Benefits of Martial Arts

Category: Wellness
Published: September 2007

"I've learned that my teacher always calls on me
the one time I don't know the answer."
9-YearOld's Discovery

I always had odd-jobs growing up. At first it was something simple, like delivering newspapers in the morning. My mother would drive me around the development and I would bring the Sunday paper to my neighbor's doors. Later on, I did the job on my own with a bicycle I bought with money earned from my paper routes. As I got older, I started to devise my own businesses: I mowed lawns, shoveled snow, tutored classmates, and even gave driving lessons. Every now and then after I finished a job I would go down to my local ice cream parlor and buy myself a Vanilla-Pineapple milkshake. I have no idea how I originally stumbled upon the flavor, but I do know why it always tasted so sweet and deliciousit was bought with my own money, hard earned by my own ideas and initiative.

Success may not be an inherent trait, however, with appropriate guidance and education everyone can achieve a level of success that will provide them satisfaction and happiness. Satisfaction and happiness, as we all know, can vary from person to person with respect to quality, quantity and form. Although parents provide a substantial amount of guidance and education with respect to basic character traits, an academic education is also required to attain a certain level of success. Tae Kwon Do and other Martial Art systems can reinforce lessons learned at home, and support and encourage good grades at school.

Parents have their hands full, and some have their backs and strollers full. We all want our children to enjoy childhood without any mishaps wishful thinking and grow up to be good, educated folks (without moving back home). The basic character traits of being nice to one another, being honest, and not throwing tantrums are all very high on the parental "please help me retain my sanity" list. We can and have helped many families with these concerns through martial arts. We have what we call the Tenets of Tae Kwon Do (many martial arts schools have a similar list).

The Tenets are Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self Control, and Indomitable Spirit. Students are required to recite these Tenets in every class and display them both in class and at home. Courtesy (being nice to each other) is accomplished through the use of various team exercises and drills, where everyone has to work together and respect one another's abilities. Students are taught never to talk down to anyone, but to help and encourage one another. Students are asked to be true to themselves and to others, which reinforces Honesty. They may be asked to perform a certain number of push-ups or sit-ups on their own, or to acknowledge when a teammates scores a point during a sparring round. Self-control is taught using many different routines, one of which is sparring. At times, students are required not to make contact during sparring, which is difficult. This helps to enforce the idea that, during a confrontation, making contact or throwing a tantrum is not the only path to resolution.

Martial arts training will help young students mentally, physically and emotionally. The meditation at the start of each class helps children smoothly switch gears from a previous activity. Meditation also helps to control their tempers when a situation does not go as they expected. To address the increase in childhood obesity, we find that the physical nature of Tae Kwon Do helps with weight control and muscle tone.

Academic education is very important for maintaining a competitive advantage in today's fast-paced and ever-changing technological environment. These days, even young children can work their way around computers and many other electronic devices. Many children become stressed about going to school for the first time, whether it be a pre- Kindergarten or Kindergarten program, or a new elementary, middle or high school grade level. Their ability to handle peer pressure, social challenges, homework, and tests, makes an impact on their performance. The Tenet of Indomitable Spirit (courage) helps students take on challenges, and understand that challenging situations will make them better and stronger. Through perseverance, students are taught that they can never fail if they do not give up. We reinforce good grades, and therefore good study habits, by awar ding gold stars for attaining a B average. The stars can be sewn onto the lapel of their uniform. I have even awarded gold stars to college students in my adult level classes.

Adults who are looking to advance their current careers, take a step into a new market, or improve their company, find that continuing education is important. They all have benefited from martial arts training. Classes for all ages start with several minutes of meditation. Adults use this time to clear their mind of all concerns prior to entering the Tae Kwon Do class. This helps to maintain their focus and concentration, a skill which can be applied to any situation in their family or professional life. The physical exercises performed in the adult class helps to maintain a healthy body and an increased level of energy. This boost in energy can improve the quality time with their family, increase productivity at work, and overall enjoyment of their personal lives. They may also find an initial decrease in weight, due to the cardio nature of the classes. However, in the long-run, a healthy increase in weight is experienced due to the conversion of fat into muscle. Regardless of age and ability, the Martial Arts provide many benefits required for healthy and successful living. Just remember to be consistent in your training.