Remaining Young as Adults

/in /by

The Australian College of Sports Development, in Bendigo, saw an attendance of over 80 Black Belt Instructors recently at a seminar (see previous blog).  It was amazing how many hands went up when the question was asked, ‘how many of you started training as a result of your children in the martial arts?’  Equally amazing was the number of those parents taking up martial arts Jimmy and the boys at West Pennant Hills after being asked by the instructor, whilst sitting in the waiting area over a period of 3 months or more. These people now run their own schools.  Our Qld Head Instructor, Darren Grieve, had taken up the martial arts with his kids in the mid ‘90’s.  Darren now runs the Qld branches, teaching Karate-Jitsu, Kickboxing, MMA & BJJ.

Whilst emphasis is placed on children in the martial arts, equally important, are adults.  The difference with adults is they all have varied reasons for doing the martial arts whereas the kids think of it as a challenging sport and fun thing.  Whilst the parent benefits a number of different ways from training, other members of the family also benefit indirectly.  What better way to represent the family with a father who is physically and mentally fit, confident, healthy and is in a better position to protect his family; the same goes for a mother. The physical benefits for an adult in martial arts are tremendous!

Parents like to spend time with their children as much as possible and I could not think of a better way for families to share the same interest and passion together.  You can really see it in the school.
GA

Remaining Young

/in /by

A lot of good things had come out of last week’s seminar in Bendigo at the Australian College of Sports Development (ACSD).  One of the discussions was about youths in the martial arts.  Most of us can give many reasons why children should be in the martial arts such as anti-bullying, obesity, discipline, self esteem and the list goes on but there is something we might not be aware of. 

According to the ACSD martial arts training is ideal for physical development in children.  Young people’s skeletal structures, muscles and ligaments are in the growing stages and the martial arts will greatly assist in building and strengthening their bodies as they mature.  This results less prone to injuries in later life.  As parents we should not forget these important reasons for our children training in the martial arts.  With this in mind, if ‘little Johnny’ says ‘I’m bored’ it is up to the parents to take a stance because they know what’s best for their kids.  Instructors are always happy to discuss such a situation.

Mental challenges, increased confidence and focussing are some of the other things children can expect from the martial arts; not to mention keeping away from bad company.  They will learn to recognise the difference between good and bad.  What is also another important factor is that children in the martial arts are more likely to keep up some physical activity for the rest of their lives in order to stay in shape, feel young and enjoy a healthier life style. That's the secret of remaining young.

At the end of the day, there’s nothing better than a child achieving these mental and physical skills and be awarded a black belt doing their family and friends proud.
GA