Do you see your child kicking and throwing hands in the air relentlessly after watching his favourite karate movie? Does he hero-worship Bruce Lee? Well then, you might like to explore his knack for martial arts. Encouraging your child to sweat it out in a martial arts class is a great way of channeling his energy in the right way. This is a mind body technique that not only enhances the physical stamina by strengthening bones and muscles, but also goes a long way in inducing humility, restraint, and resilience.
What is martial art?
The word ‘martial’ has its Latin origin from the word martialis meaning, the god of war in Roman mythology. However, the Chinese origin of the word mu means quite the opposite: “Drop all weapons” and “stop fighting.” The word ‘arts’ refers to skill and expressing the beauty of creativity.
Martial art is a form of combat, armed and unarmed, which has an East Asian origin. This mind body technique is practised for the sake of self-defence, fitness, relaxation, meditation, etc. Multiple forms of martial arts include karate, taekwondo, krav maga, aikido, jiujitsu, and kickboxing among others. Archery, spearmanship, and swordsmanship are the armed forms of martial arts while striking with the feet and hands or grappling are included in the unarmed form.
The benefits of learning martial arts
Apart from strengthening a child’s self-defense skills, lessons in martial arts will help your child imbibe self-discipline and act as a great teaching tool. It doesn’t require any prior skill set and allows kids to reap a wide range of benefits. Here, we guide you through a few of them.
Teaches independence: Most parents wish to see their children grow up to be self-sufficient and independent. Martial arts require the learner to be fully self-reliant because performance and improvement are dependent on the individual. It teaches kids the essence of hard work and commitment crucial to surviving every task of life.
Helps kids to set goals: Setting goals is necessary to give a direction to our life. During martial arts lessons, children learn to focus on completing individual targets in order to meet the progress check required to clear a level. Following goals is crucial for success in every sphere of life. It promotes organizational skills, discipline, and prepares kids for unforeseen troubles with a contingency plan in place.
Builds confidence: Martial art teaches kids to be comfortable in their own skin. They learn to value their abilities in the process of improving every day. It also teaches kids that building confidence takes practice and patience while enabling them to bounce back after every fall.
Enhances conflict resolution skill: Martial art is primarily about self-defense and building resilience towards high-pressure conditions. It encourages kids to solve tough tasks and overcome their fears. With its mindful strategies martial arts inculcate essential life skills in children like anger management while helping them cultivate peace, harmony, and focus in children.