Download the Complete Handout for Parents by Clicking HERE

Martial Arts At KarateBuilt Martial  Arts is An Amazing Activity To Get Even Better Grades For Your Child!!

Your Kids Don’t Have To Have Bad Grades For Them To Do Better In School!

We get asked all the time why KarateBuilt Martial Arts kids do better in school – not just with grades but with social interaction and sports performance. There are a variety of factors and we’ll go over them in this summary, however a KarateBuilt Martial Arts Certified Instructor will be able to expand on any of this information.

School Impact Key 1: Confidence!

One of the keys is CONFIDENCE… This is backed up by numerous academic studies (Wiggins, et.al., 1994 or ask an instructor to show more to you) that show higher self-esteem predicts whether kids are successful in school (specifically that confidence = better grades)… to summarize the important parts of the research…

If your child builds more confidence (even if it’s already good), they will get better grades…

If your child increases self-esteem, they will be more successful in all other activities like sports and other extracurriculars…

If your child gets rock solid self-esteem and confidence, it has LONG TERM results like being able to resist peer pressure, speak in public and become a leader..:

There are many ways confidence is built at KarateBuilt, but here are just a few examples:

One of the ways is as one of our basic life skills because all students get pushed to overcome obstacles that are difficult. When, in a supportive environment, the student discovers they can do more than they have ever done before, they gain more and more self-esteem.

Another of the many ways confidence is built is directly part of the safety training. You may have heard of Maslow’s Hierarcy of Needs? This, in short, is the idea that we first need such things as safety, food and shelter before we can be concerned about higher level matters such as development and growth (like grades). When a student learns they can take care of their own safety (for example when they become a Black Belt) this alleviates an internal stress that all humans have so they can focus on greater things.

There’s more on confidence but that’s all we have space for!

School Impact Key 2: Self-Discipline!

Note that it’s not “discipline” by itself but self-discipline. It’s not that hard for a person (any of us) to be disciplined to show up on time or do work when someone reminds us. The skill that determines greater success is SELF-DISCIPLINE. That is, that we build the skill to do what is needed, even when no one (like a parent) is reminding us.

For example, a child who brushes their teeth every day without complaint, but requires their parent to remind them, had discipline. This by itself is not that important. Our goal would be that the child brushes their teeth (and does a good job of it) without any reminders! SELF-discipline.

This is simple to build though sometimes hard to execute – it’s based on having high expectations.  We expect all of our kids – even at 3 years old – to carry their own gear, to handle their own material, to do all of what’s asked of them. Do they need reminders sometimes? Sure! Especially at first, however our KarateBuilt Certified Instructors are experts at “weaning” the students off of any help so they can become self-sufficient and therefore self-diciplined. This has the added benefit of making the child feel powerful and confident (Key #1!).

Occassionally the objection to building such self–discipline is “I just want my kids to have fun!” or “I don’t want to force my kids to do anything!” That’s understandable, yet consider, you probably know adult friends who are far from self-disciplined. How does their life turn out? Is it thriving and growing and happy? Starting to develop the skill of self-discipline is better for their grades now and for their adult life in the future!

School Impact Key 3: Focus!

The ability to keed your mind centered around a goal and not get distracted is called FOCUS. If you have the ability to focus you will get more done, learn more and learn it more deeply.

Unfortunately, having excellent focus is not something that comes naturally. Our mind likes to get lots of input and think about many things at the same time. This is more true in today’s society with easy electronic distractions or for someone with attention issues.

The great news is that just about everything at KarateBuilt Martial Arts involved training our brain to gain more and more focus. The drills we do (forms, bag work, individual techniques and partner work) all require focus because they involve precision, safety and get the entire body and self involved. When you have to use your eyes, ears, mind, body and all your senses, there is no extra room for other thoughts. You learn to stay focused on one thing.

The more this happens the more your brain is used to building a neuological system that is used to focusing on one goal. While in your martial arts class it’s a different focus, the same skill applies in other parts of your life. (By the way we encourage parents and other adults to do KarateBuilt Martial Arts for the same reasons).

Bonus School Impact: Bullying Prevention!

In a ground breaking study with Arizona State University and KarateBuilt Martial Arts, Dr. Greg Moody studied over 200 students in 17 states and found that compared to any school-based bullying prevention program, kids that did martial arts long enough to get their Black Belt (at a minimum) were bullied less.

The study also showed many more interesting facts such as parents often were not aware (most of the time) that their kids were being bullied.

Get Your Kids Better Grades! This is a short summary of how your child will get better grades by doing martial arts at KarateBuilt. The more parents understand these reasons, the more they can realize the benefits and support their child on their way to Black Belt and beyond!

Sincerely,

Chief Master Greg Moody, Ph.D.

Dr. Moody is also a licensed psychotherapist and maintains a practice at Integrated Mental Health Associates (IntegratedMHA.com) where he specializes in couples therapy and men’s issues.