What are the benefits of martial arts for kids?
As the father of two sons and a long-time coach, I know how challenging it is for parents to choose the right after-school sport or activity for kids. Today’s workload is greater than ever and time is limited. We want our children to do something that will help them develop both physically and mentally. At Union Martial Arts, we provide training in the most modern and effective styles of Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu, but the benefits of our program go far beyond the obvious self-defense applications.
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1. Focus that extra energy and burn it off!
Martial Arts training provides an amazing physical workout that builds muscle, endurance and flexibility. Your child will be so focused on learning the moves and having fun that they won’t look at it as exercise at all! They’ll want to keep coming back as they feel themselves getting better and better at the techniques, leading to steadily increased fitness and confidence along the way. That fitness and confidence will benefit them in everything else they do.
2. Ultimate Confidence Builder
Kids who know how to defend themselves, usually never have to. Confidence is something that other kids, schoolmates and even bullies, can sense. Confident kids know how to be assertive, not aggressive, and will speak up for themselves when they need to. Effective self-defense skills are part of what builds confidence, but learning to recognize and deal with bullies in a non-violent way is another part of what allows your child to relax and be themselves in any environment. Being able to defend yourself embeds a particular type of confidence that no other sport or activity can.
3. Discipline and Determination
Discipline is one word with many meanings and applications. At Union, discipline is often equated with focus and determination. Has your ever child quit something? Many kids react to challenges in this way. Just like adults, kids tend to shy away from what they find challenging. In our school systems, we expect teachers to instruct our kids in Math, Science, History, etc. There isn’t a class in school called “Determination” or “Focus”. At Union Martial Arts, we actually teach your child the meaning and application of discipline in every single class. Think of it in terms of learning to read: when we start reading, we begin slowly and receive lot of help and correction at first, but after a while, the skill of reading is embedded within us. It’s the same with focus, discipline and determination. Once that foundation is there, it can be strengthened class by class – the benefits of which carry over into every aspect of life.
4. Traditional Values
It’s been widely known for centuries that a byproduct martial arts training is character development. The environment at Union is one of discipline, values and respect for all. In every class of our curriculum, a section of the class is devoted to understanding and applying traditional values like honesty, courage and compassion. These lessons are there to reinforce the messages that parents instill at home and help steer the children toward an appreciation of discipline and values.
Sign up for a free class
We look forward to meeting your child and answering any questions you may have about our school. Please call or email us to set up a free trial class, or go to our programs page to set up a free trial class through our self-scheduler.
