8 Reasons Why Children Should Take Karate
(Condensed from the article "8 Reasons Why Children Should Take Karate" by Jim Wiltens)


  1. Grace Under Pressure. Ernest Hemingway said that courage is grace under pressure. Martial Arts teach such grace. The formula is simple: Apply small amounts of pressure, teach the students to handle it, and then apply a little more pressure.
  2. Role Models. Parents will find that Karate promotes achievement orientation. A good martial arts studio is an environment of positive role models.
  3. Fulfilling The Need To Belong. A distinct advantage of Karate over team sports is that every child can participate. The feeling that they belong is added insurance against children becoming involved in negative activities. According to Jim Mather, a ISA Karate Team Coach, "Kids don't smoke because it tastes good; they try it because it will make them feel mature and they hope it will help them fit in."
  4. Karate, Concentration and Schoolwork. Karate lessons may help children study. "My son's grades have shown a remarkable improvement, " Freedall says. "Steven is dyslexic, and I think Karate has been a key to keeping him focused in school."
  5. Goal Orientation. "Karate offers clear bench marks of progress that are not found in many modern day activities," Dr. Irvine notes. "I think that initiation is an important part of growing up. Karate has obvious stages of progression."
  6. Moving Meditation. After two or three years of training, children may actually enter a meditation state while performing their kata. Although they learn the movements of these forms consciously, at higher stages of training kata are performed subconsciously.
  7. Physical Benefits. Karate is similar to ballet in terms of the physical demands placed on motor coordination. Both the upper and lower body must perform intricate, coordinated movements. "I started my child (in martial arts) just beyond the age of four years of age," says psychiatrist Dr. Jilbert Lewis. "Neurological development is still occurring at this point, and I feel karate, gymnastics or dance lessons are helpful." Children lacking coordination may find martial arts to be one of the best activities to develop balance and rhythm. Aerobic capacity is also increased bu a martial arts workout. Flexibility is a standard part of martial arts training. There is nothing astounding about a martial artist being able to kick above his head, and many are flexible enough to do the splits. A sport that promotes flexibility makes a young athlete less prone to injury and more flexible in later life.
  8. Defusing Bullies. Any parent who remembers what it was like to be bullied in school may want to spare their child such an encounter. A bully usually has low self-esteem, and a need to feel powerful causes them to seek out others weaker than themselves. A bully senses weaknesses such as an unwillingness to look him in the eye, hunched posture, rapid breathing when confronted, a quavering voice and uncertainty in replies. Contrary to what parents might believe, martial arts training does not prepare children for a showdown with a bully; rather it short circuits the bully-baiting signals. Martial artists learn to look their opponents in the eye. Sparring teaches control of breathing. Stace work is an integral part of developing balance, power and rapid movement. Students learn to respond to questions in a firm voice. In most cases, the bully is not defeated by combat, but by the martial artist's calm and confident demeanor. Some parents harbor a concern that karate promotes violence in a child. According to Prof. Richard Carrera, a clinical psychologist who conducted a study of male martial artists, he found that, in comparison to a control group of college students, the martial artists were "quiet, conscientious, industrious, and able to inhibit aggression and hostility." Carrera claims a martial artist actually has better control of his violent impulses because he "knows he has the capacity, and may therefore be able to control it and dispense violence only when necessary. Some people behave uncontrollable when they feel their dignity or masculine identity is threatened. Maybe they wouldn't if their identity was well secure." Gichen Fundkoshi, who originated Japanese Karate, said, "The ultimate goal of karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the development of the participants' character. This is what martial arts is all about."