Why Should Kids Learn a Martial Art?
Positive thinking, confidence, cooperation and respect for others are some of the qualities young people achieve through studying the Martial Arts. Learning and demonstrating respect for others through words and deeds is key and provides a solid foundation for dealing with others throughout their lives.
Martial Arts promotes awareness. Awareness of both the environment around you and an awareness of your body and its abilities. This awareness help protect you when you are attacked, but it also helps you protect yourself from everyday accidents. The ability to react to a door opening in your face is just as much self defense as avoiding getting hit in a fight! Knowing how to fall without getting hurt is a valuable skill. Improving balance and ability to move will go a long way to preventing one from suffering bumps and bruises in life. The flexibility and strength, as well as the cardio-vascular benefits, will keep you healthy through a long life.
A person who practices the martial arts is actually less likely to get into a fight. They will learn how to avoid situations. The self-confidence that they will obtain will make them much less likely to be the victim of a bully or attack in the first place.
There is, without a doubt, a difference in learning for kids. I have many students that are in class because their parents have dropped them off. There are a few that are there because they really want to be there. I have four year-olds that concentrate very hard on trying to emulate their instructor and pay attention to what is going on around them. Then there are the ten year olds that don’t want to pay attention at all.
Keeping It Interesting
Children have a shorter attention span than adults. And while an adult will understand the need to repeat a kata several times, a child is likely to be bored after the second repetition. Keeping things interesting is the real challenge. Finding exercises and drills that grab their imaginations is what will help.
Some of the ideas that work for me seem awfully simple, but we are talking about younger kids.
Count out loud with the kids. Counting in another language, while the kids repeat after you, has several benefits. They are learning a little bit of the culture of the country of origin as well as building good breathing habits. And they have to pay attention if they are going to count.
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