There is no doubt that some children are born with natural athletic abilities. On the other side, some children are born with physical qualities that make excelling in sports more challenging. Everyone is gifted differently, but martial arts offer all children an opportunity to get physical! By middle school, children have often decided whether they enjoy participating in sports. There are numerous other school clubs and activities that are not sports-related, and students who do not enjoy or think they are athletic tend to gravitate to these other activities. Choir, debate, drama, robotics, honor society, and school government are all excellent ways for students to get involved in school and stay out of trouble, as they say. However, if the extra-curricular activities completely replace any physical activity, children are not getting regular exercise. Martial arts training offers multiple benefits to children who do not find themselves fighting for the top spot in more widespread and funded sports in public schools. Even kids who hate sports will love martial arts, and here is why:
Martial Arts Disguised
If you are a parent, there has likely come at least one point in your child\’s life that you had to encourage them to do something they did not want to do. Maybe it was to try a sport through the recreation center, a summer program, or even try out for a school team. Regardless of what tactics you used to get them there, they often claimed to \”hate\” that sport if they did not feel welcome or confident. Well, martial art is a good \”disguise\” for sports. Although martial arts are a sport, it is not a typical program in most schools across America. Martial arts studios offer programs designed for students of all athletic backgrounds, including those with physical disabilities and coordination challenges. Most martial arts studios have a range of instructors with different backgrounds to work with various groups, allowing students a welcoming and friendly environment. Do students who hate sports resist the idea initially? To be honest, yes. However, children often begin to enjoy practice interaction and physical challenges in healthy studio environments.
The best martial arts programs provide a variety of activities, such as board breaking, sparring, and other interactive skills that will provide immense value for students as they take their lessons off the mat. Self-defense is a significant part of martial arts training, so children seem to enjoy being able to ward off anyone with harmful intentions. Children of all ages want to be empowered to care for themselves when their parents are not around.
Martial Arts Builds Friendships
Let us be honest – children are trying to find a place they feel comfortable and crave a sense of belonging. Socially, sports can be challenging to make friends with because as children get older, the competitive nature of sports can overtake the joy that once drove interest. Purposefully designed programs are catered to age-appropriate skills and lessons that foster relationship building, accountability, and ownership of personal goals and achievements. It is powerful to be among others in your age group, who likely have a smaller range of skill levels than other sports, who are like-minded in interests. Many friendships develop among students in martial arts training that last well beyond studio time. It is essential to find a studio where your child can make friends where they live or spend a regular amount of time. If you reside in San Diego County, martial arts studio, SwiftKick, offers classes in Carlsbad and Rancho Bernardo.
Martial Arts Encourage Personal Goals and Pave the Way to Achievement
Most students quickly change their minds about martial arts and find it cool to be involved in this activity. The rank system is designed around practice and focus, giving students the unique opportunity to track their progress and work towards personal goals. There is no hidden agenda in martial arts, and improvement is straightforward and explained. One of the things that frequently occurs in school athletics as children get a little older is trying out for a spot on a team and then fighting for playtime once on a team. Some very motivated children with average skills may never get on the court or the field. That is a simple reality. The individual goal setting and practice to meet those goals differentiates martial arts from other sports. Often overlooked, martial arts offer children of all abilities, physical and mental, to thrive in a healthy program. Yes, there are hyper-competitive studios, so choosing the best one for your child is critical. Do not settle, and check out testimonials from clients, reach out to attend a free class, or observe a session. If a studio does not have or offer these things, keep looking.
All children benefit from staying physical, especially over the summer months, which can have more downtime than most would like to admit. Martial arts offer opportunities for all students, no matter their physical abilities, to set some personal goals and work to achieve them!