Being a child is a lot tougher than it used to be. Bullying is rampant in schools and social media has made things even worse. Cyber bullying can be detrimental to a child’s self-confidence and prove to be a major distraction.
Furthermore, childhood obesity is on the rise, and a growing number of children are having a harder time staying fit. Fortunately, Muay Thai can help them cope with these issues.
What Are Martial Arts?
Muay Thai is a combat style that has been proven to be effective self-defence system in competition. Muay Thai has is practiced for several reasons, such as entertainment and preservation of culture as well as spiritual and mental development.
Practicing Muay Thai essentially involves training your body, mind, and spirit to act as one. It teaches students many valuable lessons that they can apply to other areas of their lives.
Major Problems Children And Teenagers Face Today
1) Shyness
Times are tough for children right now, and many of them suffer from crippling shyness, which could be a fear of being bullied and embarrassed. You can often tell if children are shy if they are unwilling to look people in the eye or walk with their shoulders down and eyes on the floor.
2) Inability To Focus
Children have to contend with so much stimulation these days. From television to mobile phones and social media, it can be very difficult for a child to focus on something for very long. Unfortunately, a lack of focus can affect their performance in school.
3) Lack Of Motivation
Parents often complain that their children are not being motivated enough. Many children do not like being told what to do all day, and some of them shut down and lose all sense of personal motivation. This can also affect their schoolwork and have a negative impact on their lives when they become adults.
4) Poor Fitness
A growing number of children are spending their time playing video games indoors instead of running around outside. It can be very difficult to get a child off the couch so that they can exercise and stay fit.
5) Lack Of Discipline
Children often want instant gratification, and they tend to have a harder time seeing past the “now.” If they cannot get instant results from something, they would rather not attempt it. This can be detrimental to their future since most goals require perseverance over time to reach them. It is important to teach children to persevere through the process even when they do not get immediate results.
How Martial Arts Will Change Your Child
Some people wrongly assume that Muay Thai promotes violence, and they would be surprised to learn that most martial arts insist that violence is never the solution. Instead, these arts focus on self-control so that the child only uses the combat skills they learn when defending themselves. Therefore, children know how to stand up for themselves but understand that violence is never the best way to solve conflict.
Other surprising ways that martial arts will change your child include:
1) Size And Gender Do Not Determine Success
One of the biggest misconceptions about Muay Thai is that it is a male-dominated sport, but girls are just as capable of succeeding in the gym. In fact, girls and boys train together and are treated equally.
Some people might not think a small child would be well suited for Muay Thai, but most martial arts do not emphasize strength or size. These arts teach children how to use leverage and techniques to subdue bigger and stronger opponents. It gives children who might be overlooked in some sports the opportunity to be great at another sport.
2) There Are No Limits
Muay Thai is more than just physical training. Lessons also focus on spiritual and mental development. A child is taught that to overcome the obstacles around them they first have to overcome their own inner battles. Martial artists are taught to be confident in themselves and push beyond their mental and physical limits to succeed. They also learn how to overcome personal fears, and their self-esteem reaches new heights.
3) Progress Is More Important Than Perfection
All children like getting a shiny medal or trophy to show off their achievements. Most sports emphasise winning championships, and classrooms focus on getting the best grade. Muay Thai offers a different approach, which is why they are such a great confidence booster for most children.
For Muay Thai, the focus is more on progress than perfection. A child learns it will take time to learn the various skills, but that each hurdle they complete is important. This teaches them to be patient, as they learn that it takes time to master the various techniques. As a result, they learn to enjoy the journey as opposed to rushing toward a destination. They also receive different colored singlets to mark each benchmark.
4) Hard Work Pays
Children who participate in Muay Thai learn that hard work always pays off. Even if they enter the gym with absolutely no knowledge of Muay Thai, they will eventually master many techniques if they work hard and practice regularly. Unlike other sports, children who train Muay Thai never have to worry about being benched. Everybody gets to practice and participate, and everybody gets the chance to work hard and succeed.
Enrolling your child in a Muay Thai class has many obvious benefits, such as physical exercise and learning self-defense, but your child will also learn about teamwork, self-control, patience, and how hard work and perseverance are beneficial.
