Planning extracurricular activities for your child

The beginning of the school year also means you will be enrolling your kids in extracurricular activities. If you want your child to be physically active, a sport is probably at the top of your list. But which ones do you choose? With so many out there, you and your child might be taking a stab in the dark. Instead of going with popular team sports, like baseball or soccer, consider martial arts. Here are just a few reasons why a martial sport can benefit your child:

Goal setting
Learning to set and work toward goals are important skills everyone needs. At a young age, your kids are probably just starting to learn how to do this, and discovering the ability can help them succeed in school. Martial arts can help your kids create and achieve goals. 

Martial arts feature belts, which students are awarded after learning certain skill sets. As such, they have goals built right into the curriculum. In addition to that, the instructor can help your student create his or her own goals, such as being able to reach his or her toes when stretching or being able to kick higher than his or her belly button.

Goals will become a normal part of your kids' lives, so they'll be able to create academic ones during the school year, too.

Year-round learning
Team sports only take place during certain seasons, meaning your kids will be busy and active during certain times and sedentary during others. Martial arts, on the other hand, are practiced year round. Your child can start this fall and continue as long as he or she wants. This ensures your children are fit and healthy constantly. What's more, it provides activity during holidays – in fact, many martial arts schools create summer camps so kids have something to do when they're out of school and their parents are at work.

Individual development
Team sports require kids to work together. This, of course, is an important skill to have, but it means that certain children struggle to keep up. Kids who may be new to a team sport might slow their team down. Experienced kids could get frustrated with less-seasoned ones. Martial arts, on the other hand, encourage individual development. Kids are competing against themselves, constantly striving to improve. Your child doesn't have to keep up with his or her peers and can just focus on individual goals. This has another byproduct: building self-confidence.

Self-awareness
Most martial arts classes have a mix of age groups, so your child might be paired with kids a few years older or younger than he or she is. This helps everyone in the class gain more self-awareness. Your kids will see that they can achieve difficult goals the way the older kids can. It'll also show that younger children can do great things. What's more, most classes are coed, allowing kids to gain respect for girls and boys alike.

Finally, by making mistakes and overcoming obstacles, your kids will learn what they're own strengths and weaknesses are – they'll learn to be reflective.

With so many positive benefits, it's easy to see why martial arts can be a great alternative to team sports.

Ready to enroll today?  Visit www.sulphurspringsata.com or call 903-243-8767 and get your first month for only $49 with a FREE uniform included and No Long-Term Contracts!

Originally published at https://kicksite.net/newsletters/value-of-martial-arts/planning-extracurricular-activities-for-your-child

Martial arts and anxiety

Martial arts and anxiety

Most people experience anxiety at some point or another. Whether it's planning a big event, preparing for an upcoming interview or simply going through a busy couple of weeks, we all find ourselves on edge once in a while. But what do you do if you or your children constantly experience stress? Talking to a doctor is a good first step, but martial arts can help from there.

Anxious adults
Not all adults with chronic anxiety issues realize they have a problem. Many people attribute their stress to outside circumstances or convince themselves they simply haven't had sufficient time to decompress. This may in fact be the case – however, if you find your stress levels are high no matter how much relaxation time you set aside, there may be a bigger issue.
Anxiety disorders can have more than just emotional affects. Poor sleep, twitching muscles, and frequent colds or viruses can also indicate you're overstressed. When these go on for weeks or months at a time, it's worth asking your doctor for advice.

What does child anxiety look like?
Because children haven't yet developed the tools to handle difficult emotions – or in some cases, the language to describe them – anxiety can be hard to spot. For kids, anxiety can look like poor impulse control, dropping grades or disruptive behavior. It can also easily be misread as normal shyness. This means that it can be difficult to even recognize a problem, much less work to address it.
If you're concerned your child might struggle with chronic anxiety, there are ways to help. Encourage your children to express their feelings in healthy, productive ways. One such activity that works well for children and adults is martial arts.

How martial arts helps
The simplest and most straightforward way martial arts practice can help those with anxiety is giving them a physical outlet. Chronic stress often results in a lot of pent-up energy and emotion, which can burst out in the form of panic attacks, breakdowns or even aggression. An activity like martial arts calls for big bursts of explosive energy, making it the perfect way to work out that lingering tension. Physical exercise also encourages endorphin production, which directly improves your mood, and the energy burnt while working out can make it easier to sleep come bedtime.

While martial arts' explosive aspects make it a particularly good workout for anxious people, its biggest benefits are psychological. No matter what kind of martial art you pursue, discipline and self-trust are going to be a huge focus. All martial arts philosophies are built on learning how to rely on your instincts and make quick, confident decisions. People who are constantly stressed about work, school or other parts of their lives can bring this practice with them outside of the classroom.
Anxiety can have a serious impact on one's mental and physical health. However, healthy outlets like martial arts can help chronically anxious children and adults work out their worries in a healthy, productive way.

See how we can help your family.  Visit www.sulphurspringsata.com or call 903-243-8767 to enroll today!

Originally published at KickSite Mat Chat https://kicksite.net/newsletters/value-of-martial-arts/martial-arts-and-anxiety