To do this article justice it would take pages of text, headings, and explanations. It is a subject that we could touch on, or go deep into, for those who would have the time to study it. Why a parent brings a child to karate and why a child wants to do karate can be two different reasons.
The parent would generally want their son or daughter to be able to look after themselves and learn some discipline and respect. While the child wants to be with their friends doing something “cool”, “fun and exciting”.
Every year we attend the Staffordshire International Karate Competition in Birmingham. We do not use a selection process for this competition but leave it open to all who want to attend and family members. Everyone flies in on the Saturday and we do something fun and then compete on the Sunday and fly back that evening. The main image for this blog is from our trip to Cadbury’s World on the Saturday.
I am only touching on a few points here to help you make up your mind to help you decide if you, yourself want to start or whether you want to bring your child to a club. It is especially important to research the club first to make sure that it is the right club for you, as not all clubs are of the same technical standard and you could be wasting your time and money without getting any real benefits.
Learn Self-Defence
Whether you are male or female, young or old, it is an empowering feeling to know you have the tools to defend yourself against someone who plans to attack you. Whether an attacker is striking or grabbing, karate focuses on keeping it short & simple. It teaches effective body mechanics so that anyone can develop more balance and stability while executing strong techniques towards an attacker.
Improve Physical Health
Karate is one of the few activities that engages every muscle in the body, providing a total body workout. Karate is suitable for all fitness levels as students are encouraged to train at their own pace. They learn to regularly exercise several times a week, which is a great habit to get into. This results in balancing blood pressure and circulation and lowering the bodies cholesterol level. Your health and fitness levels start to rise without you even realising it.
Karate training develops agility, strength, and speed. This allows for fast and effective techniques, while also improving muscle tone and endurance, working both left and right sides equally, it develops mental and physical coordination, as well as flexibility. This can help children participate more confidently in other sports. It also develops core strength, which can prevent or minimise back pain in adults.
The best thing about karate is that it is fun! Improved health is just a by-product of the fun you are having while you train.
Discipline & Respect
In traditional karate the dojo or training hall is a place that commands respect, not only to your instructors but to your fellow students. Students of all ages must show respect by bowing to their instructor as well as other classmates. Such a gesture sets the tone for what is in store. It serves as a reminder to everyone that karate demands focus, respect, and self-restraint – all things that qualify as excellent life skills. Many parents note an increased level of compliance at home once their child starts practicing karate.
Grading
Traditional karate uses colour belts in its ranking system. Each belt represents a certain level of proficiency and requires an exam before the student can progress to the next level. Seeing other students wearing higher-ranking belts often compels other kids to strive for the next level, because they now see that what they thought once was unachievable is now achievable. They will be encouraged to ask for assistance from their instructors along the way. Not only does the grading system fuel the students determination, but the physical demands of the training push them to reach their limits.
Social Development
Another particularly important aspect of joining a karate club, often overlooked, is the healthy development of your child’s personality by socialising. How a person’s social skills develop as an adult can often be determined by their pastimes or activities that they have done as a child or in their youth. The way they interact with the other children does not only build lifelong friendships now but can shape the way that they will interact with college friends or work colleagues in later years. During their training they will also develop a healthy sportsmanship like quality, as karate competition has strict rules which must be adhered to.
