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 off the top of our heads, the best 4 benefits are: healthy stress management, discipline and perseverance, better grades, and “bullyproof-ness.” Not too shabby, right? Check them out below!
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 happens to everyone, 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 constructive way.
And that’s where a kids karate class can help! One of the benefits of martial arts for kids is that it takes place in an environment where kids can not only find a physical outlet for all their energy and worries, but can find a mental one, too. 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.
Their life passion is teaching martial arts to your little one, and they pass along their sense of discipline and perseverance to your little one with every class they attend!
2. Discipline and Perseverance
Every child has their challenges. 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, throughout their childhood, your little one will need discipline and perseverance to see it through!
Our kids karate class is so fun – trust us! But it is challenging sometimes 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 practice their instrument. They’ll say they just don’t “feel like” doing either of them.
But our world-class instructors teach them how to stay strong and do the right thing, 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 finally do, they feel on top of the world – trust us!
3. Improved Grades
This one always sounds good to parents! One of the biggest benefits of martial arts for kids is that it helps improve your child’s grades. How? Well, as we mentioned, they learn how to stick with their goals, which helps them stick it out when doing their homework or during a long school day. But perhaps one of the best benefits of a kids karate class is that it helps them improve their behavior.
When our students learn how to control their bodies and listen to their instructors, we see those skills apply to the classroom. Instead of losing their attention to the pencil sharpener, the teacher’s instructions, and whatever their classmate is doing.
They can focus intently on their teacher and the instructions, 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 body coordination and focus are key components of kids martial arts that they’ll carry with them for life.
4. Bullyproof
Of all the benefits of a kids karate program, this one might be the most helpful. We’re keen on building our students up to be bullyproof, meaning they gain the confidence they need to stand up for themselves and others in a non-violent way.
First, we build their confidence. As our young martial arts students see themselves improve week after week–perfecting their punches and kicks, gaining better coordination, and learning new moves after lots of practice–they become more confident in their ability to “do hard things.” We also teach our students not to use their martial arts outside of the dojo; instead of their fists, they learn that their voice is their weapon.
We teach them how to speak confidently and with eye contact to our instructors, their peers, and the classroom bully. We teach them to stand up for themselves and others. It’s incredible, and we’re very proud of our bullyproof kids!
Conclusion
So – did these benefits surprise you? We’re not surprised at all! We see it time and time again; children walk in our kids karate school 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.
These transformations are what we really love about our jobs. Hopefully, now you see that the benefits of martial arts for kids go far beyond just self-defense–martial arts is a life-changing tool that promotes success far beyond the dojo! Check out our life-changing, transformative martial arts classes right here at our school!