Every kid needs at least one hour of exercise or physical activity in their day to maintain good health and fitness. Sports is one of the best ways to ensure that children get the exercise they need, often in a team setting. It’s an excellent place for them to learn personal skills like discipline, hard work, and responsibility.
However, it can be challenging for kids who learn and think differently to find their place in team sports. So consider martial arts, like karate, judo, and taekwondo. These focus on self-defense practices and self-cultivation. It is more about individual progress and pushing the boundaries of your mind and body. It’s an excellent way to help children develop confidence, stability, and executive function.
The goal of martial arts is to teach students to be more disciplined, focused, and strong. Kids with learning and attention difficulties can benefit a lot from these activities, including but not limited to the following:
The Environment Promotes Good Mental Conditioning.
While team sports are great, it’s not for everyone. The pressure of competition and “making your team proud” can put a lot of pressure and stress on a child, even more so for those with learning and attention issues. Martial arts is a sport where they can focus on themselves and their own progress. One of the first things they will learn is that they’re not competing with anyone other than themselves. This can be a refreshing environment for them.
Every training session provides kids with concrete and attainable goals. Their routines are broken down into more manageable chunks allowing them the time and space to learn movements and skills without the pressure to compete. Giving kids the opportunity to learn at their own pace helps them recognize their strengths and weaknesses, providing a more straightforward path to improvement.
Kids will learn to become more focused and develop self-control through martial arts. It’s necessary for them to be able to perform well. A great practice that instructors do to help kids reset their focus is to ask them to take the “ready stance.” It snaps their attention back to the lesson and helps them anticipate what comes next.
The Training Improves Physical Conditioning.
The training in martial arts is very gradual. Masters teach steps one by one, adding more and more as they go along the training. By the time all these movements are put together, the kids will have mastered the routine and learned how to perform each move correctly.
The deliberate and repetitive movements of martial arts help kids get better acquainted with their bodies. It helps develop their muscle memory. They can learn how to control their strength and speed to better occupy the space around them. This is useful for kids who struggle with coordination and spatial awareness. Kids can develop a better understanding of the power their minds have over their bodies.
The Sport Provides Kids with a Safe Outlet for Emotions and Energy.
Kids need to learn how to let their emotions and energy out in a healthy way. Often, children that have learning and attention issues also have trouble expressing themselves. This can be very stressful and uncomfortable for them, but they can release some of that tension through this sport.
For kids with excess energy, the sport teaches them discipline and control while still providing an appropriate outlet where they kick, shout, and punch safely and productively
Conclusion
Martial arts can provide kids with structure and routine to keep them excited and contribute to their overall development as individuals. Good behavior is emphasized and rewarded, so expect your children to learn more than just how to do a flying kick or karate chop. Kids who are different can often feel awkward or socially out of the loop, but martial arts provides them with a community that is all about their self-improvement.
Pride Martial Arts Academy is a martial arts gym located in Clarence, New York. We teach fighting classes based on various disciplines like mixed martial arts (MMA), Jiujitsu, and more. Expect a warm and welcoming environment once you join our classes. We offer great facilities and a chance to learn alongside the best instructors. Sign up for a free class with us today!
