Why Did you Start Training? Parents: was it for Discipline for Your Kids?

[Millennial Martial Artist]

Hey everyone! I wanted to get some feedback on others thoughts. In our school, we have been talking a lot about discipline: what it is, what it means, and how kids can better use it. I've found that I saw this a lot for our younger kids: the ones who have trouble standing still, let alone being able to do a jump front kick! Most kids don't even realize it, but they are getting a lot of discipline training on the floor. However, they are there for the cool kicks, really, it's the PARENTS who are after the discipline. I recently wrote an entry titled "Discipline: What All Parents REALLY Want in Martial Arts!" Which, if you would like to read, you can find it here at Discipline: What All Parents REALLY Want in Martial Arts!
But for you parents out there, what are the main reasons that you would, or have signed your kids up for martial arts? And for others training: what were you looking to get out of it? I often find that kids want to learn the fancy kicks, but as they get older, they are looking more for the fitness, and although they might not say it, I think they are after the confidence in themselves; knowing that if they need to stick up for themselves, they have the training to do so. Lemme hear all your thoughts! Why did you start training? Or why did you sign your kids up to train?

 

[CB Jones]

Parent.....2 reasons

1) so he would learn basic self defense

2) because he wanted to

He started when he turned 4

 

[Millennial Martial Artist]

Parent.....2 reasons

1) so he would learn basic self defense

2) because he wanted to

He started when he turned 4

Awesome, thanks for your feedback! Is he still training? Or how long did he train?

 

[CB Jones]

Awesome, thanks for your feedback! Is he still training? Or how long did he train?

He is still training.... in August it will be 8 years.

He earned his youth black belt last year.

 

[JowGaWolf]

The exact same reasons as CB Jones except for my son really doesn't have much say about #2 Because he wanted to. My son hates kung fu because he doesn't see the value in it. This is where the parent in me will step in and basically say, "this is something good for him and he doesn't have to take if forever." He only has to take during this period of him being a teenager in High School. After that he can choose to continue to train or to bail out all together.

 

[CB Jones]

How my son got started:

When he was 3 years old we bought the Kung Fu Panda DVD. My son, wife, and myself were laying in bed watching the movie. My wife and I fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to us every time the movie would end it would restart.

So I wake up at 4 a.m. To my 3 year old son standing on the foot of our bed doing "Kung Fu" with Po. He had watched it over and over again

So we found a dojo and here we are almost 8 years later.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

Discipline through a structured activity is all well and good, but is there anything that suggests that Martial Arts training achieves this more than other physical activities? I teach a lot of kids swimming, and when speaking to their parents a lot of the time, their reason for putting their child into classes is to give them a form a physical exercise and teach them discipline and respect for authority. Exactly the same as Martial Arts training.

 

[Blindside]

Discipline through a structured activity is all well and good, but is there anything that suggests that Martial Arts training achieves this more than other physical activities? I teach a lot of kids swimming, and when speaking to their parents a lot of the time, their reason for putting their child into classes is to give them a form a physical exercise and teach them discipline and respect for authority. Exactly the same as Martial Arts training.

No, I don't think that there is much that martial arts teaching gets you that other activities don't except for the obvious focused skills in hurting people and if the kids are in a good school skills in deescalation or verbal judo. You can learn the same discipline and body mastery in ballet or gymnastics or soccer or whatever.

 

[Millennial Martial Artist]

How my son got started:

When he was 3 years old we bought the Kung Fu Panda DVD. My son, wife, and myself were laying in bed watching the movie. My wife and I fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to us every time the movie would end it would restart.

So I wake up at 4 a.m. To my 3 year old son standing on the foot of our bed doing "Kung Fu" with Po. He had watched it over and over again

So we found a dojo and here we are almost 8 years later.

That is awesome!! I kind of got started in a similar way, but my introduction was the original Karate Kid, and I couldn't start until I was 12. I love the story!