Tae Kwon Do
1. A Boost in Self Esteem
To break a board with their fist and/or foot brings Self Esteem and Confidence for a Kid. The look on their face as they break the board and hear the applause from the grownups makes them feel proud of all the hard work they put in up until that point.
A child learns that they are not competing against others, only with themselves. As they progress, they know without a doubt that they have earned those belts. They learn to believe they can do it because they KNOW they worked hard for it.
2. Self-Discipline Self Control
Taekwondo teaches self-discipline and self-control by teaching difficult forms and kicks that require intense focus, training, and devotion in order to learn well and to master them. Taekwondo also requires you to be precise in your movements which takes a lot of control.
3. Socialization Skills
Kids who don’t always thrive in highly social environments may find it easier to get to know people and make new friends when they’re in a room filled with peers who share a common interest.
If you have a shy or timid child, putting them in a TaeKwonDo class, where they are all start off at the same level, helps them learn to interact with other kids of their own age as they all go through the same process of learning.
4. Physical Fitness and Activity
The 3 pieces of the fitness puzzle are Strength, Flexibility, and Endurance. A typical Taekwondo class involves dynamic punching and kicking drills, blocks, core-strengthening exercises such as sit-ups, push-ups and stretches.
A kid will build stamina and strength through such active movements and for younger children, learning and practicing the forms (specific patterns of defense and attack movements) leads to better motor skills and body control.
Another advantage is, by limiting a kid's technology time, and getting them off the couch encourages them to be more physically active and mentally fresh.
Signing up an inactive child for a physically demanding Martial Arts like TaeKwonDo not only discourages the sedentary lifestyle they may be used to but also gives them an enjoyable activity that encourages them to keep moving.
5. Learning the Ability to Fail
In today’s society where everyone seems to get an award regardless of how well they did, learning to fail, although this may be a harsh term, is also a valuable lesson to learn. For example in a Tae Kwon Do sparring event, if a kid loses a 1-1 match, they can still learn from their mistakes and talk to their master about what they can work on to can do better next time.
6. Respect
One of the first things you will notice when starting TaeKwonDo is the instructor will start to instill in a student the necessity of showing respect to not only the instructor but to their classmates as well, regardless of their skill level.
In any reputed TaeKwonDo school, you will rarely see a student bragging or showing off. Rather they would flaunt their skills to make other people around them awestruck. They understand that everyone has their strength and weakness and they cherish the differences.
7. Goal Setting
Having goals is one of the most important things one can learn in life and in Tae Kwon Do they do this from the very beginning. They step up the ladder by going up with the belt ranks and eventually reach their goal of getting a black belt.
This habit of goal setting will show them that with hard work and dedication any goal they set can be achieved. We believe that this is one of the vital lessons they learn from TaeKwonDo.
8. Focus
Today’s world is full of distractions for a child, by taking martial art like TaeKwonDo, a child develops the ability to focus at a young age which pays dividends not only today but for their entire life.
In choosing a TaeKwonDo school, look for one that has a distraction-free environment so your child has some time to forget about the outside world and concentrate on their training. Meditation also plays a big role in taekwondo so don’t be surprised if your child’s teacher sets aside time at the beginning or end of class for it.
9. Teamwork
From sparring to board breaking and getting a new belt, your child will be learning to work together with their peers in a TaeKwonDo school.
They will be constantly working together with their peers to learn new forms and techniques that help to develop the important skill of teamwork that they will use throughout their lives.
10. Encouraging Self Defense
TaeKwonDo, as well as other martial arts, have many defensive styles that teach kids peaceful, non-violent conflict resolution skills. They learn to defend and protect themselves from an unavoidable situation if any occurs.
11. Fun
Learning in a fun-filled environment makes learning more interesting. TaeKwonDo programming understands this and balances the responsibilities and traditions of the art with challenges, games, and socially focused events to keep kids engaged in the lessons and the community.
Final Thoughts
Taekwondo provides many benefits while a student continues the pursuit of higher learning, whether that be character building or learning to control one's body and mind. Being a Master with over 10 years of teaching, I can tell you first hand the changes I have seen in kids who have trained in TaeKwonDo for an extended period of time.
I mention an “extended period of time” because this transformation doesn't happen overnight and every child is different.
It will take time, depending on the child, but you will see subtle changes happening that your child may not even be aware of, such as being more respectful to elder people or more kind to others. I know, for myself, I am still answering to people who are older than me with “Yes Ma’am” or “Yes Sir” instinctively.