Humility is one of the key value martial arts teach. Humility is necessary if a student is to show up regularly. A humble student listens to the teacher and does as told. For children to train consistently in Shobukan Martial Arts and succeed, they need humility. No body walks into a martial arts gym with a black belt. This means that new comers are the least experienced people in a martial gym.
Instructors encourage students to learn and seek advice from people who are more experienced than themselves. This teaches them the value of humility because as great philosophers like Socrates have said for you to learn you must admit ignorance. This requires humility meaning that children learn humility by default through martial arts training.
Bragging, celebrating and dancing is part of human nature, especially when we win. There is nothing wrong with it, but a little humility makes you considerate and level headed. Humble children know how to celebrate their achievements without hurting other people’s feelings.
Let’s look at the three major ways martial arts instils humility in children:
Students Lose Most of Their Sparring Matches and Win Less
Most martial arts students lose their first sparring matches despite training for many months. The training may involves running, lifting weights, and executing complex moves. Students still fail to win their first matches even after months of training and rehearsing. The moves may look perfect when done in front of a mirror. Flopping in initial tries teach children humility. It let them to they are not better than the rest and they have a lot to improve.
Furthermore, in a martial arts class, there are many students that are better than you. In some cases, instructors train with students as their opponents. Of course, it’s almost impossible to win against an instructor or an advanced student. This not only improves humility; it also means the student is training with people who will help him/her develop better skills.
Exposing martial arts students to a situation where they are outshined by others may hurt their ego, especially if they have a big one. It may be a little bit discouraging, but it helps students see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, as the students progress and new ones join, soon they’ll have people they can beat is sparring matches and competitions. This reminds them of the journey they have undergone to attain success.
People who have interacted with martial artists will tell you that most of them are humble. Martial arts mimic real life in many aspects. People start at the bottom, and can attain the position of a black belt holder with humility and perseverance. Enrolling your child in a martial arts class will teach them to respect everyone including those below them.
Martial arts help your child stay humble and a lifetime learner who constantly seek to improve. The truth is the more one learns the more they discover that they know very little. This sparks the desire to keep on learning and that’s why seasoned martial artists never stop.
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