Let's face it: if you grew up in the 80s, you watched The Karate Kid. The classic tale of the young teen standing up to his high-school bullies and winning the big karate tournament thanks to his mentor's life lessons and unorthodox martial arts instruction resonated with kids of the decade in a big way.
This resulted in a major martial arts boom here in the U.S., with many a school-age kid taking karate, tae kwon do, or other martial arts classes as an extracurricular activity.
Today, over three decades later, the impact on the karate craze of the 1980s can still be felt throughout the country, and it's no wonder: the kids who helped popularize martial arts instruction back in the day are now parents themselves, and know firsthand the numerous benefits their children can receive from martial arts classes.
Not only are their kids learning self-defense techniques that may someday come in handy, but they are also learning important character lessons like self-discipline, inward reflection, and impulse control, that can help them in other aspects of their daily lives. Here are a few of the best things your child can take away from martial arts instruction.
Finding Focus-
In a world like ours, with so much going on all at once, kids these days have a hard time staying tuned in. Parents struggle with getting their children to pay attention, maintain focus, and unplug from their mobile devices and electronics long enough to make eye contact.
Not only can this be problematic in a school setting, but it can also be extremely frustrating when trying to have a simple conversation at home about your child's day.
Martial arts practice gives your child the tools she needs to center herself and find the focus and stillness she needs to achieve balance.
Learning how to turn our attention inward and sit with ourselves to reflect on strengths, weaknesses, and goals can help us all become better listeners, both to ourselves and to others around us.
Martial arts give kids the chance to tune into their own minds and abilities, and teaches them how to block out the noise around them.
Staying Active
One of the biggest challenges for parents of school-age children is getting them off the couch to engage in physical activity.
Martial arts instruction gives your kid the opportunity to exert some bottled-up energy and get moving in a fun way.
Our nation is currently experiencing a childhood obesity epidemic, and it's important to give our kids chances to get active throughout the day.
By taking martial arts classes, your child can stay fit and healthy while having a lot of fun learning a valuable skill.
Building Confidence
Being a kid can be tough sometimes- as school-age boys and girls get older, it gets harder to maintain a healthy amount of self-confidence.
Martial arts can help provide a much-needed boost of self-esteem and give kids the confidence to stand up for themselves and be assertive.
Our children face an ever-present threat of bullies in their schools and neighborhoods, and encounter certain daily struggles that make it difficult to maintain a positive self-image.
By taking martial arts classes, kids can learn to believe in themselves and their abilities, which can help them overcome emotional obstacles that are part of growing up.
The moment you put on your Karate or Judo Gi for the first time, you are becoming part of something larger than yourself.
Giving your kids the opportunity to practice martial arts can help them build the skills they need to become confident, self-reliant problem solvers in all aspects of life.
By signing your kids up for martial arts classes, you're giving them the tools to become their best selves!
