Health and Wellness: Build confidence through martial arts training

Submitted by Scot Schwichow/Revolution Modern Martial Arts

At age 13, I shuffled through the halls of Concord High School, my eyes glued to my shoes. I had mediocre grades and was bullied daily. By the first week of tenth grade, I decided to hold my head high, get into college and stop the verbal and physical abuse I had endured. What changed my outlook and self-esteem? I built my confidence through karate and martial arts training.

In 2009, I founded Revolution Modern Martial Arts in Clayton to help kids and adults build their confidence. Research shows low confidence is a risk factor for many negative mental health outcomes. It can lead to social withdrawal, where individuals isolate out of fear of embarrassment, and self-destructive behaviors like substance abuse and self harm. In severe cases, it may cause crippling anxiety, depression and other mental health issues.

People of all ages could use a boost in confidence. Although martial arts are traditionally linked to confidence-building, just learning a few self-defense moves doesn’t guarantee improved self-esteem. Sure, it can be a byproduct of training, but at our facility, we made confidence building the primary goal. We want our students not only to get in better shape and learn self-defense but also to gain the confidence to pursue their goals, build strong relationships and stand up for themselves.

After working with thousands of students over 15 years, we identified a four-step process that consistently builds confidence in any skill. We also found that building confidence in smaller skills can compound into something far greater than their individual parts. This process was developed by training martial artists as young as three years old to championship fighters, and it has proven effective time after time.

The first step is to start with a clear goal. Just deciding to get better at something isn’t enough. You need to be specific about which aspect of the skill you want to improve. For example, in karate, most students want to defend themselves better. While this is an important goal, it’s not specific enough. A better goal would be to consistently block punches with your lead hand because it’s more measurable and focused.

Next, you must “work a plan.” We say “work a plan” because having one doesn’t mean you’ll follow it. After settling on a goal, you must create a plan to reach it. For instance, a karate student aiming to block punches with their lead hand would develop a plan to practice this specific skill over several weeks.

Step three is to test for progress. Many people start new hobbies and quit quickly because they test progress too soon. For example, they may want to lose 20 pounds, but without a clear plan other than “eat healthy and go to the gym.”

A few weeks later, they check the scale, see no changes, and lose confidence, leading them to quit. However, if they had developed and stuck to a plan, they would likely have seen progress. In contrast, the karate student who worked on blocking for weeks would test their ability in sparring. Even if progress isn’t perfect, the student would gain confidence from small wins, knowing parts of the plan worked. They can then adjust the plan for further progress.

The fourth step is the easiest: repeat. Once you set a goal, work a plan, test for progress and see results, you set a new goal, adjust the plan and test again. In our martial arts program for kids and adults, we use this four-step process every day. Each karate class has a specific goal we help students achieve, a plan to develop the skill and a test for progress before the session ends. We’ve found that students with low self-esteem begin to see their potential, feel excited by their wins and experience an overall boost in confidence.

So, if you or your child need a confidence boost, start small. Choose a skill or hobby to improve, and follow this four-step process to build confidence in any area of life.

Scot Schwichow is the founder of Revolution Modern Martial Arts. Learn more at claytonkarate.com.