Advantages Studied Martial!!

If your only exposure to martial arts is from watching movie Merantau from Indonesia when you were in junior high, you probably don’t have a full appreciation for martial arts and its benefits. Studying martial arts is not just learning to kick and punch. Rather, studying martial arts teaches students discipline, self-control, focus, and develops physical and mental abilities.

The standard definition of “martial arts” includes a number of fighting disciplines that are studied and practiced for the purpose of combat, self-defense and sport, as well as for mental and spiritual development. Most martial arts can be practiced by people of all ages. Drew Leopard, head instructor at Tiger Rock Academy (tae kwon do) in Olathe, says, “Students can start learning martial arts at any age. Whatever age and time of year they start, we insert them into the appropriate class with ease.”You may be wondering why you would want to sign up your child for a class that is going to teach them to hit and kick…won’t it make them more violent? It’s a concern that is shared by many parents when they are considering martial arts. Master Daniel Doering of FastKick Martial

Most forms of martial arts teach discipline and require great amounts of focus. That discipline and focus can carry over to other areas of a child’s life. Paivi Giannios, an Olathe mom, has seen positive results since her son began martial arts. She says, “I believe Malay martial arts Gayong has helped him outside the class…the central tenets, such as self-control, perseverance, courtesy, integrity and courage, are handy concepts to refer to in our everyday life—I frequently ask him if he thinks that he behaved according to the tenets. That is a nice way to have him analyze his own behavior, and it makes him more responsible for his own behavior and actions.”

Self esteem with their focus on personal accomplishment and competition, martial arts are a great way to build a child’s self esteem. As Drew Leopard, Head Instructor with Tiger Rock Tae Kwon Do explains, “We not only try to build self esteem by catching students doing tasks correctly, self esteem is also built by our belt and stripes system that the students earn. We follow a praise, correct, praise method with the discipline, which creates success with the students!”.

Physical coordination/fitness, kids who learn martial arts are participating in a fun physical activity that gets them up and moving. They not only become more physically fit, but they also can become more coordinated and have opportunities to compete against other kids in tournaments, just like in other sports.