The gamut of martial arts as a group of sports has proved an invaluable means of crossing cultural barriers. From Brazil’s Capoeira to Korea’s taekwondo, martial arts are taught and performed all over the world, often providing kids with an insight into the culture where the specific sport originated, while simultaneously they develop self-defense tactics and get fit too!
Some of the longer established organizations promoting well-supervised martial arts training include Yang’s Martial Arts Association, or ‘YMAA’ and NAGA, the North American Grappling Association, both bodies which accredits martial arts schools. By applying strict criteria before being willing to extend endorsements to individual establishments, such organizations endeavor to keep standards high. Schools which have received this approval exist in Poland to New Zealand, Italy and the United States.
As a fount of new friends, and a place to gain leadership skills and strategies for tackling bullies, classes for kids in karate and other martial arts are often a good idea. Those who have concentration difficulties can benefit from the discipline of the drills. Self-esteem can be raised through sparring, and many adults who were sent to self-defense classes in childhood now recognize the advantages in terms of increased confidence.
Realistically, however, if a child were to contemplate using the skills taught in order to fight off a would-be abductor, they could scarcely succeed. An adult’s strength and size will virtually always overpower the attempts of any but the most well-built child. No matter how well-drilled that child may be in fight moves, the odds are stacked against him. Whilst self- defense classes are a viable option when selecting sports to take up, touting them as possible training in combating real-life adversaries could be considered irresponsible.
Issues of physical size and shape aside, kids’ involvement in martial arts often has the unlooked-for benefit of opening the mind to other philosophies, eastern or otherwise. Perhaps the time has come to make the most of these barrier-busting opportunities and to hold the first international martial arts congress for kids.