Building Self-confidence
By learning to control our emotions and think before we act, karate students become more skilled at allowing others to participate in our lives. With regular practice, martial arts students learn to be better listeners and partners.
It’s perfectly natural to want to please and impress our teachers, classmates, friends, and other people important to us. But the need to “prove” ourselves by taking unnecessary risks is reduced when we become secure and comfortable in our own skin. Students learn to set our own personal goals. We learn self-defense, but we also learn self-reliance. We find power within. These lessons build self-esteem and confidence in our abilities to overcome difficulties.
Practicing Courtesy
Karate teachers and high-ranking students are treated with courtesy because of their advanced positions and skills. New students and lower ranks are treated with courtesy because they deserve support and help. Using good manners shows students the actions and attitudes of leaders. Courtesy gains respect and builds a sense of community. It shows care, humility, and gratitude. These benefits work together to improve all martial arts students’ social skills.
While the ability to defend your self and others from a bully or an attacker is very important, it’s not the only reason to enroll in a quality martial arts program. Improvement of spirit, body, and mind is the name of the game. A variety of social skills are made better by regular practice in the karate classroom. These lessons become good habits that last a lifetime and open many doors in all walks of life.