Are martial arts classes right for your child?

If you should catch your child imitating fight sequences from action or martial arts movies, don’t fret! They aren’t necessarily developing aggression, just expressing a desire to grow their personal power and strength. Learning martial arts is a great way for your kid to boost their confidence, learn valuable self-defense skills that will grant you and your child more peace of mind, and develop self-discipline and conflict-resolution skills.

Physical Benefits of Martial Arts for Kids

If your child shows interest in martial arts, it’s great news for their future physical health and well-being. Regular physical activity of any kind can lessen the risk of childhood obesity, develop good cardiovascular health early in life, and help your child develop their motor skills to their highest potential. Martial arts also develop muscle strength and agility as well as the fine-motor skills necessary to utilize weapons later in their training.

NOTE: It’s important to determine that your child has adequate movement skills to begin a Martial Arts training program. There are martial arts programs available to kids as young as 3 or 4. By this time your child should be able to walk, run, jump, hop, skip, and climb, and will likely show interest in further developing their motor skills. If you wish to enroll a young child in Martial Arts classes, consider testing out and practicing these important motor skills before starting:

• Standing and balancing one leg

• Quick weight shifts from one leg to another

• Basic hand-eye coordination

Fun ways to practice these skills include dancing [link to blog: Your Kid Loves Dance: Here’s Why That Rocks], yoga [link to blog: Yoga Activities for Tense Toddlers], and playing catch!

Self-Defense Learning For Kids

You may be curious as to what benefits learning a self-defense practice can have for your child. For one thing, there is the most obvious upside: you and your child will have better peace of mind. Knowing that your child can defend themselves should an extreme situation arise is certainly an asset. But even if your child never needs to employ their self-defense skills out in the world (and we hope they don’t!) they will carry with them a sense of confidence and inner safety. Knowing that they can defend themselves if they need to can reduce their anxiety and foster a sense of independence and competence. This improves their self-esteem in the long run!

Martial Arts Develop Focus and Concentration in Kids

Another skill your child stands to develop from a martial arts education is the ability to focus and concentrate on the moment. Sparring with peers or instructors teaches children to engage all their senses in the present moment to take in the information around them. It is necessary to apply all the focus they can to succeed in this simulated combat. They will be motivated to improve their concentration by their desire to succeed. This is an incredible treasure in the modern day. Young children can struggle, in a world of constant stimulation, to develop a talent for focus and mindfulness. Martial arts can teach children to appreciate stillness as well as movement. It focuses on bringing all the senses to the present moment to make quick decisions based on external stimuli. Therefore, Martial arts can help your child grow their quick-thinking cognitive abilities as well as their physical prowess!

Martial Arts for Kids Can Release Aggression

Perhaps you have reservations about allowing your child to practice Martial Arts. You might be somewhat hesitant to allow your child to engage in a seemingly violent practice. Or you could worry that you are encouraging aggression in their behavior. Aside from the fact that martial arts teachers have kids’ safety in mind, it’s important to also remember that they don’t make it a practice to promote fighting or aggression. In fact, most martial arts practices emphasize that fighting is not an ideal solution to any problem. Traditional Kung-Fu practices, for example, maintain that harsh words, no matter how insulting, are never sufficient cause for a physical fight.

Martial Arts practices also emphasize respect for the opponent, fairness, and self-discipline. These are important skills for your child to be able to apply to verbal disagreements or any non-physical conflict that will arise in their lives. In addition, having a safe and supervised environment in which to release pent-up tension and anger allows your child to let go of emotions they may not be ready or able to express verbally. This will help them live calmer, happier lives in general!

Martial Arts Can Motivate Goal-Setting and Create Self-Discipline

Another skill your child will attain if they practice martial arts in their youth is the ability to set and attain goals based on their own, authentic desires. If your child wants to master a move, earn a belt, or defeat an opponent, they must take steps to prepare. They will learn that they must practice regularly to attain and maintain skills. The ability to set and achieve goals on one’s own initiative is known as self-discipline, and it is an important foundational principle behind many martial arts. In solo competitive sports like Martial Arts, the goal is not to win, but to attain one’s highest personal potential.

How Can I Try Out Martial Arts for My Child?

If you’re looking for a way to dip a toe in the world of martial arts without making a financial or emotional commitment, try some online resources to teach your child the basics of Martial Arts and see if they flourish!

Karate Lessons Online is a karate learning program online, for kids! Their online classes are completely free due to the COVID-19 pandemic and can give your child a foundation in the principles of one of the most popular martial arts.

DojoGo! Is a YouTube channel that offers fun and entertaining, themed, 20-minute karate classes and workouts for kids. It’s excellent for testing your kid’s interest in maintaining a martial arts practice. If they can commit to one 20-minute video a day, consider enrolling them in in-person martial arts classes!