Since Opening Gracie Miranda in the Sutherland Shire we have been very lucky to have a great group of kids who train hard and are maturing in many different ways. Martial Arts can give children so many benefits besides self defence techniques. Parents often ask us? “What benefits can our kids get from training martial arts?” Let’s discuss 10 great benefits martial arts bestows of kids!
- Confidence – This is an often-quoted benefit. Once children start learning their confidence increases. As they acquire knowledge, their ability to look after themselves increases and so too does their confidence. You can often see this change in children as the start to speak up more. Walk a little taller and generally become more outgoing.
- The ability to stand up for themselves and others. – With great power comes great responsibility! Over time, Children’s assertiveness increases. Of course, every child is different. But I have seen kids who have been bullied and picked on, change and become more assertive. This reduces the likelihood of them becoming a target.
- Physical benefits (Strength, Flexibility, Weight Management). – The ongoing problem of childhood obesity is a worry for parents. Especially with the proliferation of iPad, phones and other modern technologies. Martial arts provide a way for children to express themselves. It gives them a great workout. Weight management can happen in a format where they can have fun and learn something useful at the same time.
- Discipline/Consistency/Goal setting. – These 3 things are very related and will help your child not only in the short term. But provide great benefit throughout their entire life. Setting targets and goals for kids helps them to understand that consistent efforts lead to results. The discipline to keep training even when they might rather stay home and play PlayStation or Xbox is important. This decision making is a skill which plays a vital role in the future of your child.
- Better at winning and losing! – This is such a great skill that kids have to get accustomed to. Learning how to be gracious when you both win and lose is important. As we as how to go back and dissect your performance and work out how you could be better next time. Increasing this skill helps keep the discipline and goal setting benefit going as kids learn to not get disappointed by losses. As they say “There’s no Losing in Jiu Jitsu – you win or you learn”.
- Ability to perform under pressure. – Competitions such as tournaments and also gradings help kids with this ability. It stands them in good stead when it comes time for exams and job interviews and the like. It’s very easy for kids to understand that they want to do well or get a result. Sometimes things don’t go their way. Sometimes the pressure of wanting something very badly makes them perform not as well as they want. Exposing your children to this pressure will help them get an understanding of what pressure feels like. They can start to work out a way to operate under these conditions.
- – In most academies, students are encouraged to thank everyone on the mat for their time. Both the teachers and students usually end the class with some sort of respectful bow or handshake. It is desirable to have kids express good manners.
- Better social interactions. – Meeting other children from all different walks of life. They are paired, with different kids. And encouraged to find a way to work with one another even if they don’t at first seem to get on with the other child. This ability for work with all different personalities is a great skill for kids to try and master.
- Better management of emotions – Often when training (just as in life), things don’t go your way. Sometimes emotions run high. Children learn to monitor their emotions and try to keep them in check. It’s ok for them to spill out a little bit on the mat. Better than at on the playground. It’s through this self-monitoring that kids get a better understanding of their emotions and the role they play in their daily life.
- Kindness – This is an often-overlooked benefit of martial arts for kids. Having kids pair off with smaller or kids new to martial arts teaches them to be gentle and kind. Even if it goes against their primary goal of winning. Teaching kids to respond to each other with kindness is a great goal for any martial arts program.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Martial arts can give your kids so many benefits, not just the ones outlined above. If you are looking for an outlet for your child why not try Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and see the difference it can make to his/her life?
