Walk On Your Life

The martial arts have gotten a bad rap, especially amongst parents. Whether it’s judo, karate, or tae kwon do, many parents worry that if they enroll their child in martial arts lessons, that their kids will end up a bloodied mess at the end of each session. However, this is just plain untrue. Martial arts are less about fighting and more about developing respect, confidence, and improving one’s personal mind and body health. Kids who are enrolled in the martial arts are no more likely to become injured than kids who are enrolled in soccer, pee wee football, or gymnastics. Here are some reasons why parents should not worry about their kids participating in martial arts.

- Trained Instructors – While sparring and partner work does become an aspect of your child’s marital arts education after they have improved their rudimentary skills, parents need not worry about their children being put at risk for injury. Martial arts instructors are some of the most trained sports instructors in the world, with most of them having completed decades of martial arts instruction themselves. Most martial arts schools will be willing to have you come and observe a session yourself before enrolling your child, just so you can see how truly safe the experience is.
– Respect – The cornerstone of a martial arts education is the idea of respecting yourself and others. Thus, violence plays little to no part in a martial arts education. This strong emphasis on respect ensures that your child will probably not take a sucker-punch to the face during a martial arts lesson. Students enrolled in martial arts classes together tend to form deep bonds, and are less likely to hurt each other than two players on the same sports team. Rather, these martial arts students tend to watch out for each other, and ensure that nobody gets hurt.
– Discouraging “Showing Off” – One fear that many parents harbor is that their child will try to “show off” their newly acquired martial arts skills on the playground and end up injuring another child. However, be advised that this is strongly discouraged by martial arts instructors, and your child will be made aware of just how dangerous unsupervised sparring can be. Furthermore, many martial arts schools will suspend students who are caught fighting outside of the classroom.

Ultimately, martial arts are no more dangerous than hockey or lacrosse. Thus, don’t be afraid to let your child enroll if they show an interest. If you live in the Martinez, CA area, please make a trip to Dae Han Martial Arts Academy to inquire about classes for your children. You will be glad you did! Visit www.martinezcamartialarts.com for more information.