Age Specific Benefits of the Martial arts for children 

“We use martial arts as a tool.

It’s a tool that helps your child grow and succeed in life ☺“

SMAKIDZ Academy curriculum is more than just learning how to punch and kick, we are actually helping children to develop

Below I have chosen two of our age specific classes and given a more in depth overview of the 8 skills we test on, and how these unique areas help develop your child.

The benefits of 3 and 4 year olds in Martial Arts are:

Children this age are entering the “magical years” in their growth and development. They will experience rapid growth and development
in the early stages of many skills. Martial Arts will help them kick-start their growth and development in a positive and constructive atmosphere

Here are the early skills that children will develop through their Martial Arts training:

1. Kicking
2. Punching
3. Stepping
4. Crawling
5. Hopping
6. Rolling
7. Running
8. Catching

Top five PHYSICAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Early development of basic muscles: legs, arms, abs, and cardiovascular endurance.
2. Early development of alternating feet and hands.
3. Early of development of spatial awareness (where their body exists in space).
4. Early development of distance (how far or close things really are).
5. Early development of movement in various directions.

Top five INTELLECTUAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Early development of ability to follow directions where appropriate.
2. Early development of ‘counting’ while performing physical movement: focus.
3. Early development of paying attention in “chaotic” environments: concentration.
4. Early development of retaining information such as new words, commands, and definitions: memory.
5. Early development of understanding consequences: interpretation.

Top five EMOTIONAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Early development of building a “can do” attitude.
2. Early development of controlling their emotions when they are challenged.
3. Early development of embracing excitement in healthy competition.
4. Early development of facing fears such as trying new thin
   gs and meeting new people.
5. Early development of feeling a sense of independence.

Top five SOCIAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Early development of taking turns.
2. Early development of communicating with other peers and adults.
3. Early development of “fair play.”
4. Early development of sharing attention.
5. Early development of enjoying activities with other people.

For example:

Skill: Kicking

Drill: Kicking the target while walking down the mat and counting each kick.

Benefits: In this drill the students will practice the early stages of kicking while walking, counting and striking a target. Many children within this age group have a hard time kicking while walking, alternating legs, counting, and striking a target. They have a tendency of favoring their dominant leg. At the same time, when they focus on kicking and walking, they lose technique. To make it even more challenging, they usually don’t have the intellectual capacity to also focus on counting and striking a target. This drill they will put all of the components together for kicking while walking, counting, and hitting the target with proper technique.

The benefits of 7 to 9 year olds in Martial Arts are:

Children between the ages of 7 to 9 years of age are now in a stage where there are building core skills, which are more refined skills compared to the skills of the earlier age groups. Th
ey are at the point where they are capable of pushing themselves beyond limits. Martial Arts can help them harness that ability in a positive and constructive manner

Here are the core skills that children will develop through their Martial Arts training:

1. Agility
2. Technique
3. Courage
4. Flexibility
5. Intensity
6. Perseverance
7. Speed
8. Concentration

Top five PHYSICAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Core development of movement in various directions with ease.
2. Core development of fine motor skills in their wrists, fingers, and ankles.
3. Core development in their range of motion in their legs and arms.
4. Core development in the intensity level of their physical applications.
5. Core development of their explosive, reactive, and technical speed.

h these skills:Top five INTELLECTUAL development milestones throug

1. Core development in understanding how to focus their attention to various motions of their body.
2. Core development in understanding how to focus in on fine motor skills as it applies to building better technique.
3. Core development in understanding how to think critically about how to overcome challenges and obstacles.
4. Core development in understanding how to see the benefit of hard work and dedication.
5. Core development of how to pay attention during extreme intellectual challenges.

Top five EMOTIONAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Core development of how to overcome the fear of getting hit, such as sparring.
2. Core development in understanding how to overcome the fear of hitting, such as board breaking.
3. Core development of trying your hardest and putting forth 100% effort.
4. Core development of pushing oneself above and beyond norma
   l limits and standards.
5. Core development believing yourself through focus and concentration.

Top five SOCIAL development milestones through these skills:

1. Core development in understanding the importance of standing up for what is right.
2. Core development in building the ability to lead others.
3. Core development in the ability to motivate others.
4. Core development in the ability to resolve conflicts.
5. Core development in the ability to maintain confidence and effort when challenged by others.

For example:

Skill: Perseverance

Drill: Leg burn-out

Benefits: In this drill the students will do a progressive-style kicking combo burnout.

They will do one kick and then put their foot down. Next, they will do two kicks, and so forth all the way up to 20 kicks. The purpose of this drill is to push the students to not give up on their technique as their legs get tired

Thank you for reading how we use the martial arts to help develop children in our academy , if you’d like to try us out please ask about our 2 classes pass and a Free uniform for £19.99.