4 REASON WHY EVERY KID SHOULD LEARN HOW TO FIGHT

Martial arts can help increase self esteem

Self-esteem is crucial to how your child's mental health and social intelligence develops. When children feel good about themselves it sets them up for success, but when the child lacks self-esteem they have insecurities and a fear of acceptance which may cause a negative effect later on in their life. Self-confidence determines how a child handles failure and how they decide to challenge themselves. If your child or a child you know is showing signs of low self-esteem I would suggest enrolling that child in a martial arts class. Martial arts classes are typically surrounded by an environment of people that have humility, respect, and self-control. This positive energy changes the way a child views the world. Some children find their escape in the Dojo (a room where martial arts is practiced) instead of the stresses of being in a school where there are bullies and stressful assignments or at home where they may not be getting the adequate amount of physical exercise needed to relieve their stress.



enrolling your child in a martial arts class doesn't just comfort them with good feelings. It also challenges them. Every martial art is different but the objectives are similar, push yourself to be the best you can be and help those around you do the same. The mixture of helping/receiving help from others around you while you strive to reach your own personal goal is one the most fulfilling feelings and can boost your self-esteem tremendously.

Coming from a martial arts background, I can personally say that my parent's decision to enroll me in that after-school karate class in second grade was one of their best decisions. I can still remember that feeling I had when my Sensei put that yellow stripe on my white belt. I was no longer afraid of that homework assignment that needed to be done, no longer afraid of that bully at lunch, and I definitely wasn't afraid to test myself with new challenges, a testament that ultimately became one of the foundations of my life.

Martial arts can positively influence behavior

Do you have a kid that misbehaves at home or in class? has aggression issues? or has problems with following rules? Then maybe you should try to get that kid involved in some martial arts training. Children that are overly aggressive don't think before they act, martial arts training changes that. If you were to compete in say, boxing. The consequence of not thinking before you make your move can cost you the fight. Competing in martial arts makes you learn a lot about yourself. It forces you to analyze the situation before making any actions because one thing you learn in martial arts is that with every action is a reaction, and the penalty for making the wrong reaction can lead to getting hit.



I am going to put a link to a short video into this text right HERE. Watch the video and tell me if you see any of the kids in the back laughing at the boy's struggle as he tries to break the board in half. These little boys are a perfect example of humility and empathy. They know how hard it is to break that board because they had to do the same, so instead of ridiculing the boy for crying, they commiserate with him. This is not a rare sight in a Karate Dojo. Kids learn from martial arts what some adults still fail to realize, and that is that we were all put on this planet together as one and we all go through trials and tribulations. The sooner we realize that the sooner we can start treating people like we would ourselves and create a better environment for everyone.

I have realized from my experience teaching/watching children's martial arts classes that even the most ill-behaved kids develop better behavior after just a couple weeks of class. When I look back at the video, what stands out most to me is how the instructor talks to the child. Martial arts is unlike any other sport. In football per say, the coach may yell at a kid because he cannot tackle properly, call him weak or that he needs to be tougher. In martial arts, on the other hand, there is a level of understanding that often times fails to be duplicated in most sports. In the Dojo, we are taught to have patience and perseverance. Just because a technique is not working for you does not mean there is something wrong, it just means you have to keep trying. kids that misbehave often do so because they have insecurities and low self-esteem, teaching that if you continue to preserve and stay patient you can accomplish anything leaves a very strong influence on a child's life and can boost that child's confidence.

Martial arts teaches kids how to protect themselves

Did you know that 800,000 kids are reported missing each year? That means every 40 seconds a child is reported missing or is abducted. Children are perfect targets for predators because of their small stature and lack of good decision making. Some kids may be physically taken against their will and some may be tricked into going somewhere they shouldn't be. One of the best ways to prevent your child from falling victim to this situation is by getting them trained in martial arts

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Having proficient self-defense training can be the difference between life and death in some situations. People have been able to escape terrible situations where most people would be completely vulnerable because of their training and knowledge of how to get out of certain grips and or dodge certain attacks. You may be thinking getting out of dangerous situations with martial arts training is something that only happens in the movies, but you're wrong. The Israel defense force practices a martial art called Krav Maga specifically for combating life-threatening situations. Krav Maga is a hybrid martial art with a mixture of boxing, wrestling, aikido, karate, and judo. This military defense system has proved its legitimacy time and time again on the battlefield.

The soldiers in the Israel defense forces are not the only ones capable of defending themselves with the knowledge of martial arts. August 30th, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, a 10-year-old boy Sebastian Solache was almost kidnapped in front of his house when a man tried to grab him from behind and drag him to the back of his neighbor's house. What this kidnapper failed to realize was that Sebastian has been training in karate. When Sebastian felt the kidnapper grab him he wisely slammed his elbows into his ribs and ran away. Thankfully this boy was trained and prepared for this situation because there is no telling what this kidnappers intentions were.

As important as self-defense is it's not the only reason why martial arts can save a child's life. Some of the key aspects of martial arts training are awareness, used to evade attacks, and quick but accurate decision making, for knowing when or when not to attack the opponent. These traits can make a big difference when a kidnapper approaches a child. Instead of the child making a foolish decision by waiting for the kidnapper to get to close or being conned into doing something that is not in their best interest, they will use their awareness and decision making skills to avoid the situation.


Give your child the chance to build their confidence, skills, strength, and awareness they need to protect themselves from a dangerous situation and enroll them in a martial arts class near you.

Martial arts training can help solve childhood obesity

America is one of the most obese countries in the world. Obesity is a disorder in which excess body fat builds up to the point where it may have a very negative effect on one’s health. Obesity is usually determined by calculating one’s (BMI) body mass index, which is a measurement that works by dividing a person’s weight by the square of the person's height. If the BMI is over 25.0 that person is considered overweight and if that person is over the 30.0 range that person is considered obese. Studies have shown that extreme obesity can cut the life expectancy of a person in half. Obesity is the number one most preventable cause of death worldwide and the rate is increasing tremendously, especially in children. To keep our children from suffering from this disorder we must instill in them, self-discipline, confidence, and a will to live a healthy lifestyle. These traits are seen quite frequently in people who train in martial arts. Martial artists that started training at a young age are known for having acquired over the years, an indomitable will and self-control over certain things in life most kids their age struggle to resist. In martial arts training, students are taught to use one's skills and strength in a fully controlled manner no matter how dominant hey may feel over their opponent. This helps improve self-control, which can also convert to how children handle eating. Overeating is a lack of self-control, normal children feel the need to overindulge because they have not been trained to hold back and control their urges, martial artists have been taught differently.

The cause of gaining weight is simple. If there are more calories consumed than calories burned, those calories will turn into fat, causing weight gain. Martial arts such as Taekwondo, Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, and MMA are some the best activities for burning calories. Each individual is different and burns various amounts of calories based on age, weight, metabolism, etc. But here is a guide to give you a general idea of the number of calories burned in each activity.

Type of Activity	Calories burned per hour per pound of body weight
Aerobics	2.95
Basketball (shooting around)	2.75
Boxing (Bag Work)	2.72
Boxing  (Sparring)	4.07
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (light)	3.25
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Intense)	4.87
Taekwondo	4.50
Calisthenics (push ups, sit ups etc)	2.43
Circuit training	3.63
Cycling ( med pace)	3.60
Jump rope (medium)	4.54
Jump rope (fast)	5.44
Kick Boxing	4.54
Rowing machine (light)	3.17
Running (fast mile)	8.17
Running (Jog)	4.54
Running Stairs	6.80
Stairmaster machine	4.08
Stretching (Yoga) light	1.81
Swimming (med pace)	3.90
Weightlifting (light)	1.36
Weightlifting (intense)	2.72
Wrestling (light practice)	3.98
Wrestling (competition)	Close to 300-500/hr calories in 5 mins Pace cannot be maintained for an entire hour

To determine your approximate calories burned, you need to multiply the number of calories burned per hour by your body weight.

If you or your child are struggling with excess weight you should look into training in a martial art.