Mr. Silva does a great job explaining what I have been saying for years. Martial Arts Training and more specifically karate and jujitsu at Total Ryu Martial arts motivates kids to become more
Total Ryu Martial Arts Matt Chats
physically active, goal oriented, greatful and learn valuable life skills. Martial Arts not only has this effect on kids but on adults also. Total Ryu Martial Arts has a built in progression system, as a student continues to learn, they get better physically, mentally and gain more and more confidence as they continue. The path or goals is there, what they need to do, learn, achieve. What could be better? The martial arts lifestyle is one of progression and achievement in all areas of a students life, you can’t get that anywhere else.
What Motivates Kids?
So there’s a lot to gain from regular physical activity, but how do you encourage kids to do it? The three keys are:
Choosing the right activities for a child’s age: If you don’t, the child may be bored or frustrated.
Giving kids plenty of opportunity to be active: Kids need parents to make activity easy by providing equipment and taking them to classes and other active spots.
Keeping the focus on fun: Kids won’t do something they don’t enjoy.
When kids enjoy an activity, they want to do more of it. Practicing a skill — whether it’s swimming or riding a tricycle or martial arts — improves their abilities and helps them feel accomplished, especially when the effort is noticed and praised. These good feelings often make kids want to continue the activity and even try others.
I have been involved with teaching martial arts to children for more than 40 years. Over those years I had the opportunity to teach thousands for kids and help other martial artists develop programs to inspire kids to train, develop positive beliefs, gain confidence and self esteem. I don’t know of another sport or art that does these things as effective as martial arts. Classes are fun, kids get positive encouragement, learn to over come challenges, learn sportsmanship and goal setting. If you are looking for an activity with a purpose contact a martial arts school that specializes in kids classes. You and your child will be glad you did.
Greg Silva
Master Instructor and author of “The Silva Solution.” Building Black Belts from the Inside out. President of Black Belt Schools International.
