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 from our perspective, the best 4 benefits are – healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. We know, those are some awesome results! 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 more stressed-out than ever.
Stress happens to everyone, 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 constructive outlet IS kids martial arts.
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’ve dedicated their careers to teaching kids martial arts because they’re SO passionate about it, 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.
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, over the course of their childhood, your little one will need discipline and perseverance to see it through!.
Martial arts for kids is so fun – trust us! – but it’s not always easy- 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 dig deep and find the 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 it upon 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’ll have a gigantic smile on their face – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always puts a smile on parents’ 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 self-discipline, 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 self-control in their bodies and in their minds, 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 can focus intently on their teacher and the instructions, and actually learn better than their peers. Pretty cool, right? And that self-control and focus are key components of kids martial arts that they’ll carry with them FOR LIFE.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of martial arts for kids, this one might be the most surprising.
Here at Active Jiu-Jitsu in Westchase, we’re really keen on building our students up to be BULLYPROOF, meaning they learn how 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 become more and more confident in their abilities and themselves.
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’ve seen it year after year- 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. These transformations are what we really love about our jobs. Hopefully, now you know 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 mat! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Martial Arts classes in Westchase right here at our school!