Why Discipline, through Kids Martial Arts, is more important than ever?

Why Discipline, through Kid’s Martial Arts, is more important than ever?

Why Discipline, through Kid’s Martial Arts, is more important than ever?
 
By definition, discipline means the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior.  Throughout many years I always hear parents want their Surrey and Delta kids to join martial arts or taekwondo because of discipline.  But how exactly will discipline benefit and permeate every aspect of a child’s life?  This is the real question! I will explain how I have seen discipline positively transform children into well adjusted and mentally sound future adults and teens.  I have to warn you ahead of time, this read may take 5 minutes or more but I hope it will prove worthy of your time if discipline is truly the reason you want your child to join martial arts.
 
The importance of Discipline, incorporated into a great Martial Arts program, are as follows:

1. Building Good Habits and its ripple effect.
2. How setting boundaries reduces stress in kids?
3. How Surrey martial arts instructor assist parents to raise disciplined kids?
4. How anger issues in kids can be healed through taekwondo discipline?
5. Build self worth!
6. Can martial arts kids have more discipline than adults? Absolutely!

 
After instructing thousands and thousands of students, of all ages, I pondered why certain martial arts students in Surrey and Delta have reaped the fruits of success?  Discipline is a term loosely thrown around but I never came across a martial arts perspective that delved deeply into exactly how discipline exactly allows a child to reap the fruit from this mysterious word!  So, I felt compelled to give a meaningful answer to this age-old question.  So here goes!
 
Building good habits and its ripple effect?

From an early age, my strict Korean parents instilled discipline by instilling a profound principle of following proper conduct by obeying my parents and teachers.  To do otherwise, would result in disciplinary actions which were relative to the severity of misbehavior.  Most parents today were brought up using this disciplined approach.  However, today we tend to be gentler towards our kids because we knew how harsh that kind of upbringing was.  However, are we really doing a disservice to our children by being lenient at times when we really should be very firm depending on the extremity of naught behavior?  It is a difficult decision because we do not wish our kids to go through the harsh reality we did as kids.  I totally understand.

I remember a time I failed a grade 6 social geography unit exam.  My school teacher required us to memorize every country and its capital.  In addition to this, we were also required to memorize every province and US state and capital.  This amounted to over 400 names.  Everyone failed that unit exam.  Our teacher required us to get our parents to sign that exam and return it.  This did not turn out to be good!  My mother instilled her form of discipline that made me push my mental memorization boundaries beyond its limits.  Suffice it to say, on the make up exam, I scored a near perfect score.  Had my mother not instilled the importance of studying so hard that failure was not an option in my life, I never would have gone on to getting straight A’s from grade 4 to grade 12.  I am so thankful to my parents for instilling discipline into my life at a young age!  I may have hated it at the time, but I never questioned my parents for raising me the way they did!  I am extremely grateful to this day! 

Don’t worry!  I do not teach my Surrey martial arts students the exact same way my parents disciplined me.  They probably would have a mental breakdown.  Instead, I share the stories of how my parents were strict but I emphasize why they were strict.  I share how they loved us so much and wanted my life to be better than their life!  Most students take to these stories to heart and work harder than ever. 

To this day, I implement discipline to my students in this format so they understand that I really do care and want the very best for their lives!  And students respond very favorable to this approach.  I do not tolerate any disrespect students may show towards me as their instructor; nor do I accept any disrespect they may show towards their parents!  This is paramount for further added benefits to character development in my Surrey taekwondo programs.
 
How setting boundaries reduces stress in kids?

Major kid’s studies from Harvard and Brown University, outline which kids are happy and mentally stable and resilient.  The results were that parents and teachers, who effectively outlined expected proper behavior, tended to be the happiest kids!  We sometimes give our kids to much credit that they are more mature than they really are.  Sure, we should become our kid’s best friend but they really do need us to be their parent first!  As our kids become adults, we grant them more leeway as they mature into adulthood.  But for the time being as kids, they really do need boundaries.  Children who have boundaries learn acceptable and not acceptable behavior which is expected. 
When children learn the virtues of being truthful, doing the right thing, or being honorable, they are building the very constructs of what they represent as a person through this character development. 

Today, I occasionally see parents who set firm boundaries and this comforts myself that they are doing a wonderful job to making society, as a whole, a better place to live in!  Much kudos to them.   Students who talk back, disobedient, etc are usually kids where firm boundaries were not on a consistent basis.  Being a parent is the toughest job in the world!  I really mean that.  We can never take a day off through thick and thin.  Our kids constantly test us everyday to push what they can get away with.  However, if you stay the course, discipline becomes less and less needed because your children are starting to implement discipline in a self regulatory format!  When this happens, you can rest a little easier knowing that your child’s life is definitely headed in the best direction.
 
How Surrey martial arts instructor assist parents to raise disciplined kids?

The answer to this question is very simple!  Kids tend to listen to teachers, in some circumstances, better than their parents.  Kids will be more willing to accept discipline from a third party because they know they have no other choice in the matter.  Parents can tell their kids to stop playing video games and have a hit and miss result.  When parents communicated to the martial arts instructor about such, taekwondo students tend to change their discipline immediately!  I try to use this card sparingly and pick and choose my battles on winning the war in life for success according to my students. 
I have two levels of response to parent’s complaints of their kids negative behaviour at home or at school. 

1. I initially take a more understanding empathetic approach and this usually suffices for the majority of the time to correct negative behaviour.
2. If the child continually persists in making the wrong decision making choices, I may have to be more firm as with-holding belt testing or even taking their belts away for a short duration.  Trust me,  this can be extremely effective; much more than yelling at them.  Kids who absolutely love taekwondo or martial arts, will not jeopardize a slowdown in their belt progression!  I repeat, I use this as a last resort and very rarely have to implement this course of action, thankfully.

 
How anger issues in kids can be healed through taekwondo discipline?

Anger resolution and discipline may seem polar opposites to finding a positive result, right?  Kids who have anger issues must go through a certain format in order to success to be reaped.  Firstly, you must garner the trust and respect from your taekwondo or martial art’s student!  This is paramount.  When a student feels and sees that you really do care, they are much more apt to being responsive to you correcting their negative behaviours; so be it at home or at school or at the dojang!  

We are all human beings after all; we all want to be loved and understood.  So many conflicts result from not having an empathetic and understanding approach towards someone else in my opinion.  Sincerity and being genuine are key to any successful relationship; whether its parent to child; martial arts student to instructor; etc. 
 
Build self worth!

I do not know anyone who is extremely successful; whether it is in business or relationship wise, who does not have discipline!  Kids who do well in academics have the discipline to their homework in a diligent manner and learned that paying attention throughout the entire day to their school teacher reaps the academic power of true knowledge and its positive results. 
Kids who see the importance of obeying their parents consistently, see a more happier family unit.  And trust me when I say this, everybody, young or old, wants a happy family!  Who doesn’t?!

I tell my students that their job is school; just as my job is to be a great taekwondo and martial arts instructor to countless kids in Surrey, Newton, and Delta.  Discipline, through martial arts and taekwondo, really does bring out the best in Surrey kids; assuming you are firm and fair to each child!  I never tell prospective parents that Taekwondo or martial arts will be easy.  On the contrary, I emphasize my best students are the ones who really apply themselves during classes on a consistent basis!
 
Can martial arts kids have more discipline than adults? Absolutely!

We sometimes give our kids less credit than they really do deserve!  We underestimate their ability to understanding how the real world works.  I have seen kids who have way more discipline than adults!  When kids want to learn taekwondo or martial arts so badly, there is nothing that will stop them!  If they are a little naughty at home, they will change!  If they are a little talkative at school, they will change!  Nothing will stop Surrey or Delta kids in their endeavor to learn karate, taekwondo, or martial arts if they truly love it!  This is where I come in! I want to build a triangular relationship between an instructor, parent, and student.  Through this approach, the skies the limit on the key foundational development of our beloved children to grow up to be the kind of adult we would all be proud of!
 
I see, way to often, Surrey and Delta martial arts or taekwondo instructors who do not go the extra mile of “true” discipline!  They do not want to rock the boat.  I may be guilty of this at times but I always stay the course of the importance of discipline and sincerity will be a winning combination to the end result of a student who understands the importance of discipline.  Discipline, if taught right, positively permeates every aspect of a successful human being!  This is the Jong Kim Martial Arts approach our family has taken over many decades and I have personally seen my students reap tremendous life altering benefits!
 
I sincerely hope this personal blog about the true importance of Discipline lies at the core of a great Surrey, Newton, or Delta martial arts taekwondo school’s program!

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