When you hear the words Martial Arts, what do you think about? Depending on what you have heard or been exposed to, when you think of martial arts, you might think of Tae-Kwon-Do or Karate. You may think of Kung Fu, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) or Krav Maga. These are all different types, or disciplines of martial arts. Actually, there are over 190 different styles and disciplines, of martial arts.  So, what are martial arts? The Oxford dictionary defines martial arts as “various sports or skills, mainly of Japanese origin, that originated as forms of self-defense or attack.” There is much more to it than that just self defense or attack however. Let’s start by looking at the origin of martial arts. Martial arts originated in China, through the Shaolin temple.  The Chinese character “mu” is translated into the word “martial.  This “mu” that describes martial arts means “to stop fighting” or “to put down weapons. The ultimate goal of martial arts is meant to be peace.

I’ve heard people ask me why I have my hyper aggressive son in martial arts. I’ve had people tell me that martial arts will just make him MORE angry and aggressive than he already is.  I’ve had people tell me that I’m just wasting my money with him. I’ve also had people ask why I take martial arts at my age, that I’m going to just hurt myself and that it’s just a waste of time.  So why is it that I “waste my money” having 3 kids and myself in a martial arts program and one kid in three different arts (Shaolin Kung Fu, Kyuki-Do and Jiu Jitsu)?

I’m going to explain my reasons and how martial arts can help everyone. But first, lets discuss what martial arts is not.

A good martial arts program is not a pathway to fighting.  It is a pathway to self defense and teaches how to AVOID fights. They do teach you to fight, yes, but a good martial arts teacher will let you know right away that it’s not to be used except in self defense and you will be held to a high standard.  There are opportunities to use your martial arts to spar with others. However, all sparring is in a controlled situation and unless you are an advanced student, it should ONLY be done under the watchful eye of your instructor or another black belt.  In our Shaolin school, they have a rule that you can only spar if there is a black belt present. This keeps everyone safe and also ensures that mistakes are quickly corrected.

Martial arts are not a pathway to hurt others, but rather to help others.  If you see a situation that could get out of control, a good martial artist will have the ability to step in and help without ever having to throw a punch.  So since martial arts isn’t about fighting, how will it help you or your child?

• Martial arts can build confidence. 
  With the assistance of your instructor, you set goals, then work to meet those goals.  Everyone will have their own goals in a martial arts class.  No two people will have the same goals. As you meet your goals, you become more confident in yourself and your abilities. Once you reach one set of goals, you make new goals.  As you continue to set and reach new goals, you feel a sense of accomplishment. You learn that nothing is impossible and you learn to push yourself through challenges.
• Martial arts is a good workout.
  Martial arts is aerobic training. During a martial arts class, you are using all your muscles. You are getting exercise and increasing blood flow to your body.  This also increases your cardiovascular health, lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, it increases overall mobility and muscle mass, builds strength and helps you loose weight. It also helps with flexibility.  Increased flexibility has many benefits like improved posture, reduced muscle soreness and tension, improved relaxation of mind and body, and a reduced risk of injury.
  If you are like me and seem to always be off balance and get injured easily, these are things that really make a huge difference in your life.  Where I used to have a tendency to fall all the time, after practicing martial arts for three years, My balance is much better which means I’m not falling and getting hurt as frequently and when I do get hurt, I have the ability to heal much faster.
• Improve Concentration
  When you start martial arts, you will find that your concentration improves. This is because martial arts require the memorization of a series of movements or forms. Over time these repetitive movements help you to build muscle memory and learn to maintain mental focus. This is important in martial arts, but carries over to every day life. It makes you more aware and you become more conscious of your decisions. Rather than doing your tasks mindlessly, you are better focused and able to concentrate on what you are doing. You also learn how to get rid of distractions that would interfere with your concentration, also leading to better focus. This also leads to fewer mistakes, both at home and in the workplace. For children, over time, this also makes learning easier and more enjoyable.
• Patience
  Martial arts teaches patience. This is especially important for kids.  This is a skill that fewer kids are learning and adults are also loosing. How does martial arts teach patience?  Not everyone is going to be ready to test for a new belt every time there is a testing cycle.  You aren’t ready to test until your instructor feels you are ready, even if you think you might be. Sometimes, it might be a few test cycles before your instructor feels you are ready for your next belt. Sometimes it’s not about the abilities, you may have learned the forms and kicks necessary for testing, but the instructor may see something in your attitude that (s)he doesn’t like. Or they may feel that mentally, you just aren’t ready for the next level yet. You have to learn to be patient and allow yourself the time necessary to be fully ready to be able to test both physically and mentally. A great example of this is my own son.  He knows his forms and sparring techniques (though he will sometimes get his feet wrong), but he’s not able to hold his stances and he still has spells where he gets angry.  So even though he felt like he was ready to test, he was forced to wait until the next round of testing comes around. If he changes his attitude between now and then (and fixes his footing and stances) he will be ready to test next time. He is really being pushed and his patience is really wearing thin, but he is using this as a learning opportunity. He is working hard on the things that need to be fixed, so that when the next test comes around, he will be ready.
• Self Defense Skills
  Because of your increased awareness and concentration, martial arts helps you to be more aware of your surroundings and recognize situations where there are real threats. An aggravated assault occurs every 43 seconds in the United States. With the martial art skills you learn in class, you are better able to defend yourself in a dangerous or life-threatening situation. Kids learn when a situation occurs that might lead to harm and how to counter the situation and get away.  And because of improved cardiovascular health they are then able to run and tell an adult who can help them.

The Tenents of Martial Arts

Even though every discipline of martial arts is different, some things hold true for all of them.  All Martial Arts have tenents that practitioners are expected to live by.  These may vary some from one discipline to another.  The tenents I am listing here are for Shaolin Kung Fu and for Kyuki-Do, because these are the arts that we are learning. You will see that they have some similarities and some differences, but the one thing that holds true to both is that if you are learning these arts, you be held to these tenents for as long as you practice (and even when you aren’t).

TENENTS OF SHAOLIN KUNG FU

• Motivation: Have the desire to succeed
• Confidence: Believe in yourself
• Discipline: Follow directions
• Perseverance: Keep working for what you believe in despite hardship
• Respect: Willing to respect yourself and others
• Community: Caring for and being positive to others in the community
• Righteousness: Do the right thing
• Tolerance: Do not allow emotions to overflow and affect character

TENENTS OF KYUKI-DO

• Courtesy: Treating people with the respect they deserve.
• Humility: Recognizing that no matter how great your accomplishments may be that they do not make you better than anyone else.
• Integrity: Knowing the difference between right and wrong and always choosing what is right.
• Perseverance: Continuing even in the face of adversity.
• Self-Control: Exercising restraint over yourself and being in command of your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Indomitable Spirit: The spark that gives you the power to persevere and having faith in what you do and knowing that your training is a worthwhile journey to the end, and that eventually your success and accomplishments will be realized.

Looking at these tenents, do you think the things these martial arts teach are important?  Is it important to respect yourself? Others? What about integrity? Is it important to have integrity in what you do? Does it matter if your kids know right from wrong? Or how about confidence?  Why is it important for your kids to learn how to be confident in themselves and their abilities?

As you can see, martial arts isn’t as much about fighting as it is learning how to be yourself, help build confidence and perseverance, learn how to live a healthy lifestyle and how to be respectful.  Many Dojos (or gyms) require their kids to respond to their instructors with “Yes Sir” and “No Sir” or “No Ma’am” and “Yes Ma’am”.  Many children who practice martial arts grow up to not only be kind and thoughtful to their neighbors and community, but also learn how to be leaders. I believe that all children should have exposure to marital arts. The difference can be seen through their words and actions.  It teaches them to be respectful, to not give up when things get challenging and to see that their accomplishments are their own, but that doesn’t make them any better or less than anyone else.  Everyone has their own goals to strive for and one person’s goals might not be the same as the next person’s, but that doesn’t make the goals any less important. And if you do have kids with anger or aggression issues, like my son, it gives them a safe outlet for those issues while learning self-control. So, even if others see my kids martial arts classes as a “waste of money” or not important, I feel like every dollar spent on my kids classes is very worthwhile, because the skills they will gain long term far outweigh the cost in the short term.

Now that you have read why it’s important to me and my family and what it has done for us, what can martial arts do for you and your family? Don’t waste another day, get out there, do your research and look for a good school for your family and start making a difference in your lives and the lives of your kids today. Don’t be afraid to be picky. Find a school that teaches by the tenents of the art that you choose to follow and that respects you and your family. Visit as many schools and different disciplines as necessary until you find the perfect one for you. Then get ready to be pushed past your perceived boundaries and learn to set new boundaries each time.