Raising Happy, Active, Fit, Confident Kids: How Martial Arts Can Transform Your Child’s Life!
Dr. Marc Hagebusch
When I was a kid, wherever I went, I would see other kids playing outdoors. Pickup baseball games, backyard football, riding bikes, skateboards, climbing trees, and just walking around exploring.
This is no longer happening, at least not nearly as much today.
Our kids have moved from active play to being sedentary. Passive entertainment devices lure the kids into sitting there for hours every day on electronics, video games, and television. All of which have really made it difficult for our children to maintain fit, healthy lifestyles.
Schools can’t solve this on their own.
Our schools are unable to keep the kids as active as they were when we were young. Physical education programs and their budgets have been slashed. Not only that, but even fitness standards have been plummeting to make up for our kids’ sedentary lifestyles.
This has had a dramatic impact on our children’s fitness levels, and it’s only getting worse. These habits have created a growing wave of chronic health problems that are affecting our kids both physically and mentally.
The average child spends 75% of their day inactive. Fewer than 1 in 5 meet daily exercise guidelines. About 30% of kids are significantly overweight or obese. Mental health problems in kids, like ADHD, depression, and anxiety, are skyrocketing. 22% of high schoolers report
seriously considering suicide.
Kids Need To Move To Be Healthy!
Kids are experiencing so many health problems that we basically didn’t see in my own childhood. This doesn’t just impact them physically. They are losing their health, and this will worsen as they become adults. It is now common for kids to develop type 2 diabetes. Formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, it is now known as type 2 diabetes because it is seen in children.
We have a growing body of medical research that demonstrates the devastating effects that obesity and being overweight have on kids. The effects are not just now, but for the rest of their lives. Research shows that even if the kids lose weight as adults, they still have a much higher rate of death by the time they reach the age of 30 and above.
The impact of these things is far-reaching. Experts predict that for the first time, children’s life expectancy will be lower than that of their parents. Not only is obesity and being overweight devastating for their health, both now and for the rest of their lives, but it’s devastating for their self-esteem.
Research from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows kids with low activity levels have poorer memory retention, shorter attention spans, worse planning, problem-solving, and self-control. This shows up in poor school performance, attention problems, and poor self-esteem.
I hope that this doesn’t apply to your own children, but if it does, then you can do something about it.
A Simple Solution
It’s easy to feel discouraged when we see our kids struggling and unable to perform as well as we know they can. There’s hope in a practice that has been transforming lives for thousands of years: martial arts.
Martial arts have been practiced for at least 3,500 years and developed spontaneously across many different cultures. They began as codified systems of combat, self-defense, hunting, and competition to keep people sharp and ready for the physical demands and violence of their times.
Martial arts evolved, teaching character alongside physical skills. Core values emphasized discipline, respect, self-control, humility, perseverance, and responsibility. This was a natural evolution because it was necessary to prevent the misuse of physical skills.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art that evolved from Judo about 100 years ago. It made its way to the US in the ‘60s and ‘70s but didn’t take off until the UFC began in 1993. Royce Gracie put BJJ on the map by winning three of the first four events, showing its effectiveness in combat by exposing the weaknesses of many fighters in the grappling range.
Despite its connection with combat and fighting, BJJ is an art that grew from discipline, respect, humility, and self-control. Elements that remain in many BJJ schools.
BJJ techniques include grappling to control and neutralize an aggressor without resorting to punches, kicks, or head trauma. This makes it ideal for kids because they don’t have to hurt another child in a fight.
Beyond Fighting and Self-Defense
In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, kids develop fitness while having fun, pushing their own boundaries. Training is a game to them with goals to accomplish and challenges to overcome. Children push themselves more because they enjoy it. Parents tell us that kids who hated exercise and other sports now look forward to BJJ.
BJJ offers benefits beyond fitness that help shape a child’s mindset, developing problem-solving, resilience, social skills, confidence, focus, and discipline. These all play a massive role in the future success that we all want from our kids.
It does this in training that is more interactive than many traditional martial arts. Kids spend their time training with another child, which helps them develop socially. At the same time, because the training is interactive, they are forced to stay in the moment and stay focused.
A significant part of the training is in specific sparring, where the kids use the skills they’re developing to react to and direct another child’s movements. They rely on themselves, teaching them practical problem-solving.
They learn how to deal with adversity when things go wrong and how to correct it themselves. This helps kids understand that they can overcome challenges, the prerequisite for confidence.
The best part? Kids love it.
Classes are upbeat, energetic, and encouraging. When learning is fun, motivation skyrockets and so does the impact. The impact of martial arts extends far beyond the mats, ranging from physical fitness, confidence, discipline, self-control, respect for others, focus, resilience, and the courage to face bigger challenges. These skills prepare kids for success in school, relationships, and their future.
Dr. Marc Hagebusch is a chiropractor and 5th degree black belt with over 40 years of martial arts experience. Since 1999, Texarkana Jiu Jitsu has offered training for ages 4 through adults, focusing on fitness, confidence, resilience, self-defense, and character—helping thousands of local kids, teens, and adults along the way.
Parents can explore trial classes at TexarkanaJiuJitsu.com, email TexarkanaJiuJitsu@gmail.com, or call 903-793-1085.
