by Joyce Brookes
In
a society where violence is glorified on a daily basis, is it such a good idea
to enroll your child in a class specifically designed to teach them to fight?
My
son started martial arts when he was 6 and some people were horrified when they
found out. I was even called into school and advised that he shouldn’t use his
training in the playground. But the reality is that children copy what they see
and play fighting is a natural part of a child’s world regardless of whether
they attend martial arts classes or not.
Martial
arts are in fact less about violence and more about learning self-control,
discipline and respect for others. Traditional moral codes are at the center of
this type of training and honor and loyalty are at the heart of every good
dojo. Classes are strict and children have to stand still and listen as well as
showing respect to everyone around them.
There
is a ton of research that has looked at this very topic. All of which shows no
evidence linking martial arts and violence, yet the opinion that martial arts
makes ‘fighting’ acceptable is still widely held. It can also be seen that
violence is a direct response to fear. Martial arts can help eliminate some of
this fear by increasing confidence in a child’s abilities and therefore
reducing the violent response.
In
my experience, the club and its members, particularly the instructors, are what
had the biggest impact on my Son’s training. He was encouraged to develop
relationships based on respect, given leadership responsibilities and learned
to set and achieve goals.
My
Son recently became the victim of an assault from an older teenager at school. Fortunately,
because of his training, he wasn’t hurt but what surprised me was his response
to the attack. He didn’t go seeking revenge but looked upon the experience as ‘just
part of life’. He didn’t feel the need to save face by retaliating even though
some of his peers encouraged him ‘defend’ his black belt. He recognized that
this was not the solution and would only continue the cycle of violence.
Martial arts encourages violent behavior is an
acceptable opinion if your only experience includes scenes from Hollywood. In
fact it encourages non-violent conflict resolution and places an emphasis on avoiding
physical interaction. I would encourage you to go and see for yourself. And
while you’re there, ask as many questions as you like. Every good Sensei will
be happy to answer all of your questions and maybe even get you excited about
the prospect of your child starting martial arts.
Why
not fill in the coupon and get your child’s first lesson free? What have you
got to lose?