It is difficult to gain new friends in today’s world. People, regardless of age, have been overly dependent on technology for almost everything, including making new friends. Social media has become a major part of everyone’s lives. While it can be convenient to stay at home and scroll through your social media feed, it is undoubtedly not a good alternative to going out and meeting new people.
One of the best ways to improve a child’s social skills is to let them learn a new craft. Being in an environment where you get to do new things while surrounded by others is good for learning and socializing. Children are curious by nature. They also like to learn in a fun and safe environment. Therefore, it is a smart idea to steer them in avenues where they can both learn and laugh at the same time.
Martial arts training is a sure way to help kids become sociable. The great thing about learning martial arts is that you need to work with a partner to master techniques. Take Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, for example. You need to work with a training partner to learn both the offensive and defensive sides of the sport. Working with a training partner builds trust, openness, and sensitivity to other people’s needs.
It will take you many hours of work to become proficient in BJJ. Most of your training will be with a training partner. Make the most out of every opportunity to drill, fine-tune, and discuss the techniques you learn in class. As you get better, so will your training partners. This is the beauty of training martial arts.
Lessons Learned From Training In Martial Arts
Learning martial arts can help children learn discipline, respect, and how to cooperate with others. These skills can benefit them as they grow older and help them in many different aspects of their lives. In addition, martial arts can provide a sense of accomplishment and boost a child’s self-confidence, which will also help them in their future pursuits.
Martial arts training can teach these lessons in a way that’s devoid of biases. Children will face the reality that they should learn to be independent as well as interdependent to level up in anything. In today’s world of fake achievements and participation trophies, understanding that you need to work as a unit is a trait worth its weight in gold.
A Confident Child Is A Sociable Child
The discipline of training martial arts helps build a child’s confidence. Confidence is an important ingredient in a child’s development because it shapes how they look at others in relation to themselves. If the child is confident in their own skin, they will treat others with the same level of respect as they accord themselves. On the other hand, a child who’s not confident may not be able to adjust easily to social gatherings, thus making it more challenging to gain friends.
This video perfectly exemplifies the value of martial arts to kids and teens. Rener Gracie explains that bullying is a reality that many children face. Sadly, even if the child was taught proper manners by their parents, they can still be targets for bullying if they are seen as outsiders. Learning martial arts equips children with the tools to defend themselves using words and if necessary, action. They don’t have to be violent to do this – the confidence to say NO to threats can go a long way. If push comes to shove, they can also use the techniques they learned to keep themselves safe.
Being exposed to martial arts makes children more open to different types of people. As you become better in your martial arts training, you’ll naturally become a mentor to the new trainees. This experience teaches the value of leadership and love for others. This is why very few martial arts practitioners become bullies. Contrary to popular belief, learning martial arts will make you a more compassionate person as you become more skilled.
Breaking Barriers Using Martial Arts
Learning to push past your limits takes a lot of effort. This is especially the case for children. As children become more independent, they’ll experience challenges that will shape their perspective on life. As adults, it is our responsibility to guide them to the path where they can explore their full potential.
This video from the Cave313 Youtube Channel illustrates the lessons we can learn from martial arts. Bruce, the child in the middle, overcame his emotional barriers using persistence and grit. Notice that he was able to break a board well before he started crying. This means that he always had it in him to break the boards; the only thing that held him back was the pain and fear of failure.
Also, take note that no one laughed when this happened. The kids in the background understood that it takes effort to pass the test, and they erupted in applause once the child passed. There’s no better way to teach respect to a group of children than by letting them experience these tests.
Final Thoughts
We encourage children to step out of their comfort zones and try new things. Learning a new skill like martial arts can help build confidence and make anyone a more likable and personable individual. Being sociable takes work. You must be willing to be in situations where you can build rapport. Training a new skill with different people gives you the perfect opportunity to discuss techniques, strategies, and combinations with someone you don’t know.
There are many martial arts to choose from. If you are looking for styles to try, we highly suggest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, or Muay Thai. These martial arts have improved the lives of countless people worldwide. The lessons you’ll learn on the mats will shape your being and will be the catalyst for self-improvement.
If you are a parent looking to enroll your kids in a martial arts program, there’s no better time than now. We guarantee that your child will benefit from their training in more ways than one.
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If you have any other questions regarding Evolve MMA and the programs we offer, you can get in touch with our membership executives at the following locations:
Evolve MMA (Far East Square)
26 China Street
Far East Square #01-01
Singapore 049568
Phone: (65) 6536 4525
Evolve MMA (Orchard Central)
181 Orchard Road
#06-01 Orchard Central
Singapore 238896
Phone: (65) 6536 4556
Evolve MMA (KINEX)
11 Tanjong Katong Road
#02-52 KINEX
Singapore 437157
Phone: (65) 6288 2293
Evolve MMA (Clarke Quay Central)
6 Eu Tong Sen Street
#04-18 Clarke Quay Central
Singapore 059817
Phone: (65) 6226 2150
Evolve MMA (Star Vista)
1 Vista Exchange Green
#02-26A The Star Vista
Singapore 138617
Phone: (65) 6539 9590
