Martial Arts myth busting: young adults and Children
Martial arts, or as people like to say “fighting sports” may not sound like an ideal activity for your child. For many parents, martial arts make kids more aggressive and training is too dangerous. But the reality is a bit different and we are here to break all the myths about martial arts and children. What we have to say will change the way you see “fighting sports” as a parent.
Before you make a final decision on whether your child should train martial arts or not, be sure to read this article first. We will go through all the popular myths, and give you the other side of the story.
Martial arts will make my child more violent and aggressive
This has to be the most common reason why parents don’t want to allow their children to enroll in martial arts. They tend to think that martial arts training encourages violence and aggressive behavior. But this couldn’t be further from the truth as the whole point and concept of the martial art training is the total opposite of that. We can’t stress enough how wrong this is.
First of all, martial art and especially traditional martial arts (karate, Kung Fu, taekwondo) teaches your child all about respect, and how to avoid fighting at all costs. This may sound odd, but yes, coaches will teach your child how to run away from the fight, or talk their way out of it. They learn how to use martial art techniques only for self-defense, as a last resort. The main focus of training is on teaching them all about respect, hard work, and discipline.
Training improves their self-control, which helps them to make rational decisions in stressful situations. Knowing how to control your emotions will also have a huge impact on the problems they face in the world outside of martial arts.
There’s not a single, well-organized, martial art school in the entire world that encourages violence and that’s a fact. The instructors will never usually tolerate bullies or any type of bad behavior in their schools.
Letting kids fighting leads to serious injuries and brain damage
Of course, if you let kids fight each other, and even give them some sticks, that can end in a disaster. A lot of parents tend to think that their child will fight with other kids in martial arts classes. This is wrong on so many levels since, when it comes to kid classes, not a single school will let them fight each other. It is just another myth that stops parents from letting their kids get into martial arts.
Martial arts schools are well aware that kids are prone to many injuries. Their bodies are still weak so training includes a lot of stretching, a few strength exercises, and is very playful. The emphasis is on keeping kids safe, healthy and make them much stronger both physically and mentally. The “fighting” aspect of training is a bit different than you imagine it to be.
Your child will learn martial art techniques in a pre-arranged form, also known as “kata”. In some schools, they might throw strikes while the instructor is holding the pads, and that’s it.
Of course, this also depends on the age and martial arts experience. Some kids who are into martial arts for a couple of years may do light contact sparring. But even then, they have to wear protective gear, keep it all light, and avoid striking the head.
My child will become a bully training martial arts
Oh no, it’s the total opposite of that. Martial art training will teach your child how to deal with bullies, not to become one. And by dealing with bullies, we don’t mean to hurt them. They learn how to talk their way out of the fight and use self-defense skills as last resort.
The other group of parents may think that only bullies train martial arts. Or in other words, good kids train basketball while bullies learn how to fight. However, this is not true, and here is why.
Martial art schools are not the places where your child will get bullied or become a bully. The instructors do not tolerate any type of violence and all students must respect each other. If one student starts bullying other kids, they will put them aside and have a serious talk about their behavior. If they continue to do the same thing, they might even get ejected from the classes.
Allowing kids to fight and bully each other is not what martial arts stand for.
My child will get rejected
Some parents are afraid that society will reject their kids if they train in martial arts. However, whether society is going to reject your child or not doesn’t depend on the sport they train in. It depends on the upbringing and lessons they learn at home.
If your kid is a bully, always causing trouble at school and on the streets, that’s not because they train martial arts. Putting a blame on training, which by the way can only help them get on the right track, can be foolish. In training, they learn how to control their emotions, be kind, patient and avoid violence at all costs. Whether they are going to act like this outside the classes depends on various factors not related to martial arts.
And let’s not forget that martial arts, like wrestling, are a part of the high school and college programs in the US. Most parents tend to forget that wrestling is a martial art, very effective in fighting and for self-defense. So there’s no reason why someone would reject your child because they train martial arts.
Other parents will condemn me
It’s all about what you think is good for your child, not what society will think of it. Do not allow yourself that the anxiety or your own insecurity stops you from letting your child enroll in martial art training. If that is what they truly want to try and are excited about, there’s not a single valid reason why you would not let them go. People who may condemn you are the same ones that will allow their kid to play video games the entire day. It’s just stupid to even listen to what they have to say.
Your job as a parent is to make sure that your kid trains at a safe place, has good coaches, and is on a right track. That is the only thing you should care about. Support them on their road, see them grow as martial artists, and be happy and proud when they come home with a medal or a higher rank. That’s the only thing that matters.
