Why your child benefits from being in Martial Arts Part 1
We have all heard about what Good qualities martial Arts instils in adults and children alike, things like self respect and self confidence.we are gonna discuss all of those but then we are gonna delve in a little deeper and discuss how martial arts effects the cognitive function and how it can improve the lives of children and the elderly.
Self-Discipline – One of the things in all forms of the martial arts is the focus on self-discipline. Today’s kids are so accustomed to receiving instant gratification that lessons in self-restraint and discipline are rarely seen. Kids with a martial arts background, however, Know how essential self-discipline is.
Socialization Skills – When a child is in a room filled with peers who share a common interest they are more open to talking and making new friends because they are all involved in the same thing, and a good school will have a feeling of family and closeness. The kids on the playground may not always have much common ground. Team work like working on Kenpo Techniques foster camaraderie, as they force kids to pair off and build their skills together.
Conflict Resolution -If you are in Martial arts for any period of time odds are you have been asked by someone to show them something, they can't wait to see you perform gymnastic type movement through the air. Or if you have ever had to use your training in a real fight.I tell them That they have already seen me perform Kenpo. I have used the skill sets learned from martial arts many times to resolve conflict,But not in a physical altercation outside the ring. One of the greatest things i learned in Martial Arts was there is no such thing as “fighting” words. Instead, you learn to respond without reacting in Violence.
Encouraging Physical Activity – Limiting screen time is a great idea when it comes to getting kids off the couch and encouraging them to be more active Enrolling a child in a physical pastime not only discourages a sedentary lifestyle they are used to, but also gives them an enjoyable activity that inspires them to be active.
Setting and Achieving Goals – Martial Arts are based around an accomplishment system of colored belts that signify the wearer’s degree of skill. When your child strives toward each new belt, they are learning valuable lessons about setting and achieving goals.
Increased Self-Esteem – Confidence comes with achievement, so self-esteem will increase with every new technique he masters and every belt he earns. Kids who struggle with a low sense of self-worth usually become more confident as time progresses while enrolled in a martial arts class.
Sense of Respect – Learning a martial art will require your child to show their instructor respect, Today’s culture lacks respect for authority .Your child we be taught te importance of respecting adults or those in advanced positions.
Developing Teamwork Skills – Whether they are trying to master a new technique or practicing sparing drills , there are few things that your child will do in his martial arts classes that will be done on his own. Working together to learn new things and accomplish goals is an important life lesson for kids to learn.
Now it's time to get into the science part of how Martial Arts affects our well being and improves mental function.
Research has been performed many times over with all results ending with the same conclusion, physical activity levels are positively linked to cognitive function during development in school-aged children and the elderly. Besides the neurological connotations, giving kids an outlet to move their bodies can actually help them academically by improving their attention span.Martial Arts is a very physical activity so it can help build cognitive functions as well as serve as an outlet to help improve memory.
Physical activity improves school performance
A 9 year study by American College of
Sports Medicine (ACSM)
Physical activity and mental health
This study shows that activities like martial Arts increases Inhibitory Control (self control),
Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, Problem solving, Reasoning and Planning.
Inhibitory control includes being able to
(1) stay focused despite distraction
(2) stay on task (& complete task) through discipline
(3) resist temptations; inhibit acting impulsively & instead make a more considered response .basically self control
Children with less inhibitory control (i.e., children who were less persistent, more impulsive, and had poorer attention regulation)
as adults 30 years later have...worse health earn less and commit more crimes than those with better inhibitory control as young children,controlling for IQ, gender, social class, & home lives & family circumstances growing up across diverse measures of inhibitory control.That’s based on a study of 1,000 children born in the same city in the same year followed for 32 years with a 96% retention rate.
They conclude that “interventions that achieve even small improvements in [inhibitory control] for individuals could shift the entire distribution of outcomes in a positive direction and yield large improvements in health, wealth, and crime rate for a nation.
This Study explained the positive effects of Martial arts in the following aspects
Working Memory: Holding information in mind while mentally working with it.
Working memory is critical for making sense of anything that unfolds over time,for that always requires holding in mind what happened earlier & relating that to what is happening now.relating one idea to another relating what you read (or learned / heard) earlier to what you are reading (learning / hearing) now mental math calculations understanding cause and effect remembering multi-step instructions & executing them in the correct order. (Another reason I use the technique lines in my school.)
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY: being able to easily & quickly switch perspectives or the focus of attention, flexibly adjusting to changed demands or priorities,being able to think outside the box.
1. Seeing opportunities and seizing them
2.I was planning to do X, but an opportunity has arisen to do Y, do I have the flexibility to take advantage ofthis opening ?
3.My opinion was X, but now that I see this new information, I’m able to change my opinion.
4.Being able & willing to change course when it seems you were wrong.
Self-control:
1. think before you speak or act
2. not put your foot in your mouth
3. not do something you might regret
4. resist temptations
5. give a considered response instead of an impulsive one
There is a lot more to get into and this is just the beginning positive actions that martial arts can play in our lives. Part 2 will go further into exactly what changes in the brain were recorded and the effects they have on our children.We will also touch on research that shows how martial arts can help prevent dementia in aging people. I will have this next article up within a week.
Self-Discipline – One of the things in all forms of the martial arts is the focus on self-discipline. Today’s kids are so accustomed to receiving instant gratification that lessons in self-restraint and discipline are rarely seen. Kids with a martial arts background, however, Know how essential self-discipline is.
Socialization Skills – When a child is in a room filled with peers who share a common interest they are more open to talking and making new friends because they are all involved in the same thing, and a good school will have a feeling of family and closeness. The kids on the playground may not always have much common ground. Team work like working on Kenpo Techniques foster camaraderie, as they force kids to pair off and build their skills together.
Conflict Resolution -If you are in Martial arts for any period of time odds are you have been asked by someone to show them something, they can't wait to see you perform gymnastic type movement through the air. Or if you have ever had to use your training in a real fight.I tell them That they have already seen me perform Kenpo. I have used the skill sets learned from martial arts many times to resolve conflict,But not in a physical altercation outside the ring. One of the greatest things i learned in Martial Arts was there is no such thing as “fighting” words. Instead, you learn to respond without reacting in Violence.
Encouraging Physical Activity – Limiting screen time is a great idea when it comes to getting kids off the couch and encouraging them to be more active Enrolling a child in a physical pastime not only discourages a sedentary lifestyle they are used to, but also gives them an enjoyable activity that inspires them to be active.
Setting and Achieving Goals – Martial Arts are based around an accomplishment system of colored belts that signify the wearer’s degree of skill. When your child strives toward each new belt, they are learning valuable lessons about setting and achieving goals.
Increased Self-Esteem – Confidence comes with achievement, so self-esteem will increase with every new technique he masters and every belt he earns. Kids who struggle with a low sense of self-worth usually become more confident as time progresses while enrolled in a martial arts class.
Sense of Respect – Learning a martial art will require your child to show their instructor respect, Today’s culture lacks respect for authority .Your child we be taught te importance of respecting adults or those in advanced positions.
Developing Teamwork Skills – Whether they are trying to master a new technique or practicing sparing drills , there are few things that your child will do in his martial arts classes that will be done on his own. Working together to learn new things and accomplish goals is an important life lesson for kids to learn.
Now it's time to get into the science part of how Martial Arts affects our well being and improves mental function.
Research has been performed many times over with all results ending with the same conclusion, physical activity levels are positively linked to cognitive function during development in school-aged children and the elderly. Besides the neurological connotations, giving kids an outlet to move their bodies can actually help them academically by improving their attention span.Martial Arts is a very physical activity so it can help build cognitive functions as well as serve as an outlet to help improve memory.
Physical activity improves school performance
A 9 year study by American College of
Sports Medicine (ACSM)
Physical activity and mental health
This study shows that activities like martial Arts increases Inhibitory Control (self control),
Working Memory, Cognitive Flexibility, Problem solving, Reasoning and Planning.
Inhibitory control includes being able to
(1) stay focused despite distraction
(2) stay on task (& complete task) through discipline
(3) resist temptations; inhibit acting impulsively & instead make a more considered response .basically self control
Children with less inhibitory control (i.e., children who were less persistent, more impulsive, and had poorer attention regulation)
as adults 30 years later have...worse health earn less and commit more crimes than those with better inhibitory control as young children,controlling for IQ, gender, social class, & home lives & family circumstances growing up across diverse measures of inhibitory control.That’s based on a study of 1,000 children born in the same city in the same year followed for 32 years with a 96% retention rate.
They conclude that “interventions that achieve even small improvements in [inhibitory control] for individuals could shift the entire distribution of outcomes in a positive direction and yield large improvements in health, wealth, and crime rate for a nation.
This Study explained the positive effects of Martial arts in the following aspects
Working Memory: Holding information in mind while mentally working with it.
Working memory is critical for making sense of anything that unfolds over time,for that always requires holding in mind what happened earlier & relating that to what is happening now.relating one idea to another relating what you read (or learned / heard) earlier to what you are reading (learning / hearing) now mental math calculations understanding cause and effect remembering multi-step instructions & executing them in the correct order. (Another reason I use the technique lines in my school.)
COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY: being able to easily & quickly switch perspectives or the focus of attention, flexibly adjusting to changed demands or priorities,being able to think outside the box.
1. Seeing opportunities and seizing them
2.I was planning to do X, but an opportunity has arisen to do Y, do I have the flexibility to take advantage ofthis opening ?
3.My opinion was X, but now that I see this new information, I’m able to change my opinion.
4.Being able & willing to change course when it seems you were wrong.
Self-control:
1. think before you speak or act
2. not put your foot in your mouth
3. not do something you might regret
4. resist temptations
5. give a considered response instead of an impulsive one
There is a lot more to get into and this is just the beginning positive actions that martial arts can play in our lives. Part 2 will go further into exactly what changes in the brain were recorded and the effects they have on our children.We will also touch on research that shows how martial arts can help prevent dementia in aging people. I will have this next article up within a week.