If you have a child who is interested in taking martial arts, then you might be looking to sign them up as quickly as possible. The reason you do this is that you know that if you wait too long, they might change their mind or become less interested in training. At Cervizzi’s Martial Arts Academy in North Reading, we understand that it can be challenging to keep your child interested in something for very long. In this post, we’ll look at a few ways that you can keep your child interested in martial arts.
The Spirit of Competition
As your child begins their training, they will hopefully be excited about trying and learning new things. However, after a few months, that excitement may wear off as the “newness” of the experience fades. When this happens, you can encourage your child by talking to them about competitions such as our karate tournaments. Your child may perk up at the idea of being the best in their class, or even the best in the region.
The spirit of competition can be a great motivator to keep kids interested in karate. However, it’s not the only thing that can keep your child excited about their training. Perhaps your child doesn’t care as much as others about winning trophies. In that case, there are a few other ways to keep their interest piqued.
Training With Their Friends
The social aspect of martial arts can be very helpful in keeping a child interested in continuing classes. They want to be with their friends, and they want to be just as good as their friends at martial arts. While you want to remain positive, you can tell your child that if they stop their training, then they’re going to miss out on seeing their friends succeed and grow, just as their friends will miss your child gaining new skills. Your child may not feel like missing out, and this could be motivation enough to stick with martial arts.
If your child is okay with quitting karate, even though their friends are sticking with it, then you can talk to them about personal growth, as well as the fulfillment that can come from continuing to train.
Personal Growth and Development
For many martial arts students, training is a way to prove to themselves that they can accomplish a goal. Your child may want to learn karate so that they can feel stronger and more confident. Along with strength and confidence, personal growth and development can be great benefits of training. Your child can become more emotionally mature as they learn how to handle tough situations, both inside and outside the dojo. They can learn to overcome their fears, as well as how to help others who may be in need.
The lessons taught by martial arts often go far beyond the physical skills of punching, kicking, and blocking. If your child is wavering on whether or not they want to continue with classes, then speak to them about the things outlined in this post. Our team will be more than happy to help in any way that we can. If you have questions, then please don’t hesitate to contact us right away.