The list of benefits of kids karate classes could seriously go on forever- that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But for the purposes of this blog, the best 4 benefits are- healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. We know those are some awesome results! 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 stressed way earlier than any kid should be. Stress is a part of life, so it’s important early on to teach your child 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 they have mental and physical outlets for their energy.
Our instructors are quite sneaky (like a ninja! ;)) in how they teach important life skills that help your little one succeed outside of the dojo, including stress management. Teaching martial arts to kids is their life passion, and they pass along their own sense of discipline and perseverance to their little one with every class they attend! Which leads us to…
2. Discipline and Perseverance
Every child has challenges. All humans, including your child, are 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 child will need discipline and perseverance to see it through.
Kids karate school 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 cultivate the discipline they need to keep on keepin’ on.
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 puts a smile on parents’ faces! One of the greatest benefits of kids karate program 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 behavior.
When our students learn how to control their bodies and listen to their instructors, we see those skills apply to the classroom. Instead of losing their attention to 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. The results we see are amazing. And that body coordination and focus are key components of kids karate class 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 unexpected. We’re really keen on building our students up to be bullyproofed, meaning they learn the skills they need to stand up to bullies and resist being picked on in a non-violent way. First, we help them grow their confidence. As our young martial arts students see themselves improving on the mat – perfecting their punches and kicks, gaining better coordination, and learning new moves after lots of practice- they become more confident in their ability to “do hard things.”
We also teach our students not to use their martial arts outside of the dojo – instead of their fists, they learn that their voice is their weapon. We teach them how to articulate themselves and assert themselves to our instructors, their peers, and the classroom bully, to stand up for themselves and others. It’s an awesome 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 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. These transformations are what we really love about our jobs. Hopefully, now you know that the benefits of kids karate class go far beyond just self-defense- martial arts is a way of life that promotes success far beyond the dojo! Check out our life-changing, transformative Kids Martial Arts classes right here at our school!
