Progress is Celebrated
Success in martial arts is celebrated and recognized as students work their way up through several levels of distinctive skills and belts. Each belt signifies a level of training and competence before moving onto the next level. A ceremony or public acknowledgment of the student’s advancement allows them to celebrate their success and incentivize them to keep going.
Kids Learn to Handle Challenging Situations
Martial arts builds confidence in tackling life’s unpredictable challenges. After all, preschoolers to teenagers (and adults!) face lifelong obstacles and learning martial arts is no different. However, the benefits go beyond knowing how to defend oneself. During training, students are also put into situations where they need to strategize, plan and exercise patience to gain skills or achieve the upper hand. These same skills can be used to cope with challenging situations at school and beyond the martial arts mat.
Falling Down is Part of the Progress
Falling down and getting back up again is part of martial arts training. Kids aren’t always naturally resilient and need practice to find their confidence. When you practice martial arts, stumbling and falling isn’t considered a failure and is embraced as part of the process.
Sure, falling down is never fun, but it usually bruises our egos more than anything else. Students spar with partners and challenge them to keep getting back up again and again to test their ingenuity and strength. Kids learn resilience and embrace stumbles as part of their journey to success.
Martial Arts Helps Kids Get Fit
Kids have fewer opportunities to be active than past generations and need an outlet to move their bodies more and exercise. Studies show that 80% of children between the ages of 11 and 17 aren’t physically active enough, which could lead to less confidence and more stress without an appropriate outlet.
There are several benefits of practicing martial arts, including improved muscle tone, strength and stamina. Martial arts builds confidence and self-esteem as kids develop a toned physique that comes from continued training. Depending on their goals, martial arts can also increase your child’s flexibility and boost their aerobic fitness, which could improve overall heart health.
Socializing and Respect Is Part of the Training
Learning respect for others and socializing in a healthy way is part of growing up. Martial arts may focus on individual achievement and focus, but it is also a highly social sport. Students are taught to respect one another as they learn the fundamentals of their craft.
Students meet new people and have an instant bond and commonality with martial arts. There’s always something to talk about or practice with other martial arts enthusiasts, minimizing the social anxiety of being around new people.
Martial Arts Builds Confidence Through Self-Defense
Despite all of the health, mental and emotional benefits, the very nature of martial arts training teaches kids self-defense strategies. They can confidently walk into a challenging situation and take care of themselves, which comes with a level of confidence that many people don’t have.
Bullies aren’t confident, but our students are. However, martial arts also teaches humility – and our students are likely to stand up to bullies and control the situation rather than becoming a bully themselves.
Next Steps
Help your child take the next step to gain confidence and live their best life. Learn more about how martial arts builds confidence and reserve a free private lesson with our experienced instructors by calling 973-832-4639.
