When enrolling your child in our fun-filled classes, not only are you granting them the opportunity to get active, build their self-esteem and confidence levels, you are also kick starting their journey in learning self-discipline. Self-discipline is the ability to pursue a task, regardless of how you may feel about it – mainly not being inclined to do the task. There are many tasks, both in martial arts, and in life, that your child will not feel the motivation to complete. Developing the skill of self-discipline will help them understand how they feel about the task, overcome those feelings, and ultimately complete the task.
Self-discipline plays a key role in everyday life. Whether that be the discipline for your child to practice martial arts techniques daily, complete assigned homework tasks or put their toys away when they are finished playing, self-discipline is a skill that is taught and instilled over time.
The benefits of Karate far extend beyond physical activity and self defense. Rather, committing to a program also means committing to the building of self-regulation.
What does self-regulation look like for your child?
Understanding self-regulation means to be conscious of your feelings and behaviour, and being in control of the way you carry yourself. In order for your child to develop the self-discipline skill, it is important for them to understand the way they feel, and understand why they feel that way.
Each one of our programs teaches students valuable skills that help them appreciate their abilities, while working their way up through the coloured belt system. While progressing through the system, kids will have an opportunity to overcome their fears and anxieties, while stepping out of their comfort zone. In order to advance to the next level, students must reach all set goals in every stage, while learning how to confidently execute the set tasks. This goal oriented learning rewards your child’s success positively (ie. a new stripe or belt). This positive goal learning will teach your child that regardless of the difficulty, a positive state of mind and the discipline to complete the task will result in a positive outcome. Over time, this will help reinforce the self-discipline skill.
Unsurprisingly, having self-discipline makes many aspects of your child’s life much easier, whether it be overcoming laziness, or staying on top of responsibilities like school work. Many other advantages come as a direct result of possessing self-discipline. Increased levels of discipline lead to success and it is something we take pride in when teaching this to our students. The benefits of implementing self-discipline at a young age leads to improved health, increased self-confidence, and better social interaction skills. As a parent, keep in mind that this life skill is not taught overnight. It takes time to develop this skill, and teach it to your child. Over the course of your child’s martial arts training, it can take years to teach and develop self-discipline.
