There are dozens of benefits of martial arts for kids- that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But in our eyes, 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 really best to teach your child early on about how to cope with and manage the stresses of day to day life- in a healthy 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 ninja-like sneaky 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
Every child has their challenges. 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 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 finally do, they’ll have a gigantic smile on their face – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always sounds good to parents! One of the BIGGEST 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 BEHAVIOUR. When our students learn how to be still and listen intently to the authority figure in front of them, we see those skills apply 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 keep their attention on their teacher, and actually learn better than their peers. Parents really love to hear that 🙂 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 helpful. At Black Belt Plus Burleigh Heads, 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 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 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 speak confidently and with eye contact to our instructors, their peers, and the classroom bully, to stand up for themselves AND others. It’s a really amazing process, and we’re very proud of our Bullyproof kids!
Conclusion
So- did these benefits surprise you? They’re no surprise to us. We see it all the time kids walk in the door with behavioural 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 defence – martial arts is a life-changing tool that promotes success far beyond the dojo! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Martial Arts classes in Burleigh Heads right here at our school!