You may not be able to tell apart the different Asian based disciplines that are collectively known as martial arts but one thing is for sure, whether its muay thai or kung fu, karate or tae kwon do, judo or aikido, the benefits that they offer to the little ones are worth having a second look at.
The ancient practice trains your body, spirit and mind to be one and you can clearly tell a child that practices martial arts apart from one who does not. There are a plethora of benefits to the practice of martial arts for kids.
Fitness
Not all children would enjoy going to the gym as part of a fitness regimen on a daily basis. They would get tired and bored of it quite fast on the contrary. Martial arts is however a great alternative.Martial arts is a practice that keeps the young ones body in tip top shape and their cardiovascular system and muscles benefit from the range of movements done. The risk of injury is also minimum as it is customary to perform stretches before any workout or training
Self Defense And Self Esteem Boost
You really cannot separate the two as they go hand in hand. A child who can defend his or her self will in turn feel good about their ability to do so and this goes a long way in boosting esteem.The martial arts discipline teaches one how to get out of a confrontational situation and if push comes to shove then the child would be in a position to take care of his or herself. This is the gist of the program and through regular practice; self defense will come easy to the child.
Self Discipline
But with great power comes great responsibility. It would be quite unfortunate if a child used their ability to instill fear into other children. Luckily though, the practice of martial arts enforces discipline as a cornerstone of every aspect in life.From being on time to practice to making sure practice is attended as stated, the customs and techniques used in the practice and respecting everyone in the dojo. This spills over into school and at home and the child’s discipline level is always admirable.
Patience And Conscious Listening
Martial arts is a great way to combat issues related to impulse control. The discipline instills a sense of control and patience that is unparalleled. This comes about as a result of time in training.It takes time, energy and patience to become better at martial arts and a child that practices learns the importance of thinking things through, as is in practice, in order to better understand and execute something correctly.
This improves the child’s listening and learning abilities and teaches them the importance of patience and that it really does pay.
Improved Ability To Deal With People And Respect Authority
Practice is usually conducted in groups apart from special circumstances and this interaction with peers allows the child’s ability of dealing with other people to improve more and more each day.Respect accorded to the 'master' also transcends to class and a student who practices martial arts is less likely to have disciplinary issues with teachers as he or she is already used to authority figures and realizes their importance in inputting knowledge