The list of benefits of a kids karate class could seriously go on forever, that’s why it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But from our perspective, the best 4 benefits are: healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and bullyproof-ness. Not too shabby, right? 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 struggling to manage their stress. Stress is a part of life, so it’s best to teach your child early on about how to cope with and manage the stresses of day-to-day life, in a positive way. That constructive outlet is kids martial arts.
One of the benefits of a kids karate class is that they can exert their physical and mental energy in a safe environment. Our instructors are ninja-like and sneaky 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 sense of discipline and perseverance to their little ones with every class they attend!
2. Discipline and Perseverance
It’s so important for kids to learn not only stress management, but also discipline and perseverance. All humans, including your child, are faced with tough decisions and mountains they need strength to overcome. 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 little one will be tested in many ways throughout their childhood that they’ll need discipline and perseverance to complete.
A kids karate class is so fun, trust us! But it’s not always easy 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 homework. 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 up their healthy habits.
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 do, they’ll have a gigantic smile on their face – believe us!
3. Improved Grades
This one is music to parent’s ears! One of the best benefits of kids karate class is that it helps improve your child’s grades. How? Well, as we mentioned, they learn how to self-discipline, 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 self-control in their bodies and their minds, we see those skills transfer to the classroom. Instead of getting distracted by the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their classmate is doing.
They keep their attention on their teacher and learn better than their peers. We see these improvements time and time again, year after year, and it always makes us proud. And that self-control and focus are key components of kids martial arts that they’ll carry with them forever.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of a kids karate program, this one might be the most surprising. We’re keen on building our students up to be bullyproof, meaning they learn how to stand up to bullies and defend themselves in a non-violent way. First, we build 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 and more confident in their abilities and themselves.
We also teach our students not to use their martial arts outside of the kids karate school; 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. We teach them 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’ve seen it year after year; 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. The best part of the job!
Hopefully, now you know that the benefits of martial arts for kids go far beyond just self-defense–martial arts is more of a mindset, or a way of life, that promotes success far beyond the mat! Check out our life-changing, transformative kids martial arts classes right here at our school!