Taekwondo is a Korean martial arts discipline that is recognized by its kicking strategies. It is globally practiced by people of all ages and backgrounds as a productive self-defense technique. The art of taekwondo goes beyond combat skills as it teaches the values and principles for a healthy lifestyle. Its Olympic reputation makes taekwondo an international sport, with athletes who began their taekwondo pursuits from a young age.
The words “tae kwon do” roughly translate into “foot, fist, discipline” in the Korean language. In a broader context, they convey the essential Korean belief of keeping your fists under control and resolving conflicts peacefully. This promotes a self-defense style that is nonviolent and focuses on dispersing the fight rather than provoking it. Therefore, kids who grow up with taekwondo backgrounds spend years of character building and development to become strong, confident, and resilient human beings. And the fact that taekwondo is such a progressive and exciting martial arts form makes it a complete lifestyle.
Kids look forward to their taekwondo lessons for afterschool activities. These environments become a second home where young martial artists thrive with like-minded friends and taekwondo icons to look up to.
Taekwondo Moves
Kids practice different moves and positions at each belt level. They are required to demonstrate skills and competence before graduating to the next belt, so the learning process is always uplifting and goal-focused. There are various taekwondo positions and fighting styles for beginners to accomplish. These include board breaking, different punches, blocks, kicks, and hand strikes to turn the combat odds in your favor.
Following specific body orientations or stances, kids can learn basic taekwondo moves with their coaches. They acquire defensive blocking skills like the low square, which is a primary block in taekwondo. The face block is another useful tactic to shield the head and face from being attacked. By practicing the front kick, kids learn several other kicking styles like side kicks and round kicks as they are all derived from a basic front-kick movement. Hand and fist strikes in taekwondo often have roots in karate as well, and they serve to give you a fast combat advantage.
Armed with essential taekwondo stunts, children get a kick start to aim high from their white-belt pedestals and rise through the ranks to claim the next belts.
Benefits of Taekwondo for Kids
Discipline
Taekwondo encourages kids to condition their minds to take pacifist routes during conflicts. Instead of becoming hyperactive and aggressive, children learn to take control of the situation rather than letting it control them. The value of discipline starts at the mat and slowly emerges in daily activities until it becomes a part of the child’s character.
Self-Esteem
Kids who practice taekwondo develop a sense of respect for others as well as themselves. The early formative childhood years are crucial in building positive child psychology. Children need a sense of accomplishment to take pride in their efforts, and taekwondo acknowledges their improvement and competence through colored belts. This enables kids to set a goal, work hard towards it, and earn a belt to boost their confidence. They grow up understanding that taekwondo is not about defeating others; it is about confronting and defeating personal weakness.
Lifelong Friendships
The comradeship that forms around the mat always continues as the young martial artists grow together. Kids cheer for each other’s victories, lend a helping hand to raise the fallen, and learn the power of empathy. Taekwondo classes are often held at separate locations from children’s schools, which means that kids look forward to meeting their friends in this exciting afterschool extracurricular. They finally have something invigorating to enjoy as a sport with like-minded peers, instead of staying at the sidelines, unable to participate.
Sports Alternative
Children who struggle at PE lessons with football and basketball find a promising potential in taekwondo. School sports are usually team-based, so there is always the pressure of not letting the team down. With these athletic gaps in personal abilities, it is very common for these kids to feel like a fish out of water. Taekwondo takes away the team pressure and drags the spotlight towards individual performances and growth. This makes the martial art a self-paced activity for young people to discover and celebrate their strengths. While there are times when kids need to practice in groups to work on forms, these become opportunities for kids to collaborate and build each other up by sharing a skill or accepting a helping hand.
Special Needs Avenues
Taekwondo has proven to be a great activity to manage autism spectrum disorders. The fact that it is not a team-based sport allows special needs children to just focus on themselves and their moves. Practicing taekwondo is a healthy physical outlet that encourages children to stimulate their minds and bodies during the routine. This develops focus and introduces a recreational element that kids love and enjoy pursuing. Taekwondo also allows these young martial artists to release pent-up energy in a sport that helps them shine in their individual athletic freedom.
Accepting Failures
The art of taekwondo teaches young minds to accept the highs and lows of each session. They learn to accomplish brave victories and embrace humble failures as part of the learning process. This helps them step back and clap for fellow martial artists wholeheartedly. The absence of team competition pressures makes the journey very reinforcing because kids take this as a buffer around their losses – that no one else suffers if they fail. By accepting failures in this way, children begin to realize that taekwondo is more about personal developments than winning to make others happy.
Anti-Bullying
The main objective of taekwondo is to be able to protect yourself during an attack. Kids with taekwondo backgrounds can defend themselves against bullies by knowing the difference between being able to hit and needing to hit. Taekwondo teaches kids to use quick and nonviolent defenses that take the attacker by surprise; this split-second advantage gives them an easy escape. The purpose of taekwondo is not to intimidate the enemy – although it does sound cool – but to keep yourself calm by using peaceful conflict resolution to turn the dynamics in your favor.
Early Years Development
Starting taekwondo early on has constructive effects on child psychology. Most martial arts dojos train kids from the ages of 6 and above, and there are often exceptions when a child demonstrates interest in martial arts under the age of 6. These formative years are like a canvas for a child’s future; whatever they see, feel, and understand, they will commit the picture to memory.
The skills that kids learn on the mat follow them around in real life. With a safe place they find in taekwondo, children enjoy being comfortable in their own skin. The taekwondo drills, belt ceremonies, amusement activities, birthday parties, and movie nights freeze in time between the pages of childhood albums, building a memory lane for future, nostalgic strolls.
