Martial arts are fantastic for children, and they are safer than several other common sports. If your child displays a liking for martial arts, please give them your blessings. The sport will help them learn more about discipline, honor, and respect than any other sport.
However, there are many forms of martial arts; hence, selecting the perfect one for your child is always a dilemma. Sincerely speaking, every form of martial arts demands unique skills, and not all of them will match your children’s preferences. But we recommend you let your child explore before finally settling for one style.
Below, we have selected the best martial arts for kids, with a list of pros and facts about the skills they will get along the way!
- What are Martial Arts, and why are they great for Children?
- The Best Martial Arts For Kids To Learn
- Benefits of Martial Arts for Children
- Great for Kids
- They assist children in getting ready for Real-Life Events
- Martial Arts are the Greatest Full Body Exercise for your Children
- Martial Arts help Children Learn how to defend themselves
- Your Child will Gain Strength with Martial Arts
- A kid gains a competitive spirit
- Martial Arts teaches respect
- Martial Arts enhances children’s ability to solve challenges
- Martial Arts build confidence
- Your child learns new skills
- Your child will make friends
- Martial Arts assists with Stress
- How to ensure my Child continues doing Martial Arts
- Final Thoughts
What are Martial Arts, and why are they great for Children?
The phrase martial arts refers to confidential systems and traditions of warfare, practiced and advanced for several reasons, among them fitness, self-defense, and even meditation! The roots of martial arts are still highly contested.
Nonetheless, we are sure about its different and scattered sources in several Asian regions, and this has resulted in the creation of more than 170 martial arts. We are sure you have heard of several common names, such as Jiu-Jitsu and Karate, while others are scarcer and tougher to come across.
The great thing about each martial art form is that they all have their history and styles used differently. Nonetheless, this is frequently the reason why parents find it hard to select which is best. As a parent, when choosing the best form of martial arts for your children, ensure you keep them in the loop when weighing the pros and cons of each.
The Best Martial Arts For Kids To Learn
There are several styles of martial arts to select from, and in this section, we will analyze them one by one. Without a doubt, the most incredible martial arts rely on what you desire your kid to learn from it and which one they yearn for the most.
Below, we have crafted a list of the best martial arts for your child. We have broken them down into different classes to assist you to come into a conclusion.
Karate
Karate is noted as one of the safest martial arts for children. It is widespread, and each city virtually has a dojo. Karate is both disciplined and playful, and it will give your child an entire body workout.
Karate, a traditional martial art, emphasizes self-growth via training. Apart from highlighting self-growth, karate will teach your child all about honor, respect, discipline, and bring joy. As a matter of fact, children have loads of fun learning how to kick, throwing a punch, and playing with other kids.
Research indicates that children as young as three years can learn karate and greatly benefit from it. Probably, karate is the perfect option for your Kid.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is an art that hails from South Korea, and it was incorporated into the Olympics games in the early 2000s. Children across the globe love it since it teaches them exhilarating skills. Taekwondo stresses the kicks, but several styles teach blows.
All the kids worldwide would delight in learning how to throw spinning kicks. Aside from the spinning and jumping kicks, taekwondo workouts enhance their sturdiness and balance and makes them supple. Several children can perform splits after several months of training.
A lot of sparring is done in taekwondo, which is not dangerous to your child. As a matter of fact, it is one of the safest martial arts to train, but you require protective equipment for the Kid.
In addition, taekwondo has countless styles and competitions where children can try out their expertise. If they are laced with the relevant skills, the match may ignite that competitive ember within them, thus, pushing them to work extra hard.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Commonly called BJJ, jiu-jitsu is frequently recognized as the safest art for children. And this is anchored on its emphasis on wrestling without any striking. Practitioners are taught to use judo and wrestling techniques during initiation to achieve a takedown. They employ joint locks and chokeholds when you are down to make the challenger submit.
Wrestling on mats causes lesser wounds than punches and kicks. When a learner submits, the partner is only required to tap to reset the action. Hence, at the end of the day, BJJ will not take a toll on your body.
Aside from being safe, BJJ is a complex art that will develop your Kid’s problem-solving skills. Many regard it as a human chess match since your Kid will develop amazing problem-solving skills and get more patient in the long run. Every Brazilian jiu-jitsu learning institution is one giant family that will make your Kid become a part of the team.
Judo
Judo was founded in 1882, and it is a grappling martial art intertwined with elements of moral and psychological teaching. It focuses on the grappling facet, where the aim is to push the challenger to the ground and pin them to get a win. Judo is noted as the art that heralded jiu-jitsu since it majorly deploys chokes and joint locks to finish the challenger.
Among all forms of martial arts, Judo is probably the one that imparts kids and honor in the lives of its learners. The martial art brags of rich deep history and tradition that will aid your Kid to transform into a man of value. It employs a technique of arduous exercising and will let your kids understand the vitality of working hard in life.
Within the martial arts universe, Judokas are recognized as the strongest people. Grappling, taking hold of, and pulling on the mat is grueling. And this is an excellent approach for a kid to bolster their entire body strength within a short period.
Wrestling
Wrestling is the oldest, and the toughest art one can get involved in. It is an integral part of the martial arts culture in western and eastern parts of the globe. Children who start to wrestle at a tender age can carry on with it in high school and later college.
As a parent or as a guardian, you should comprehend that there are two unique forms of wrestling:
- Greco Roman — this form of wrestling prohibits holds lower than the waist.
- Freestyle Wrestling — this form permits combatants to hold both above and below the waist to achieve a takedown. The key aim is to take down your challenger and subdue them with a pin.
It is vital to understand that high school and college wrestling are similar to freestyle wrestling. To identify the wrestling style that suits your kids best, you should let them explore both types. Children will always prefer one over the other.
Muay Thai
Popularly called Thai boxing, Muay Thai is well noted for being one of the most notable striking martial arts. And unfortunately, one of the most aggressive. As an art and a combat sport, Muay Thai employs stand-up striking and several clinching approaches, mixing shins, fists, elbows, and knees.
Nonetheless, until children grow into their late teens, Muay Thai institutions are responsible for bolstering skills, which they ought to know and develop for self-defense, not hostility. This art employs the entire body as a tool, so many call it “the art of eight limbs.” Apart from punches and kicks, Muay Thai deploys sweeping and basic grappling methods that confirm its status as a wholesome well-rounded art for children to learn.
Aikido
Aikido is a non-violent form of martial art for children. Hence, if you search for something that bolsters your kids mentally through non-violent but spirited workouts, then Aikido is undoubtedly one of the most influential arts for kids to learn.
However, it is not very powerful, nor is it as successful as the others listed above when it comes to self-defense against people who are well conversant with martial arts. It is nonetheless critical against hostile assailants but unskilled in martial arts. It is undoubtedly a great option for children kick-starting their martial arts journey, mainly if they cannot focus on more sophisticated skills.
In most cases, Aikido is often proposed as another art to be learned together with the others listed above.
Benefits of Martial Arts for Children
Now, let us focus on the critical benefits of martial arts for kids:
Great for Kids
The greatest thing about martial arts is that they are wide-ranging and encompass many styles and methods; hence, anyone, including a child, can get something suitable.
Also, martial arts typically has three basic elements, which they instill in their practitioners. Whether you desire to pick up the practical facets, wish to fight, or understand the forms, you will get something matching your liking.
Courtesy of its wide range, roughly anyone, even children, can practice martial arts.
The general pros of sports for children are appropriately understood, but because martial arts instill a lot more, it is evident why they are so great for children.
They assist children in getting ready for Real-Life Events
There are different martial arts styles, but they do not usually have such a significant difference, especially in the combat aspect of the exercise.
However, unlike several disciplines and even fighting sports, martial arts are pretty genuine and can prepare you for real-life situations.
Perhaps, you will not get into an actual life situation that demands you use your Jiu-Jitsu skills the same way you deploy them during training. But, note that martial arts are pretty diverse that they will indeed, at one point or the other, mimic a real-life situation better than many things that come to mind.
Because it gets you ready for an actual scenario, it is undoubtedly more successful than several other identical sports.
This is crucial for kids as they will understand how to use their knowledge from a tender age.
Martial Arts are the Greatest Full Body Exercise for your Children
In addition to being great for fighting preparation, they are good for exercise.
Because many martial arts disciplines deploy specific exercise approaches that stimulate the entire body, it is only reasonable that martial arts give an excellent whole-body workout for your kids.
The workouts stimulate and engage all parts of your body and burn many calories! This is particularly crucial if your Kid is obese.
Martial Arts help Children Learn how to defend themselves
Even though self-defense is part and parcel of many combat sports, martial arts gives a more detailed, wholesome, and intensive approach to self-defense than they do.
Since martial arts depend significantly on comprehensive combat values, you get to learn different defensive and offensive methods. You are exposed to unique self-defense methods when enrolling in a martial arts class.
The beauty of martial arts is that children also adopt them in this aspect. Hence, children will be taught easy self-defense methods before tackling sophisticated ones later on.
Your Child will Gain Strength with Martial Arts
Since martial arts are both challenging and physically draining, coupled with many children beginning slowly and working till they achieve a given preferred degree, we can say that martial arts will surely raise your kid’s strength and other things.
Martial arts are fantastic since they raise your Kid’s strength in a fairly short duration.
So, if you desire to see your kids get more muscular while also reveling and learning new skills, you should consider martial arts.
A kid gains a competitive spirit
Even if your Kid does not wish to develop into a professional combatant, martial arts will undoubtedly attempt to raise your Kid’s competitive spirit – a great catalyst for success.
Martial arts are highly competitive, and that spirit is gained right from the beginning of the martial arts career — within the exercise arena.
So, martial arts push your kids to be better even without your knowledge.
Yes, it is up to the kids to establish how they wish to deploy the competitive spirit — they can become gurus or recreational sportsmen — but their competitive nature will increment. You can translate that into other sectors of their lives.
Martial Arts teaches respect
Even though martial arts are typically assumed as violent, ruthless, and uncouth, with a load of ill talking, it teaches the practitioner how to respect the opponent.
To be sincere, respect is deeply rooted in all combat sports. Nonetheless, martial arts holds respect with utmost esteem compared to the rest.
Respect is crucial in martial arts. As a practitioner, you must respect your coach, opponents, and the rules, and an individual will never become great until he learns to respect others.
Martial Arts enhances children’s ability to solve challenges
Like chess, martial arts is just as successful as chess in certain facets.
Although they will not identically invigorate the brain, martial arts are a volatile discipline that demands concentration and continuous cerebral activity.
The discipline demands you keenly pay attention to your opponent, deploy an excellent strategic approach, and understand how to find a way out of a tough spot.
Ultimately, your Kid’s physical inclinations are more crucial. Still, the physical force will not take you anywhere if you face a smart challenger who understands how to use his strengths better to attack your flaws.
Martial Arts build confidence
Martial arts increment your Kid’s confidence. Confidence typically hails from self-satisfaction, and by raising your stamina, boldness, and physique, martial arts will increase your Kid’s spirit to a whole new degree.
Once your kids notice what they can do in the gym and during workout sessions, they will embrace and utilize the recently found strength in all other parts of their lives. Hence, it is not shocking that martial arts also have mental merits.
Your child learns new skills
In a martial arts class, your child will learn something new.
Your Kid will potentially start out not understanding anything regarding martial arts. While the sophistication of diverse martial arts may sound like a lot for a kid, the art will at all times let them get to know a new thing, no matter the case, since it takes a lot when method and fight are involved.
So, suppose you wish your children to widen their horizons and understand new concepts. In that case, martial arts will offer them sufficient material, so never dillydally and employ it to your benefit.
Your child will make friends
Even if you possibly will not enlist your Kid into a martial arts institution to get them friends, it is a benefit laced to the program’s core.
Even though most activities are carried out alone, martial arts sessions are interactive and conducted in groups; they will also come across new faces at the gym.
And with all that is happening, your Kid will understand what it means to be a part of a group that shares similar interests, which is always welcomed.
Martial Arts assists with Stress
Even if children are not that exposed to constant worry and pressure as employed adults, school and other life challenges can drive them into a foul mood.
And this is the part where martial arts comes in since the strict training program will get your kid’s mind preoccupied, and they can relax and relish the time used in a workout session.
How to ensure my Child continues doing Martial Arts
- Begin a Martial Art with them!
We propose you join your children on this journey. Doing martial arts together is a good bonding experience and will push them to go on after they begin. It is also a good way to grow, have fun as a parent, make friends, and keep fit! All the pros of practicing martial arts for children extend to grown-ups too!
- Assist your Children to Learn more About Martial Arts at Home
Getting to like martial arts goes past the dojo. As a parent, try getting videos that your kids can watch during their free time. Perhaps learn a new tactic to try out in the living room.
Final Thoughts
In retrospect, all the martial arts styles and types listed above are suitable alternatives for your children. We suggest letting your child try out several martial arts and select the one they enjoy the most.
Another thing which you need to be keen about is the martial arts instructor. A coach is a very crucial piece in the martial arts chessboard. We recommend you attend your children’s first few classes to know how the coach trains the children. Ensure to establish if the coach understands how to work with children.
As a parent, let your kids choose where they feel comfortable and revel in the process of practicing martial arts!