Kids and teenagers who participate in martial arts and combat sports have been in parental discussions for a long time. It might be because of the perceived aggressive nature of the activities.
Many parents believe that martial arts sports such as karate, eskrima, taekwondo, boxing, or kickboxing promote violence and lead to violent temperament.
However, the goal of any martial arts training is NOT to get hurt. The goal is to evade and block blows defensively and prevent the partner from gaining points.
The British Psychological Society published that martial arts actually reduce child and teen aggression.
It sounds like a paradox – the idea that participating in aggressive sport can make people less aggressive. Yet this belief forms a core basis of many martial arts dating back thousands of years, and many famous practitioners have preached the importance of self-control.
Legendary martial artist Bruce Lee once noted that “emotion can be the enemy. If you give into your emotion, you lose yourself”. Or as Mr. Miyagi said in The Karate Kid movie the “lesson is not just karate only, the lesson is for whole life”.
Whichever way we look at the issue, physical activity will always trump video games when it comes to keeping healthy, no matter what age your child or your teen is. Physical activity releases beneficial chemical in our brains called Endorphins that are the key to increased focus and effort in kids and teens.
Stress release, ability to think calmly under pressure, increased self-esteem, improved reflexes to think quickly and act, are just a few of the many benefits of combat sports and our life skills based martial arts program.
In the next article we will highlight how our classes help kids gain new friends and socialize in a positive and safe martial arts environment.
If you would like more information about our Martial Arts Program for Kids and Teens don’t hesitate to call us at (561)-222-3903.
Get started today with our martial arts free trial.