Hi, my name is Mike Shorey, Senior instructor here at Shorey’s Taekwondo America.

This summer has been great, kids have been able to get back outside, reconnecting with their friends, getting some exercise. Families have been able to go on vacation and spent some quality time outside the house.

The school bells will soon be ringing, and the call will go out for the kids to return to class. But don’t worry class time will only require that they sit quietly, no more running about put the bike and skateboard up. Now you just need to focus on listening and learning. Schools are no longer allowed to discipline children so they will be expected to find it on their own. But rest assured the bully’s will be back seeking out those who show any sign that they don’t have the confidence to stand up to them. School life will be great.

I’ve had the opportunity this summer to work with a number of children. All have grown older these past few years but with many have not kept pace academically, socially, and physically. As a father myself I am concerned for this generation. How will their future be without these basic attributes’?

Obviously, I think Taekwondo is the answer. Now you might think that knowing how to do a flying side kick or some ancient Kata could not possibly help my child in school. But you would be wrong. Good Taekwondo schools teach much more than just fighting skills. Read on and find 7 of the attributes from Taekwondo that kids take back to school.

 

 

7 Taekwondo ATTRIBUTES TO TAKE BACK TO SCHOOL

It can be scary when starting something new, like a new school year. Taekwondo classes provide students with structure and a routine. School activities and sports, they seem to come and go but martial arts continue, A Black Belt can take 3 to four years to achieve and there are many levels and goals to meet beyond that. Many of our children, including my son, balance it with other school activities and sports and find that Taekwondo offers them stability and lasting friendships that help them through their preteen and teenage years.

There are many other ways that students can use what they’ve learned on the mats in the classroom. Here are some martial arts lessons students can take back to school:

 

1. FOCUS

At the very beginning Taekwondo kids learn to block out distractions. While it’s not always easy to sit quietly in a classroom, it is a skill that all students can develop over time. Taekwondo students learn to focus and pay attention to their instructor. They learn to focus their bodies, focus their eyes and focus their minds. Taekwondo teaches students that focus is a muscle, and like any other muscle in the body, practice builds strength. This ability can be used to improve the classroom experience and quickly learn new material. By staying focused, they can react to what they learn, hear, and experience. Better focus in the classroom can lead to good grades and productive study habits.

 

2. LISTENING & LEARNING

In addition to focusing, Taekwondo students also practice listening to their instructor and learning from their feedback. In the classroom, a teacher might have some constructive feedback for a student. Rather than taking this as criticism, students familiar with Taekwondo can learn from the feedback and use it in the future to improve. In the dojang we teach children to view each other as training partners. We regularly have them observe each other performing their material and share positive and negative feedback allowing them to on both sides to understand the difference between constructive criticism and negative criticism.

3. DISCIPLINE

Taekwondo students learn to value self-discipline. And discipline in the dojang and the classroom is all about self-control. This is not an easy lesson to practice, but Taekwondo students can take what they’ve learned through practice and repetition back to school.

4. CONFIDENCE

Taekwondo training promotes self-confidence in students of all ages. As you work toward a goal, you are not only building a physical skill. You are also building self-esteem. What you learn in martial arts provides a sense of accomplishment and can empower you in other areas of your life, like the classroom.

 

5. GOAL SETTING

It takes the average student three to four years to earn their black belt. Many practitioners are able to do this before they even graduate high school. Imagine the type of willpower it takes to show up every week for four years in order to achieve a goal. Often, it is the first major milestone that youngsters can reach, and they do this all while excelling in school and participating in other activities. The life-altering lesson in starting a hobby like martial arts, putting in countless hours of hard work, and then achieving a goal of that magnitude will never be forgotten. It is the kind of positive event that will carry over to college, interviews and future careers.

 

6. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Another lesson from martial arts that applies to the classroom and almost every area of life is the value of physical activity. Students who train regularly get the physical activity needed to feel good. Exercise leads to better focus and learning.

Martial arts are a great environment where students can let go of any extra energy making it easier to sit still and get a good night’s sleep.

At Shorey’s Taekwondo America in Cornelius, NC, we do not only teach the fundamentals of martial arts, so our students earn their Black Belts. We also teach the fundamentals of leadership so that our students become leaders who change the world. To learn more about how to enroll and get started, contact us today. (Office) 704-997-8452 (Cell) 704-654-5820

 

 

 

7. BULLY PROOF

Although school is supposed to be a safe place for kids to learn and grow, that’s not always the reality. The truth is that BULLYING IS REAL and sadly, it’s on the rise. As much as you’d like to protect your kids from bullies, you can’t always be there for them. No parent wants their kids getting into fights which is why martial arts teaches that violence is to be used ONLY as a last resort. Shorey’s Taekwondo America can give your kids the skills to react and defend themselves if necessary but they’ll also learn to keep calm and avoid situations where bullies have the upper hand. Confidence is an empowering tool and Taekwondo training will give your child good self-esteem and confidence and bullies don’t pick on confident kids

 

The Conclusion = FUN

! It’s no secret…. kids love to play, and they do get restless sitting in a classroom all day. We learned long ago that kids learn faster when they’re having fun. At Shorey’s Taekwondo America we have lots of FUN activities like Dodgeball, Jump Rope, Battleship, Nerf Sword Battles and amazing Birthday Parties that your kids will love to be a part of. Our kids have a great time in class making new friends while learning life-changing martial arts skills. Training in martial arts is also a great, safe way to release all of that bottled up extra energy so they have very little of it left; making bedtime battles a thing of the past!

Signing you kids up for martial arts at Shorey’s Taekwondo America will be one of the BEST decisions you’ll ever make. They’ll learn important life skills that will help them do better in school and those skills will stay with them even into adulthood. Call us today at (Office) 704-997-8452 or (Cell) 704-654-5820 and help your kids go “back to school” with Martial Arts.