There are dozens of benefits of a kids karate class, that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But for brevity’s sake, 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 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 positively.
That’s where a kids karate class comes in! 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 can find a mental one, too.
Our instructors are super sneaky in how they teach important life skills that help your little one succeed outside of the dojo, including stress management. Teaching kids martial arts is their life passion, and they pass along their sense of discipline and perseverance to their little ones with every class they attend!
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. 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 child will need discipline and perseverance to see it through.
A kids karate class is so fun, believe us! It is 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. However, our world-class instructors teach them how to cultivate the discipline they need to achieve their goals.
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 is music to parents’ ears! One of the greatest benefits of martial arts for kids is that it helps improve your child’s grades. How? Well, as we mentioned, they learn how to persevere and 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 their minds, we see those skills carry over to the classroom. Instead of losing their attention to the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their classmate is doing.
They can focus intently on their teacher and the instructions, and learn better than their peers. Kind of awesome, right? And that body coordination and focus are key components of a kids karate class that they’ll carry with them forever.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of a kids karate program, this one might be the most unexpected: We’re keen on building our students up to be bullyproof, meaning they learn the skills they need to stand up to bullies and resist being picked on in a non-violent way.
First, we build their confidence. As our young martial arts students see themselves improve week after week–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 have our students promise to never misuse what they learn 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. We teach them to stand up for themselves and others. It’s an 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’ve seen it year after year – a child walks in our kids karate school 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 faces.
It’s the greatest part of our job! Hopefully, now you can understand 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 right here at our school!