There are so many extracurricular choices available to today’s youth. Parents must be adequately informed on their choices. Many parents want their children off the couch and involved in something physical. Martial arts offers children a way to stay fit, self-discipline skills, competitiveness, goal setting, and many other positive reinforcers that just about every child can benefit from.
Reasons to Consider Karate for Your Child
Karate is a gross motor activity which uses many parts of the body. Balance, coordination, and posture all improve with karate training. A typical hour-long class begins and ends with a bow to the teacher, or master. After a warm-up, students practice the art’s particular skills, which may include kicks, punches, and blocks. Additionally, karate is a unique sport in that it teaches self-defense. These days, knowledge of how to protect oneself is crucial, and many parents report feeling more secure knowing their child is capable of defending themself.
Karate teaches confidence and self-esteem as children learn to work and compete with others in a friendly, safe environment. Social interaction may also increase among children who participate in karate training, teaching children to feel less threatened by other children or new situations. Children who are involved with karate have also been shown to have an increased willingness to become more involved with other children in a variety of social settings. Goal setting is another benefit of karate which teaches self-discipline for a child. A child’s progress in karate is marked by the belt system, which takes the beginner from a white belt through a variety of colors until they reach black. Testing for each new level, generally every three months, is excellent for teaching children the importance of setting and achieving goals.
Karate is great for children of all temperaments and attitudes. However, some children have more energy than others and simply need a healthy way to expel that energy. Experts agree that karate allows children a positive outlet for pent up energy. The respect children learn in karate is also said to carry over into school, thus helping to improve behavior and even grades, according to recent research. In fact, many parents whose children have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have reported tremendous success with these programs because self-control and concentration are exactly the skills underdeveloped in children with ADHD. Karate is a unique sport that offers the skills that many children need to improve their behavior.