Should I Put My Kids in Martial Arts?

By Jessica Militello

With all of the many choices of hobbies and sports to enroll your child in, it can become a little overwhelming to find the best one that both you and your child feel most confident about signing up for. Martial arts is a great idea for a physical activity for all ages, but especially kids, because it offers so much more than a workout and a place to make friends. The benefits extend to overall well-being for the body and mind in addition to being a lot of fun. Here are some of the best benefits that come from enrolling your child in martial arts.  

A Great Form of Exercise

Jeet Kune Do is different from a team sport because it focuses on the individual while still working together as classmates by holding pads for each other throughout class. Martial arts gives kids a great workout while learning how to focus and pay attention to their surroundings for self-defense.

Learning Self-Control and Discipline

Sometimes parents may be concerned that enrolling their child in martial arts will make them violent or use their martial arts training on classmates and siblings inappropriately. While your child will learn how to punch and kick, the instructors equally emphasize the art’s philosophy by teaching kids that martial arts is for situations where self-defense is their only option, along with values such as discipline, self-control, and integrity. If a child is getting into disciplinary issues at school or home, martial arts is a great activity for kids because it teaches them discipline while giving them an outlet for any feelings that they may be struggling to express.

Great Mentors

The instructors at New York Martial Arts Academy are lifelong martial artists who have at least 10 years of training at the school in addition to training that they may have in other arts. Many of the instructors at the school can attest that martial arts changed their life for the better and it continues to be an outlet for them. The school’s instructors are great role models for students of any age, but especially during a youth’s developing years, it can be very life-changing to have such a positive influence in their life, especially if kids continue their training for years to come.

Making Friends

Martial arts is a great place to make friends and meeting new people in an environment that emphasizes integrity and good character while having fun is the perfect location to build relationships. Classmates get to know each other over time and when new students join, kids learn to help each other out to learn and get better as a team effort.

Building Confidence

Another great benefit to martial arts is the opportunity to boost confidence through training, getting to know their classmates, seeing themselves improve over time, and learn to work for accomplishments through belt tests. Learning how to defend themselves in a self-defense situation is an added confidence that they earn through their training.

Accomplishing Goals and Self-Esteem

At the school, the children’s programs have belt tests that kids gradually earn as they train consistently and work hard. When kids learn the concept of earning accomplishments and getting recognition for their effort it teaches them a lifelong value that they can take with them throughout their life. When kids see this happen through their own continued effort it also helps to build their self-esteem which is the foundation for a positive sense of self. 

Learning Humility

While earning accomplishments and boosting self-esteem is a great value for life, making mistakes and learning from failure is also an important lesson to learn which will teach kids to have resilience in training and in life to keep going toward their goals even when they are facing setbacks. Just as the school emphasizes self-control and integrity, humility is just as important. One of Bruce Lee’s most known quotes is to “be like water.” Learning to adapt to the ebbs and flows of life with the confidence in oneself to get through is an important value to learn not just in martial arts, but throughout life, especially if kids continue their training as they get older.