Improving Your Child’s Focus with Martial Arts
If there’s one thing children have in spades, it’s energy. As a parent, it’s your job to try to help then rein that energy in and learn how to focus it in productive, positive ways. Psychologists the world over report that extracurricular activities make a huge different in establishing focus and drive in children; according to HealthCental.com, martial arts in particular can be helpful for children who suffer from issues with attention and focus.
The way it works is simple:
- Martial arts require discipline, teaching children how to hold still as much as how to move. Given that children today deal with a constant barrage of stimuli from the TV, Internet, mountains of homework and after-school programs and activities, having an activity meant to slow a child down is a necessity.
- Martial arts teach confidence and preparedness. A child who understands their abilities is more willing to utilize those abilities to their fullest potential—which requires concentration, determination, and focus.
- Martial arts show children how to set and reach goals. One of the biggest issues children face today is the inability to set realistic goals, and a limited sense of accomplishment when goals are obtained. Martial arts allow children to set their minds and bodies to a task and makes sure that they stick with it until they succeed.
These three qualities—discipline, confidence and success—make martial arts a perfect place for children to learn and hone their ability to focus. Adding to that the fact that research shows a positive correlation between physical activity and cognitive function in young children, it’s easy to see how and why martial arts can improve a child’s ability to focus; not only are they learning discipline, how to be prepared and how to set and reach goals, they’re literally training to improve memory and attention span.
It’s not all professional tests and clinical jargon, either. There are plenty of parents ready and willing to attest to the impact martial arts training has had on their children’s performance in school and focus in all areas of life.
Fran, the mother of one of our young students, has this to say: “My son has been attending the family class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for over a month now, and the improvement in his behavior is tremendous in such a short time. They definitely work these kids out in class and even pull them aside if they are not following directions. Love the instructors and everything about this school.”
If you ask Health Ambition, learning control and concentration isn’t just what improves overall focus in a martial arts student, it helps students become better people. Improving a child’s ability to concentrate on the task at hand, whatever that task may be, definitely gives them a leg up over their over stimulated peers and classmates—don’t miss out on all the benefits martial arts training can offer your child. Get them started and watch them start improving today.
