In recent generations, the novel idea of encouraging children and evaluating each child on their own scale has somehow been translated into rewarding mediocrity and a lack of discipline at the sake of stunting growth or imagination. At Infinity Martial Arts, we definitely believe that there is some middle ground here that is widely overlooked but should be explored. Martial arts is an art and discipline that is grounded on both encouragement and hard work. Any martial arts discipline teaches its practitioners that you cannot fake anything in life, but that hard work and commitment will pay off. Children who initially lack confidence blossom in just a few sessions, while those with an inflated sense of self are quickly humbled. Join us in today’s post as we explore a few things that martial arts training instills in children to help raise them into productive and successful adults.

Discipline

If there is one thing that centuries worth of martial arts training has taught anyone who has ever practiced it, is discipline. To be a martial arts warrior, one must have control over their mind, body, and mouth. Movements must be practiced until there is no hesitation, and then applied using forward-thinking and quick reaction. This is not a skill that comes easily or by slacking off in training. The truly disciplined are the ones who practice their craft with their whole heart and their whole mind. They think about their actions and make them, they are intentional in movement and breathing. This strict discipline is hard not to apply in other facets of life.

Resilience

There is no better metaphor in life for getting up after you get knocked down than literally getting up after you get knocked down. In martial arts training, when you spare with a partner or you attempt to achieve the next belt, you will get knocked down, a lot. And that’s okay because in martial arts you learn persistence and resilience and you’ll learn that when you get up after getting knocked down, you’ll be stronger and be able to do it better next time. These skills apply across all areas of life and instill strength and bravery in kids that carry with them into adulthood.

Dedication

Dedication, by definition, is the act of being committed to a task or purpose. This type of focused dedication as that which is required to master the various martial arts levels shows the importance of follow-through and the relentless pursuit of progress. The intense dedication that martial arts mastery demands help your child learn focus, drive, determination, and develops their concentration skills. When these skills translate into anything else in life, it sets your child up for success in anything they attempt to do. Whatever you do, do it heartily.

Work Ethic

There are a lot of things you can fake in life, but moving up the belt ladder in martial arts is not one of them. Martial arts training is the perfect example of you get out of what you put into it. If you show up and listen to the sensei, without applying yourself and what you’ve learned, you won’t get anywhere and it only reflects on yourself. This principle trickles into other areas of your life and is received as work ethic. Life, like martial arts, is a culmination of the effort and sweat equity you apply. When your kids engage in a highly disciplined sport such as martial arts, they learn to have a strong work ethic young, which sets them up for success in a competitive corporate world.

Silence

There is a time and place for discussion and chatter, but when children do not learn to curb the talking early on in life, it becomes disruptive to productivity. Martial arts teaches children to be mindful, to think before they speak or act, and to be intentional when they do. These invaluable skills will go a long way when they are translated into the academic or corporate world. Children who are comfortable sitting in mindful silence with their thoughts are more apt to be confident adults who do not have to distract themselves with mindless banter. The ability to remain silent rather than filling the peaceful quietness with noise allows children to foster better listening skills, which can result in better relationships in the future.