strikes allows them to be in control and frustrates their attacker.
Martial arts training includes understanding assaults. Sparring trainees learn to recognize the onset of an impending punch or kick by their opponent’s weight shift or a shift in focus. They learn how to size up a potential adversary and decide the best way to deal with them. For example, maybe it’s best to change lanes before you pass that person who looks suspicious.
These “combat-oriented” martial arts benefits are rarely employed.
Abilities For Learning
Martial arts training doesn’t merely strengthen physical attributes. Mental exercise is a well-known benefit of martial arts. The importance of focus cannot be overstated.
Learning various martial arts techniques demands mental focus. Students must focus under pressure, whether they’re executing a tough board break or technique perfectly. Students will find that this focus can be used in their academic studies. They say they can concentrate better, even in stressful situations like college entrance exams.
Martial arts training involves a lot of memorization. A lot of martial arts terminology is in foreign languages; young students can count in Japanese or Korean as quickly as in their own tongue. Kata, which are pre-planned sequences of moves, must be learned by heart so that each move can be done in the right order, correctly, and with an understanding of how it can be used in combat.
Repetition helps students remember martial arts techniques. These educational strategies – repetitions leading to memorization and testing application (belt examinations, kata interpretation, sparring), are also adaptable to academic settings.
Martial arts make learning fun.
Goal Setting
Many martial arts rank skill levels. In Japanese as well as Korean martial arts, rankings are commonly signified by colored belts, from a beginner’s white belt to a senior’s black belt.
Step by Step
Each belt level’s criteria indicate progressive martial art improvement. Successive belt grades need greater knowledge and bring new obstacles.
By dividing the knowledge needed to master a martial art into segments, kids can study as they are able. When they pass the tests for the next level, they could look forward to having the next belt, and so on.
Learning to tackle vast and extensive bodies of knowledge by breaking it into smaller segments is a skill that can be useful outside of martial arts, whether you’re learning to swim or algebra.
Discipline
Martial arts’ regulated nature inculcates self-discipline in students. Students learn that achieving their goals takes patience, hard work, and years of study. If it’s worth anything, work for it.
Martial arts training is popular with ADD children since it moderates some symptoms. Martial arts training promotes self-control and focus. To execute a technique effectively, students must focus intensely. Martial arts training boosts ADD children’s self-confidence, making them feel able and “normal”
Discipline means doing what you must even when you don’t want to. Martial arts training inculcates discipline by demonstrating the benefits of hard work and extra reps.
Belongingness
Martial arts students are close-knit. This feeling of camaraderie is founded on shared experiences, overcoming hardships, and tradition.
In earlier times, only good students were taught martial arts. Prospective pupils had to undertake menial work or fundamental procedures for hours to endear themselves to the instructor. This showed they were modest, patient, and honest. Today, most students are not required to take these tests before training, but the notion that martial arts are exceptional continues.
A few parents have noted that many martial arts classes are set up “like the old one-room schoolhouse.” Although differing ages and belt levels are separated, most children’s lessons are held in the same room. Lower-ranked students can watch seniors practice their forms, even if they haven’t learned them.
Martial artists experience camaraderie with other martial artists, especially those students of their own style.
Self-Esteem
Many martial artists recall being in awe and amazed by their instructors’ or older students’ seemingly superhuman abilities before they began training. But after just a few months of studying, they reach a level where they can do things they thought were impossible. Students feel pride after overcoming challenges such as breaking a board. Because of this, they feel strong and alive.
Also, martial arts training makes people feel more confident because it gives them physical security. They no longer have to worry about the bully at school. This confidence makes students feel better about themselves and how they handle conflict.
Respect
When students arrive for each class session, they show respect for one another, their martial arts instructor, and even their martial arts school. Sometimes it’s just a simple bow, and sometimes it’s some kind of salute. The gesture conveys gratitude and respect for the student’s learning and the other person’s skills.
Almost all martial arts educate pupils to appreciate age, rank, competence, and experience. Respecting those with more skill and rank shows you’re worthy of learning from them. Most of the time, this respect for martial arts instructors and senior students can also be carried over to regular schools.
Calming
The intense workouts in martial arts classes help students get rid of their nervous energy until they are too tired to do anything else. Sweating out anger has always worked. Even better is to add punching and kicking, especially against a heavy bag or foam shield.
Some Japanese and Korean martial arts styles use a kiai or kihap, a ritual shout at the moment of an attack. The shout is used to boost focus and breathing while delivering a technique or to surprise and intimidate an opponent. It also releases the student’s stress and nervous energy.
Many martial arts teach meditation. Meditation enables martial artists to relax completely. Experienced martial artists are calm even when they are not in the training hall. This inner tranquility is likely due to conquering difficult conditions when studying self-defense or fighting. Mastering the moves of a martial art gives you confidence, which can also help you stay calm in stressful situations.
Join Our Monroe Martial Arts Academy School!
Come train with us at Pinnacle Martial Arts Academy in Louisiana. We are a proud member of the Grappling Fight Team (GFTeam). We bring world-class competition closer to people and families who want to start learning martial arts. Those who join our academy will benefit from our nationally-recognized Head Coach and top-notch teaching.
We also have a training facility that is appropriate for students of all ages. A customized training program may be tailored according to your abilities and experience level, regardless of whether this is your first time learning Martial Arts or you’ve previously trained in another discipline.
You’ll learn the principles of martial arts, learn about the Brazilian jiu-jitsu way of life, and make friends at the same time at our world-renowned GFTeam training facility! We’re more than just a dojo for martial arts training. We are a family that cares about your mental and physical well-being.
Visit us now and explore our training programs!