When you turn on the TV or listen to the radio today, it is full of local and national headlines about violence. Because of this violence, more parents are seeking martial arts for children programs for self-defense for their kids and to help them develop life skills that will allow them to avoid conflict and feel safer in any situation as they grow.
In the schoolyard, bullies look for children who appear smaller in size, nervous, or suffer from low self-esteem. If your child does not feel they can keep up with their peers while playing team sports, they might thrive in martial arts classes. Why! Because martial arts develop independence, coordination, self-confidence, and mental fortitude in each participant.
Here are some key factors to look for when deciding which martial art school/style and an instructor are right for your child. First, it is important to visit the studio/dojo when the class your child will take is in session. This will give you an indicator of how the instructor interacts with the students, is he/she praising first before correcting?
Is the dojo clean, clutter-free, and with ample space for training? Are you able to see and hear how the instructor interacts with your child? Has the instructor(s) been Live Scan? The Live Scan will provide results to parents who have no criminal records with the State Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
In addition, is the instructor teaching the children to be aggressive? Schools today have a zero-tolerance policy, it is important your child learns the skills to de-escalate a situation before they use their karate. At the James Martial Arts Academy located in San Diego, California, we teach our students only to use their karate to:
- Protect their family,
- Protect their friends (parents will define who the friends are) and
- Protect themselves.
We instill in our students the importance of self-control and discipline. Our students are confident enough in their martial arts empowering they can walk away from any heated situation which demonstrates the purity of martial arts (the fight without fighting), but if forced they can defend themselves with the correct amount of force.
In addition, this reinforces the mental toughness that karate provides, which will carry them through all life situations. Even, one of the premier parenting publications, “Parenting.com,” agrees that martial arts training is beneficial to children. If you have any questions or need help finding a martial arts studio in San Diego or El Cajon, California, please contact us using our contact form. We would love to help you and your child.
