Do you have any children interested in practicing Taekwondo?
It is no secret that martial arts for kids continue to grow in popularity. From movies, video games, competitive sports, and other mediums, martial arts continues to show itself in many different forms. Since martial arts started becoming more and more popular in North America, all sorts of different martial arts have now become available to learn from many parts of the world.
Taekwondo is perhaps one of the most popular and widely-available options nowadays, and it offers a unique set of techniques and skillsets that your child could learn and practice. In this article, we’d like to share with you some of the most important considerations when deciding if Taekwondo is right for your child.
The 5 core benefits Taekwondo offers
Like any other martial art, Taekwondo also offers some very crucial benefits to a dedicated child. Whether your child wants to learn Taekwondo for one reason or another, here are some of the benefits you might observe them go through:
1. A strong sense of self-discipline
One of the biggest game-changers as a parent comes from observing your child appreciating and practicing self-discipline. It’s a fundamental component of becoming responsible, and holding oneself accountable for their actions (or inactions). Martial arts, like Taekwondo, have a profound way of helping children learn and value these concepts through deeply-rooted philosophies that have carried through previous generations of practitioners. We help children understand that gratification is earned, and is not instant.
2. A permanent boost to self-esteem and self-confidence
Practicing Taekwondo is a humbling experience. As practitioners, we are not facing judgement from our partners or opponents, but rather from ourselves. Martial arts helps us to get beyond negative self-judgement, and to focus on constantly developing and improving on ourselves. Children often find it comforting to know that they are practicing something fun in a positive environment, and are in many cases unknowingly reshaping their character for the better, through better self-esteem and more self-confidence.
3. Regular physical activity
This one’s quite obvious, but important to note, as children often require physical activity on a regular basis. Taekwondo is unique when it comes to this benefit, especially when it comes to some of the more advanced kicks and demonstration moves that are taught later on. They require a certain level of flexibility, strength, and coordination, so we make it imperative to help the child develop and improve to the point where they can seamlessly practice these moves.
4. Socialization and leadership skills
Socialization is hard to teach, and it’s therefore also hard to learn, especially when it comes to younger children. That said, when the purpose of martial arts is to reach a collective set of goals, it is not uncommon to find that children will adapt to the situation by learning how to interact with one another. Over time, their socialization and leadership skills will develop, and they are also able to understand and develop SMART goals of their own. These skills are incredibly important in our increasingly modern world, and Taekwondo can help your child learn this early on.
5. Learning that nobody is perfect
Mistakes, failures, errors, and all of the words in between can often evoke some pretty negative feelings. Some children take this with even stronger feelings, because a part of them is saying that only perfection is acceptable by both their peers and adults. Sometimes these feelings are not addressed, meaning that failure experienced by the young adult, for example, is just an amplified version of the same feeling they carried since childhood. Taekwondo practiced at a young age will certainly address this topic, and over time, your child will also learn and be okay with the fact that nobody is perfect, and that mistakes are such an important part of learning anything new.