Martial Arts For Children All people ought to know how to defend themselves. They always used to, especially before the introduction of the police force. Before there was a police force, there was chaos and it was every man for himself. Men protected themselves and their family from all kinds of thieves, muggers and rapists for millenia normally with a sword or a stick. There is a lot less violence on the streets now than there was 200 years ago, but there is still too much and so many individuals still feel the need to be able to defend themselves. Many individuals turn to martial arts and the best time to take up martial arts is whilst you are young. And this is happening as well. Numerous parents are scared for three reasons: 1] that their kids will undergo bullying at school 2] that they will get hassled on the streets by predators or 3] that they will be obese. Martial arts are the best answer to all these fears. Practicing martial arts can burn 300-450 calories per hour. But the benefits of studying martial arts do not finish there. Martial arts has a normalizing effect on individuals. It raises the self-confidence of the introverted and nervous, but it also teaches bullies that there is always someone better too. It teaches self-disciple, self-defence and self-confidence. It makes the weak robust and the fat thin. It is a life coach. If your child wants to learn a martial art or indeed mixed martial arts, the first thing to do is choose which style is the one for the child. You can begin doing this by looking at videos on the various styles. Not films with stories where everything is choreographed, but documentary films. The foremost ones to look at are: boxing, wrestling, karate, muay Thai, tae kwon do, jiu jitsu and judo. There are others, but it is best to find a broad-spectrum type first, because some need more speed, vigour, agility or power than others. Some mental and physical attributes are more suited to one discipline than others. When you have a style in mind, you can begin searching for a gym or dojo that teaches it. Check out the safety record and the facilities of any that you like and talk to the instructors. It is also important that your child will get able to go to the classes, so you will want a dojo that is open after school hours and most of the weekend. Most of them are, but it is worth checking. It is helpful if the dojo will give private instruction to students who either fall behind or who are better than their colleagues. Once into the sport, you child might make a decision that he or she would rather have done another one, check to see if that is possible without losing what you have already paid in advance fees. Each child should be encouraged, but not forced, to at least try a martial art, because it will give them a helpful interest for life that will make their hearts, minds and bodies robust for life.
Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on a range of topics, but is now involved with The Academy of Mixed Martial Arts. If you would like to know more, please go to our website at Mixed Martial Arts Quotes