More than just kicks and strikes!
One of the things I have always guarded against as an instructor, is swooping in and fixing things too soon when the kids are having problems with something. Real lasting development never comes easy; which is why it lasts forever and never has to be retaught. The next time your child struggles, whether it is something physical or something like homework, smile and say, “You can do it. You just need PRACTICE!” I have had a parents come into the school and tell me that their children couldn’t continue taking class because of the upcoming school year. I am always puzzled by this, “Why do you think you have to take your kid out of class due to school?” The parents are obviously overwhelmed and nervously reply, “Because my child has started taking AP classes. There is NO WAY he/she can do that and do this TOO!” I laugh and then point to the instructors teaching on the mats. “ALL of my instructors are in AP classes and they are here a lot more than your child.” These parents look at me with astonishment. “Oh, and several doctors and therapist in the area send me kids because they need help with academics. The lessons we teach here apply to school. Dummies don’t do martial arts!” Needless to say, most kids continued and do exceptionally well in school and in here on the mats. It seems at the beginning of every school year; I see this emotional response from parents (In fairness to parents everywhere, this only happens with their first kid. Parents never react this way with the second one!) They hear words like Advanced Placement, Magnet School, Homework and Accelerated Program and assume their child now has to study far more than they did before. Sure, they will be asked to do a little more, but not nearly as much as parents think and certainly not more than they can handle. The reason most kids are placed in advanced courses is because they were bored in the standard courses and can handle the faster pace of class with ease. For the most part, the AP course is just going to challenge them at an acceptable level for their grade and age, nothing more. They are not being suddenly thrown into a college level course on the subject matter. But what bothers me most is the parent’s mistaken assumption that all other activities should cease and desist so their child will have time to study. While this emotional response is somewhat understandable, doing it would actually be counterproductive and will lead to a significant decrease in academic ability.
The human body is not designed to sit all day in a classroom and then sit all evening doing homework. In order to perform, both physically and mentally at its best, our body needs to recalibrate itself. It does that with physical exercise. Believe me! According to the CDC, “Physical activity can have an impact on cognitive skills and attitudes and academic behavior, all of which are important components of improved academic performance. These include enhanced concentration and attention as well as improved classroom behavior” and “In some cases, more time in physical education leads to improved grades and standardized test scores.” Middle School students that are physically fit scored nearly 30 percent higher than other students on standardized tests. So if you want your kids to do well in school, they NEED physical activity. If you really think about it, it is no different than what man corporations have done for years that indicate adults that exercise are more productive in the workplace than those who don’t. If anyone has ever been to a stress management seminar at work, what is the first thing they tell you? EXERCISE! Why would people think it is any different for kids? Unfortunately, exercise programs that would increase academic performance are not occurring in most schools. Due to budget cuts, most schools have now either taken physical education completely out of the curriculum or have reduced the amount of time spent in PE to the point it is no longer effective. Even when offered, PE programs are so risk adverse that they rarely rise to the level of vigorous exercise. That means it is on you, as parents, to get your kids involved in programs that can offer the physical activity necessary to increase their academic performance. So far, I have been just talking about exercise in a generic fashion that would apply to nearly any sport a student would take seriously. But I want to now take the opportunity to brag a little about how we in the Martial arts community have been so successful and why we get referrals from physicians, psychologists and occupational therapists around the nation.
We accept our role! – In the martial arts community, instructors generally accept our role to be a positive influence in our student’s lives on and off the mats. We understand that personal balance is the key to a success in life. We all need to sweat, love, laugh, cry, and learn each day to be better people. So when little Johnny comes to class and we hear he hasn’t been doing his homework, you bet we will try and teach him why effort academically is so important and how we equate his learning off the mats to what he is learning on the mats. We are an Individual Sport – Because we are not a team sport, everyone is doing something all the time. There is no bench and there is no waiting to be involved. Thus, we definitely provide the workout needed to get all the benefits talked about earlier. Moreover, some of the smartest kids I know didn’t do well with team sports because of the social aspect of team sports. Being on a team is great if you are good at the sport. But for many, the social pressure of possibly “letting down the team” because they just aren’t as good as the other kids on the team takes its toll. That sort of social pressure just doesn’t exist on the mats. What kids and teens find on our mats is support for their efforts and a positive place where they learn that their personal effort is more important than anything else. Focus and Self-Discipline – Learning to focus our minds and control our bodies on the mats works the same parts of the brain that forces us to focus and pay attention in the classroom. Moreover, on the mats, we learn every day that we have to try and do the things we hate well in order to be successful at what we love to do. Nothing teaches that more than a kick or push-up. It is rare you will find the student that loves to do push-ups. Yet, the self-discipline to do that push-up well is no different than doing homework. You show me a kid that learns how to focus and try hard on a push-up I will show you a kid that can do the same in the classroom and with their homework. Self Confidence – On the mats, we learn how to deal with frustration and how to continue trying to accomplish our goals no matter how many little setbacks we may have. Success after such setbacks gives us the confidence we can take on anything and succeed. Whether that is learning our new form or how to solve that math problem, we succeed because we know we can. We approach our intellectual goals the same way we do our physical ones. With a positive attitude, we will overcome. Our success isn’t in doubt. The only thing in doubt is the matter of time it will take us to be successful. Safety – What is one of the first signs that a kid is being bullied at school? Their academics suffer. It is hard to focus on your lessons in the classroom when you are more worried about the bully between classes. Self-Confident kids who can handle themselves and can say no to anyone at any time and rarely have to deal with this situation. Thus, they are able to focus on the lesson at hand and learn in the classroom free of fear. I could go on and on about how our students in the martial arts community do well in school, but I think I have made my point. What kids learn physically they also learn intellectually; they are just the same lessons just taught a different way. So if you want you kid and teen to succeed in school, I will see you in class, on the mats, working hard!
