The decision to enroll your child in Krav Maga training involves different factors for every parent. Some people enroll their child in martial arts just for something fun to do or because your child shows an interest in self defense. For some parents it’s to put their child in something that will keep them physically active. For other parents the decision to start self-defense training comes from fear or trauma. Maybe your child has been attacked or bullied and you are starting to see a change in their personality… All of these reasons to start training are valid and important. The benefits of our Youth Krav Maga Self Defense program fit all of these forms of motivation.
Krav Maga training is about making people safer and stronger. The benefits of Krav Maga and particularly the benefits of California Defense Academy self-defense training are wide ranging but here are the top 5 benefits of kids self defense.
1. Confidence
For those who have chosen to enroll your child in martial arts for self defense as a new hobby, you will realize that it becomes so much more than that – it is a way of life that changes them physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. One of the most obvious changes you will see is in their self-confidence.
Through training in Krav Maga you empower your child to be able to walk, travel and live without fear. Any martial artist will tell you that the confidence they feel knowing that they are able to defend themselves in any situation is incomparable. The self-defense skills your child will learn in class – from sparring to the techniques, prepare them for real life situations.
2. Physical Fitness
Not only that but through all of that striking, head movement and footwork they are getting in a really great workout! They will quickly notice and feel their body getting stronger and endurance increasing! Not only will this lead to higher self esteem but increased health as well!
3. Self Discipline
There are many ways we build self discipline within our martial arts program for kids but one way we do so is by incorporating a belt ranking system that starts with a white belt denoting the lowest skill level and ends with black as the highest. This means of ranking encourages students to work at attaining the next level, which teaches them how to set and achieve a goal. By developing the habit of setting goals, students are learning to work for and succeed at other goals in their lives. These goals may include earning a high school diploma or attending college.
4. Bully Prevention
Bullying is major issue that can cause many negative consequences for children including anxiety, depression, sadness, anger, changes in eating and sleep patterns, and decreased interest in things he or she used to enjoy. A child that is bullied may lose interest in socializing, struggle with homework and/or classwork, or lash out at other students or teachers. As a parent or guardian, one of the best ways to help your child against bullying is by enrolling them in a martial arts program.
California Defense Academy can teach your child practical skills that will make a positive impact in all areas of their life. Our trained instructors are prepared to help your child develop physically, mentally, and socially to combat bullying and peer pressure. We do this is several ways but a few of them are: Teaching the power of posture and body language, verbal boundaries, physical boundaries and building their confidence in such a way that they no longer appear a victim or a good target for bullies all together.
5. Situational Awareness
Situational awareness training, if you take it quite literally, is about the “perception of environment”.
When someone is training self-defense at our training facility here in Murrieta, the perception of environment broadens to include recognizing potential threats and dangers. Ultimately the student’s recognition of threats and dangers lends to their ability to take action to mitigate these threats and dangers. In terms of Krav Maga self-defense and situational awareness training we want our students to use this broadened scope to avoid conflict, dangers, and threats. That is the best possible use of situational awareness training. If conflict is unavoidable we equip students with he physical skills to eliminate threats and dangers.
