What are the benefits of taekwondo for your child?

At Stapleton Family Karate we want you to know about all of the benefits and potential benefits that taekwondo and martial arts can have on your child! Here are a few common and encouraging things that taekwondo may help your child with.

 

What Is Taekwondo?

Taekwondo is a Korean martial art, similar to karate, with an emphasis on kicking techniques. The reasoning behind this is the leg is more powerful and has a longer reach than the arm. Translated, taekwondo means “the way of the fist foot.” As a sport, it’s an event in the Summer Olympics.

 

Physical Strength and Balance

One of the main benefits of taekwondo is improving a child’s strength and balance. Because taekwondo depends on kicking, practitioners learn to balance their weight on one leg to leave the other one free to strike. This also helps strengthen the muscles of the torso. Taekwondo can also help improve coordination. Arm and leg muscles become stronger as a child practices strikes.

 

Concentration

Learning the patterns and sequences of taekwondo requires concentration and attention, and sparring requires focus on both one’s self and one’s opponent. Taekwondo teaches breathing and meditation techniques to assist in learning focus.

 

Discipline and Respect

Taekwondo students must learn to follow directions from an instructor and are expected to show respect to the instructor. Students are also expected to show respect to their opponents before and after a sparring match. Don’t expect taekwondo to turn a hard-to-discipline child into an angel, though. But you should see an improvement in general politeness.

 

Self-confidence

As children dedicate themselves to a goal in taekwondo — say, learning a particular strike, earning a belt or practicing how to break a board — they gain confidence as they observe their own progress and increasing mastery. This self-confidence can then be carried over into other areas of your child’s life.

 

Reduced Aggression

Taekwondo will not teach your child self-defense skills to directly deter bullies, but taking taekwondo might prevent your child from becoming a bully. A study published in “Psychology in the Schools” in 2008 showed that martial arts participation reduced aggression in boys. The study also showed an increase in bystanders choosing to intervene in a bullying event after taking a martial arts course.