We often forget the need to teach our kids the ways to protect themselves against any physical harms. Honestly, it is a fundamental human right to defend oneself. One who is aware of the self-defense techniques has the confidence to overcome his fear of failure. And that is one of the traits of successful people.
Martial arts is one of the self-defense disciplines which help train body, mind, and soul to act as one single unit; in a team. Not just to defend themselves, but children can use it to solve their everyday problems as well.
Some people think of it as fighting, but that is not what it is. There are quite a lot of benefits of learning and practicing self-defense. Here are the things that children master when hey take self-defense classes.
Makes the Child Bully-Proof
Children usually have to face bullying at school, the student care center, playground, or even in their own friend circle. Bullying has been an issue for decades now, and there’s no real solution in sight.
But one who gets bullied has an option to defend himself through the self-defense techniques. A good self-defense program makes children understand the gentle solutions to such serious problems in their lives.
Develops Listening and Communication Skills
Communication is a two-way process, and it has to be this way every single time. When a child takes self-defense classes, he has to respond to a number of commands that his instructor gives. This makes him a great listener because he has to stay alert for the next move while executing the previous one.
Every student at the learning center gets to talk to each other. This helps them build friendships and learning how to behave in a group. It makes them learn how to communicate to people they have no or very less idea about.
They learn Important Values and Principles
Even if they learn to attack, they learn a lot of values and principles of life. Martial Arts and all other self-defense techniques pose a number of obstacles which push them to their limits to surpass them. Through these techniques, learn to get deep inside their capabilities to solve the problems that they face.
Another vital part of our lives is failure. We all fail multiple times in whatever we do. But through martial arts, children can learn how to accept them and turn them into an opportunity.
No textbook, classroom, or website can teach them these aspects of life. One who has practically seen failure knows what it takes to get up on his feet again. And not only getting up is essential, equally crucial is to act in the right way.
It teaches them Hygiene, Nutrition, and Anatomy
We act smart when we know how to. And to be at that level, we need to learn about ourselves in the first place. The more we know about our body and its organs, the better we will be able to take care of all of them.
Through self-defense, we learn the anatomy of our bodies, which means our body parts. Then the instructors teach us how to maintain healthy hygiene, so no bacteria or virus attacks our body.
Children need to learn to eat well because they are attracted to all the junk that is around. Martial arts teaches them the need to eat well to stay healthy. They also learn the self-control and discipline which helps them stay away from all this without any issues.
They get to Learn Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is another key focus of martial arts and other self-defense techniques. Students learn it when they have to follow the uniforms, customs, and procedures of their learning centers. They are also made to focus on their body movements, code of ethics.
To earn different belt rankings, one has to bring his mind and body in harmony. This comes as the kids learn moral values along with the physical abilities. Children get used to all this habits and ethics, and they start to apply all these in their real lives as well.
Martial arts tells them that inflicting harm on someone is a measure of self-defense and not a game. And students learn this reality as they learn new things. It is a mere reaction to the action that someone else forces on you.
Children gain Awareness and Insight
Those who are trained for self-defense become more aware of themselves and their surroundings. Awareness tells them that something might be fishy around them, and they will also learn to counter-attack at any given point of time.
As the awareness grows, there will be fewer victims around. They will be more aware of every single thing that they should be. Also, as they have to anticipate and execute the further moves in the martial arts, they will be able to imagine the next to-do things in their lives.
They Become Fit
Martial arts and any other self-defense training for that matter is a challenging task. It takes a lot of stretching, exercises, and strength to master it. One who learns it has to constantly challenge his flexibility and cardiovascular system to gain the stamina and strength.
The children who learn and master self-defense techniques are quite fast and responsive. They stay fit because of all the challenges and exercise. The fitness is not just physical; they are mentally and emotionally sound as well.
Practicing it on a daily basis according to the schedules may keep obesity away. This is because it helps practitioners burn hundreds of calories every hour. And when obesity is not there, fitness follows.
Bottom Line
With so many benefits at hand, you surely will want your child to learn self-defense. Not only will it help him prevent someone from attacking or bullying him, but it will also teach him to be aware at all times. Learning it also brings them the peace of mind that keeps them calm and composed. So, all these reasons are enough to explain why it is crucial for children to learn self-defense.