Why Martial Arts Might Be the Ideal Choice
Dear Parents and guardians, Grandmaster Brown here,
When thinking of activities for children that promote growth, discipline, and confidence, many people lean towards sports as the natural choice. Maybe it was your favorite activity. Maybe it was the only one you participated in yourself as a child. Maybe it is still your favorite sport. Maybe you have this dream of your child being the next billionaire athlete. These parents often lead with the phrase, “We’re a baseball/soccer/football/tennis/golf family.” If that’s true, why do they come to me? Repeatedly over my 43 years of teaching martial arts, I’ve had these families come to me to help the child focus, control their emotions, gain confidence and do better in school. Much of the time, it’s just so the kid is even allowed to participate in the parents’ favorite sport. However, I am filming this to show you the wealth of benefits martial arts provides, that you may find necessary for your child. Yes, necessary. While traditional sports are undeniably valuable, martial arts uniquely blend physical, mental, and emotional development in ways that can profoundly shape your child’s future, much of it, in ways traditional sports cannot. I have a master’s degree in recreational therapy and the reason I do this, is that I’ve seen over the years the incredible therapeutic value of this activity over any other.
Building Character and Discipline
Martial arts training emphasizes respect, discipline, and humility as some of its core values. Unlike many competitive sports where winning is often the central focus, martial arts prioritize the journey of self-improvement. Every session teaches our students, kids and adults, the importance of perseverance, patience, and respect for their peers, instructors and themselves. These lessons extend far beyond the dojo or training mat, helping your child develop a well-rounded character.
Developing Life Skills
Martial arts focus on individual growth, which can be especially impactful for children. They learn how to set personal goals, work that path towards success with determination, and celebrate their achievements with the reward system of stripes on their belts and new belt ranks. These skills they’re developing, foster independence and self-confidence, attributes that are invaluable not just in school but throughout life. It will even make them better in your favorite sport that you dream they will love as much as you do. Moreover, martial arts instill a sense of responsibility and the ability to handle challenges calmly and thoughtfully.
Encouraging Physical Fitness in a Holistic Way
While sports often focus on specific skill sets, martial arts provide a balanced approach to physical fitness. They improve their flexibility, their strength, coordination, and endurance simultaneously. Martial arts training also incorporates mindfulness and breathing techniques that enhance mental clarity and emotional regulation, offering your child a holistic approach to health and well-being.
Learning Self-Defense and Safety
So, let’s say your kid is a baseball champion. Being great at the sport gives them confidence, but does that confidence go with them to their more challenging life moments? Are they safe in back-alleys? Are they confident in boardrooms? Black Belts feel confident everywhere we go, not just on the training floor, soccer field, baseball field or tennis court. We’ve had many champions come through here. Nellie and Jessica Korda were born to be some of the top athletes in the world. They happened to pick golf and are top in the world. They began their journey with us. We helped Tyler Lyke fix his grades and while he got his Black Belt here he also went on to great success in baseball and football at Bradenton Christian School. Christian Cole was playing in two baseball travel teams while still working to earn his Black Belt with us. All of these athletes attest to the values of martial arts helping them with their endeavors on the golf course and baseball diamond. Unlike sports, martial arts training equips children with practical self-defense skills that can be life-saving. In today’s world, where personal safety is paramount, martial arts training instills confidence and prepares children to face real-world situations responsibly. This aspect alone makes martial arts a valuable skill for your child to acquire, side by side with playing your favorite sport.
Providing a Non-Competitive Environment
Let’s say you begin a new sport. You are going to be terrible at it in the beginning. But your lack of ability is hidden by the efforts of the team. You can hide your possible ineptitude. In martial arts, at first, students worry they are going to not be the best in the class and that they will be judged by the others. This is especially true of adults who grew up doing sports and don’t want to ever be seen as not being competent on day one. The reality is that martial arts is an individual activity. No one is judged because we are all working on ourselves, plus we all started as white belts and remember those feelings. We are just excited to have another person to help us train. The focus on personal progress rather than team-based competition allows children to advance at their own pace and eliminates the pressure and stress often associated with competitive sports. For children who may not thrive in traditional team sports environments, martial arts training offers a space where they can succeed while feeling supported and encouraged.
How can I make my child want to do this?
Do you know why your child wants to play those other sports? Because you talk about it, watch it and maybe even still do it. There is no one on this planet they want attention, admiration and praise from more than you. If you put importance on this, they will too, provided you stay supportive and not critical. No matter how bad they seem at first, if they continue, they have no choice except to improve. They will continue if you watch and praise them, putting importance on them and on this training. It’s easy. Now if you really want a guarantee that they will do well and earn their Black Belt, then enroll and do this with them. The bond between parents and children who train in the arts together is strong, and this will be a common factor you share for the rest of both of your lives.
How can I keep them coming? What if they want to quit?
Are there going to be times they don’t want to go? This is going to sound odd, but I certainly hope so. Training through plateaus helps them learn how to persevere through their tough spots in life. It teaches them the discipline need to do the important things, that they may not want to do in that moment. When they take a break, they seldom make it back, so don’t give them a choice, just like going to school, doing their chores, eating healthy, going to bed on time, brushing and flossing their teeth, make this a priority and make sure they know, you have make this a priority because you know how important this can be, and it’s your job as their parent to make the important decisions for them. Once they are here, they have a great time and love it. If you let us know you struggled, we can help. No one ever earnes their black belt and says, “Darn you mom and dad for making me earn this.”
A Passion That Can Last Forever
While enthusiasm for playing sports might wane as children grow older, and then they become adult couch athletes, martial arts often become a lifelong pursuit. Its emphasis on mental and physical wellness ensures that even as your child matures, they will continue to find value and meaning in their practice. We continually have new students who trained as children in other systems of martial arts who find their forever dojo with us. We recently signed up an 80 year old who trained in a traditional style in the 1970’s who loves the comradery of our adult classes. His doctor wants him to focus on one thing, keep moving. We can absolutely do that. Pedro Samboy, who is in his 50’s, trained in traditional martial arts in the Dominican Republic when he was younger, and is one of our fantastic black belts, along with his daughters, Bibi and Gigi. Lisa Spencer, who is in her 60’s today, did kung fu when she was younger and loves our school. Colin Boyle, who is in his 50’s, was a Black Belt in Taekwondo when he was a kid and then earned another black belt with us. I am 61 and trained in Ninjutsu, Kendo, Kenjutsu, Kung Fu, Hapkido and Taekwondo in the 70’s and 80’s. We continually have students of all ages who transfer to us from other martial arts schools because they want to train in a more realistic system, with a traditional culture, a strong focus on the moral code, instead of being in a daycare environment.
I asked AI a few weeks ago what is the one thing we could be teaching people that would help society more than anything else. It said Mental Discipline. With improved mental discipline, we will have less people doing things they know they shouldn’t, more people controlling their anxiety, frustration and rage, and more people making themselves do the things they know they should do and behave in the best possible way. Martial arts training offers a unique blend of physical fitness, mental fortitude, and emotional balance that sets it apart from traditional sports. By encouraging your child to explore martial arts, you are not only opening the door to a world of skills and values but also nurturing a lifestyle that prioritizes self-respect, discipline, and overall well-being.
I invite you to consider martial arts as an enriching and transformative activity for your child. It is more than just physical training – it is a path to growth, confidence, and lifelong learning.
Grandmaster Brown, out!