Kids will strive to do their best if they enjoy the activity and will learn self-discipline in the process. This will follow them throughout their lives.

Discipline in the martial arts does not mean making a child do knuckle push-ups for misbehaving in class. I am not a supporter of using exercise for punishment anyway. No, what we are talking about here is self-discipline. Discipline is all about doing what you must do even when you don’t want to do it.

self-dis·ci·pline (slfds-pln)
n.
Training and control of oneself and one’s conduct, usually for personal improvement.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged

self-discipline
n
the act of disciplining or power to discipline one’s own feelings, desires, etc., esp with the intention of improving oneself.
self-disciplined adj

Webster’s College Dictionary

Control of Self

How does a child learn to control his temper and not lash out? A good role model that he or she looks up to can be a big help. If the sensei says it’s not right to strike another child in anger, most kids take it on. I have even had many parents complain that their child did not hit back when they were attacked because “the sensei said it is not right to use karate at school”. Good or bad, this is self-control in its purest form.

Activity Must be Fun!

How do you get your child to get off the video games and get ready for karate class? Simple, the child has to like the activity. If you can make the classes fun and challenging at the same time, the child will be more likely to continue with it.

Goals Should be Broken Into Little Chunks

How do you keep a child motivated? You have to break the goals into little chunks, because for a kid, six months is forever! Break the goals down into smaller chunks and reward them for their efforts more often. This is not bribery, this is just how kids operate.

The Sensei Knows if You Have Been Practising

How do you get kids to practice at home? This is a hard one, but if the sensei suggests strongly that the child practice outside of class, and says he or she will “check your work next week”, a good many will.

Games Build Concentration and Peer Pressure Can Make Them Work Harder

How can you get a bored child to concentrate? Play a game that requires the child to concentrate in order to win. Every child wants to win at games. Peer pressure can help as every child wants to fit in. “Yes I focus on that kata one more time because the rest of the class is doing it”. They start to learn how to concentrate on their own, enough to master the techniques that are required of them.

Recognition is the Key to Building Mastery

How do you get children to do their best? Use the carrot, not the stick! We always make it a point to have a child demonstrate for the class a technique in which he or she is very good. It makes all the children in the class try harder. Kids are like any other human, we all crave recognition. As the child begins to achieve a sense of mastery, and this is recognised publicly, they start feeling a lot better about themselves and this is where they begin to really enjoy martial arts.

Over a period of years students learn that if they persist, work hard, and do not give up, worthy goals are achieved. It is a lesson that will serve them well throughout their lives. How has the martial arts helped your child’s self-discipline?

Martial arts moves like these will improve your child’s balance.

Kicking Takes Balance

Try doing a kick straight out in front of you, executing another one out to the side, and then yet another one behind you, at imaginary attackers from all sides, AND without touching your kicking foot to the floor at any time. Sound pretty hard? Well, our little children in the five to seven age groups are able to do this by the end of the first or second term of martial arts!

Standing on one leg while snapping kicks out in all directions takes incredible balance, learned through training in the martial arts. Some of the children have difficulty with it, but with a little praise and encouragement, they all finally get it. As the child advances they will learn spinning, turning, and jumping kicks, which are all amazing balance builders.

The Stances are the Foundation of Balance

The stances they learn teach them to keep a low centre of gravity and wider base, making it very difficult for a bully to knock them over. Focusing the eyes on a non-moving object out in front of them is something we teach them at the earliest stages of their training. Standing side-on from their opponents makes it harder for someone to push them down and increases their mobility while protecting their centreline, where most serious injuries will occur.

Drills and Exercises Build Balance

Some of the warm-up exercises we do involve the children standing on one leg while pulling their legs out to the side, as if they were doing a kick. Or maybe the eagle, dancer, or tree pose from yoga. The kids love these exercises as they are a great challenge and lots of laughs are heard throughout the training hall. Sometimes for additional challenge, we have them close their eyes.

Later on, when the children are ready to spar, or pretend fight, balance will play a key role in their ability to dodge their opponent’s attacks, while at the same time launching their own. The shuffling games and drills develop footwork, quickness, and balance as the the kids learn to move and evade attacks.

Improving a child’s balance from martial arts training will pay big dividends in their lives. They will find other sports easier to master, and will be less likely to have accidents. This will be especially true when they one day become senior citizens.

Kids are encouraged to raise their hands and be assertive in our martial arts classes. There are no wrong answers.

How Martial Arts Builds Assertiveness in Children

Teaching a child to be assertive will pay off as they get older. Confident and assertive children are less likely to bend to the will of their peers. They will be more apt to walk away from a bad situation or to keep up good grades even when others say it is not the cool thing to do.

Providing early leadership opportunities for children is essential for building their assertiveness and confidence. Research from Girl Scouts of America says confidence in speaking up and leading others dwindles by the fifth grade. Kids gain that confidence by entering into activities, clubs, teambuilding, etc. and the earlier the better. The martial arts is a perfect place to to this. Here’s why.

Praise Children for Being Assertive

We praise children for raising their hands in our children’s martial arts classes. We tell them there is no wrong answer and that all questions or comments are good. We never belittle them for any answer they come up with. This gets them to put their hand up more often. Many parents are telling us their children are now putting their hands up in school, which usually means better class participation and grades.

A Strong Role Model

Children copy their role models. Our instructors encourage the children to stand up for their beliefs and views, even if it means going against the crowd. Many of the games we play test individual skills, which build a sense of independence. We also encourage them to speak up when they see injustice. Our instructors also encourage the children to come forth if they are not getting enough attention in class. Children will follow the example of a strong instructor.

Discourage Domineering Behaviour

If we see a shy withdrawn child being pushed around by a more assertive child in class we will separate them, giving the shy child the chance to shine on their own. We will go out of our way to find a way to give them a chance to be assertive and then praise them. We also tell them it is okay to complain if another child cuts in front of them in line. We also give the line-jumpers warning that if they are caught doing it, they will have to watch the game from the side that day.

Provide Leadership

We encourage children to come forth and volunteer to be leaders. As early as purple belt, we will allow children to help with the beginner’s classes. This gets them started helping organise the class and works on their public speaking skills, greatly increasing their assertiveness.

Appearing Confident and Assertive

We teach our students to look people in the eye and use a more firm, powerful voice. We work on our Kiai every day to develop our voices. We encourage them to stay cool and not cry or pout, as this does not show confidence.

We Let the Kids be the Instructor

Sometimes we’ll let the kids take turns running the stretches before class. Each kid picks a stretch, tells the class its name, then demonstrates it. They love to participate in it. Sometimes they come up with funny stretches and everyone has a laugh! It really builds their confidence in speaking up.

Manners are the Key

Sometimes a child will walk up to me and say “I need to get tested because I missed the grading”. I tell them to try again but this time ask in a respectful way. They will often say “Can you please test me Sensei because I missed the grading? This teaches them that they will get a much better result if they make their requests in a firm, but respectful way.

Have Faith in Yourself

We teach our students to have faith in your their own abilities, knowledge and strength. To know that they are valuable and deserve to have their needs met. We all have a right to assert ourselves no matter what our personality.

In the martial arts we give children the tools to be assertive and value themselves and their opinions so they will have high self esteem. It will show in the friends they choose and the activities they participate in and set them up for success in life.