9 Karate Benefits For Children
What people do during their formative years has a profound effect on who they become as adults, so as a parent it’s important to enroll your kids in positive activities like martial arts that teach children valuable lessons. There are tons of physical, mental, and social benefits for kids enrolled in these exercises.
Fitness
Karate’s most obvious benefit is physical fitness. Any sort of exercise is good for children, as it improves their health and reduces the risk of obesity and cardiovascular diseases.
Martial arts also improve your physical health in numerous other areas, owing to the variety of techniques and exercises involved. A 2022 meta study mentions the benefits to:
Speed.
Agility.
Strength.
Flexibility.
Coordination.
Balance.
These improvements can help kids in many areas of their lives, and it gives them the physical ability to engage in more activities as adults.
Self-Defense
Many unarmed martial arts like karate were created to allow people to defend themselves in times of need. Nowadays, most people don’t live under constant threat, but it’s still useful to know how to take care of oneself.
Martial arts can help kids avoid being bullied. It can also make them more aware of their surroundings, resulting in fewer injuries when out and about.
Discipline
Discipline and self-control play a huge role in martial arts. You go to the same place at the same time and perform the same techniques every week. This routine does wonders for kids, as they commit to tasks and become comfortable with repeatedly working on something.
Learning self control will have a huge impact on your kid’s future, as they’ll get used to working hard to achieve their goals and meeting their resolutions.
Concentration
Living in a fast-paced, technology driven world has left many people unable to focus as everything is vying for your attention. This is a problem that affects both adults and children, so it’s important to develop the ability to focus as early as possible.
Martial arts can help with this. They’re famous for improving people’s concentration. Children can learn how to focus on their work, improving their school results, and making them happier overall.
Memorization
Katas are one of the core pillars of karate and many other martial arts. They involve performing long and complex sequences of movements. As children practice karate, they’ll have to memorize several of these katas to advance in rank. So not only does karate improve your physical fitness, but it keeps your mind sharp as well.
Confidence
As individual sports, martial arts require students to hone their abilities to advance. Kids learn to trust in themselves which improves their confidence. Students are often required to perform their techniques in front of others, teaching them how to stay calm and overcome their anxieties in front of a crowd.
Expression
Martial arts offer a safe environment for kids to let out all their pent-up feelings and energy. If you think your child is aggressive, you should consider enrolling them in karate classes as studies indicate martial arts reduce aggression. Leaving them happier at home and at school.
Respect
Respect is one of the core philosophies of karate and many other martial arts. Every session begins and ends with a bow to the instructor, as you acknowledge their skills and experience, thanking them for teaching you. These martial arts teach people to be humble, which is a good trait for kids to develop, as they’ll learn to be respectful and polite to everyone around them.
Community
Martial arts classes are a positive environment that encourages friendship. This is a great place for kids to meet one another and make friends outside of school. It offers children a way to develop their social skills, and to feel welcome within a large community.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, martial arts offer plenty of benefits for your kids or yourself. Our head instructor at Traditional Martial Arts And Fitness has over 20 years of experience teaching kids martial arts, so we offer an excellent learning opportunity through after-school and weekend karate classes. Be sure to send us an email at info@martialartdxb.com or call us at +971 4 430 1011 to schedule your first class!
