As a parent, we want to give our children the tools to succeed in life. We just can't think of a single activity that will pour so much into them all at once. #priceless
"Martial arts vs other sports"
12 reason why martial arts is better for kids than team sports - by Ricardo Almeida, 4th degree Black Belt
I grew up in Brazil playing soccer every single day. We played soccer at school, when we came home, at the beach and on the weekends we played some more.
I love soccer and follow it diligently to this day so this article is not a soccer bashing but rather a highlight of Martial Arts benefits over School sports.
I didn’t start practicing Jiu-Jitsu until I was 15 years old which by world-class standards in any sport is way too late.
I did, however, have the unique opportunity to study in a world-class school (Gracie Barra) under a world-renowned Instructor (Carlos Gracie Jr).
Among the ranks, at Gracie Barra, I was nowhere near the top level of talent we had on the mats, but the fact the I was surrounded by some of the all-time Jiu-Jitsu greats made all the difference in the world.
Growing up with Jiu-Jitsu has given me goals, sense of purpose and the drive and discipline to go after those goals.
I believe there is no program out there that encompasses physical education and character development like Martial Arts does.
Below are a few reasons to consider Martial Arts for your Child or Adolescent over or in addition to Team Sports:
1 - Self-Defense
2 - Self-Confidence
3 - Belts and Ranking
4 - Discipline
Martial Arts training is a physical expression of ‘practice makes perfect’. In a class, a student may execute a single movement or series of related movements, hundreds of times. This teaches the student that the progress that always happens during small improvements in technique and stamina, flexibility or power - will come through endless repetition.
Even during randori ( or sparring) - where the student shows how creatively he or she can apply their well-honed skills - there are still rules and protocols to be followed. All of this teaches children to respect one another, their opponents and colleagues, and how to play games fair and square - lessons that follow them in their non-Martial Arts lives. It also teaches them to commit, to go to practice even when they don’t feel like it.
5 - Individual Achievement: No one sits on the Bench
Many kids have the chance to experience the benefits of Martial Arts early on, however, a big number of children abandon their martial arts training when reaching the teen years in order to participate in school sports. Although there are many lessons to be learned from the team and individual varsity sports, the ‘make the team’ model often favors the more physically developed players while alienating the late bloomers. Coaches have access to an endless supply of players that renews itself each year, the big and strong get picked and get to play while the less physically developed watch from the bench, this leads to an even greater disparity in skill development as the season goes by.
At Gracie Barra, our mats are packed while the benches are empty, all kids get equal ‘playing time’. Naturally, some kids develop their skills and physical abilities earlier than others but we personally find that many kids who start out with underdeveloped athletic attributes such as strength, speed, and size, end up blooming onto some of the finest technicians we have in all of our programs. If your child is an athletic wonder who is able to stay ahead of the game with his natural talents, athletics may very well bring out the best in him or her. But if want your child’s full potential to be nurtured through years of disciplined and diligent training look for a martial art school who offers a serious program taught by the world-class accredited instructor.
6 - Gender Equality
7 - Weight Control
8 - You can do it with them
9 - The Never-Ending Season
10 - Jiu-Jitsu isn’t about brute force, it is about control
Grandmasters Carlos Gracie Sr and Helio Gracie reinforced that Jiu-Jitsu should be practiced with the mindset that your opponent will be bigger and stronger than you. That technique and mental toughness should be pursued above all physical attributes.
11 - Athletic Development
12 - Jiu-Jitsu is Global