The kids classes here at the SMA Centre are a rewarding experience for our instructors who feel a great deal of pride at transferring their skills and knowledge to the next generation of martial arts enthusiasts.
Our thrill at training up a new crop of martial arts masters is only a part of why we think it is important to offer the kids classes that we do.
The main reason is that professionally conducted martial arts training is good for children and their personal development as they grow into adults.
Here, we’ll discuss just a few of the advantages of enrolling your children in the SMA Centre’s training sessions.
They will become more active and healthier
For the conscientious parent, the digital age presents the problem of children that are satisfied with little more than couch surfing, video gaming and YouTubing. Obviously, this does not make for a well-rounded and healthy childhood.
Not all children are suited to the conventional sports offered by schools. And even if they are, the martial arts often present a more mentally stimulating form of workout than those offered by other sports. This means that kids, with their endless creativity and innate desire to learn are more likely to be engaged by and commit to martial arts, than by activities that lose their interest after a short time.
With physical fitness being an important aspect of all martial arts, your child can get an early start on developing the muscular and cardiovascular capability that will benefit them well into their adult lives.
They will learn the value of discipline
They may not know it (and they’d probably vociferously disagree) but kids need discipline – they thrive on it.
Ultimately, true discipline does not come from external pressure, and through martial arts children are instilled with a sense of self-discipline that teaches the importance of controlling one’s own behaviour and actions.
Good instructors, like those at the SMA Centre, emphasise adherence to the rules and structure of the class. This is encouraged in and out of class. It helps to instil children with a personal code of conduct that will extend into and enhance every aspect of their lives. This improves their interactions with their peers, their teachers, their parents and with themselves.
They will learn the value of commitment
Every parent wants their child to understand the importance of sticking to something.
Martial arts offer kids the opportunity to see the concrete results of dedicating oneself to the development of a skillset. As they follow their instructors’ guidance and commit to the improvement of their techniques, they will learn that commitment comes with reward and that hard work does pay off.
This is enhanced by the fact that – let’s face it – martial arts are just cool! While using mathematics to engender a mind-set of commitment might be an uphill battle for your son or daughter, Shaolin Kung Fu for example, is a fun tool for developing the habits of commitment that can be applied to other areas of your young one’s life.
They will gain self-confidence and self-respect
Even though they teach self-defence, the martial arts are not about violence.
Often, just knowing how to fight will give a child enough confidence to be able to avoid letting a confrontation with a bully at school devolve into violence.
Because martial arts emphasise discipline and situational awareness, they help kids to take control of their circumstances and be comfortable in any situation. This makes for a more self-assured child that understands and is confident in the tools that he or she brings to any situation.
This confidence naturally leads to a level of self-respect that can only be attained through personal improvement and growth.
They will develop a better mind-body balance
At the SMA Centre, we focus on the practice of traditional Chinese martial arts. A part of what that means is that the philosophical underpinnings of the arts are emphasised almost as much as the techniques. In traditional thinking, it is of paramount importance that neither the body nor the mind be neglected in one’s personal development.
Not only is this a positive philosophy to instil in children to help ensure that they go on to lead balanced lives, but it also means that their mental faculties are kept as sharp as their physical ones.
If you want to find out more about the benefits of martial arts training for your kids (or for yourself) contact the SMA Centre and either book a class or ask for more details about our training techniques and the styles we focus on.