Martial arts aren’t the first curricular activity that many parents want to teach their children. But, the truth is, it’s something that they should be considering, especially in this world today, where child obesity has become an epidemic and how many children lack values that help prepare them for the many challenges in life.
If you’re a concerned parent and want something that can help you prepare your child, both mentally and physically, martial arts such as Muay Thai may just be the thing for you.
If you need further convincing, here are five key benefits that you’ll see in your child after enrolling him or her in a Muay Thai class.
- Physical Fitness
As mentioned above, child obesity is a real problem that we’re facing today. This is because of how more and more children are spending time in front of the TV, or playing video games and rarely take the time to play outside and sweat it out. Though, even if you’re blessed with a particularly healthy kid, enrolling them in a martial arts class is a good way to teach them a lot of things, with physical fitness being one of them.
- Essential Life Skills
Another good reason to enrol your child to a martial arts class is to help them develop, what you’d call, “life skills”. This includes discipline, patience, confidence, mental awareness, self-control and so on and so forth. While you may already be teaching your child such things at home, it doesn’t hurt to have somewhere it’s reinforced. In martial arts classes, the many points you’ve raised at home will be driven even further, helping your child develop essential life skills as they grow older.
- Self Defense
Not that we encourage fighting or anything, but your child needs to know how to, at the very least, defend him or herself. Your child will be taught a lot of things in class, such as how to handle conflicts, personal responsibility, and how to avoid engagements. In this sense, bullies will learn how what they’re doing isn’t good and how the bullied ones can learn how to defend themselves if need be.
- Correcting Behaviour Problems
While this could’ve been part of the “life skills” part, the fact that many children have behaviour issues warrants this its own spot on this list. If you’re a parent who wants to improve your child’s attention span, demeanour, self-control, respect for others, confidence, and others, then martial arts will help you with that. However, it’s best that you talk to the instructor first so that he or she knows beforehand what your child is like and what you want your child to learn while in class. If done correctly, your child’s behaviour problems and issues could be rectified before they become more severe.
- After-school activity
Sometimes, you just want your child to have something to do after school. Enrolling them in a martial arts class is one of the best and most secure ways of doing so. Not only will they get a lot out of it, but you’ll also be confident that your child is and will be safe while at class.
Before enrolling your kid in a martial arts class, it’s best to sit down and talk to them first. Discuss with them your goals, or why you’re enrolling them and make sure that both of your come to an “ideal” agreement.
