Did you know that there are mental benefits of Taekwondo aside from feeling amazing after a workout? Most people see martial arts as a purely physical sport but there’s a lot of mental stamina and self-talk required to really knock it out of the park. We help hundreds of people in our Canton Martial Arts community transform into the best versions of themselves through the power of martial arts and self-defence. Here’s how:
Confidence is a Huge Advantage of Taekwondo
It’s likely that you already feel confident in one area of your life- your job, your role as a parent, or your studies, for example. You might already feel confident in your body and even crush it on the treadmill. But do you feel confident in your ability to protect yourself? If you absolutely had to, would you know how to defend yourself against an attacker? Would you know how to save the lives of the people you love?
Self-Respect: A Little-Known Benefit
These are scary questions, but they’re necessary, and fear can sometimes motivate you to act appropriately- nothing worse than not knowing self-defence in an emergency and wishing you did! Learning how to protect yourself and the people you love is so important. It’s why we have the goal of teaching everyone in the Southeast England community how to defend themselves against an attacker.
It’s not just because it saves lives, either: imagine how much more confident you could be if you were sure you could handle any physical situation that came your way. Knowing how to keep yourself safe would just be one more thing for you to hang your hat on. It’s a huge advantage of taekwondo.
How These Mental Benefits of Taekwondo Change Lives
So confidence is important, yes – but why is self-respect important? Well, once you learn to respect yourself and your body, you begin making better choices. When you decide to take martial arts classes, you may notice you feel more energized.
You may start to want to eat healthier and think, “I wouldn’t be respecting my body if I ate this… I want to feel amazing so I’ll skip the chips.” You may also find yourself wanting to take a walk in the afternoon or finally making time for a hike with a friend. This just makes you even more confident because you’re doing what’s right for you, you have more energy to do things you love, and you feel in alignment with your best self.
The voice in your head saying “Let’s eat better” or “Go for that run” is finally being heard. Also, this is huge – when you respect yourself, you start to treat others with more kindness and empathy because you see and respect them, too. This makes others more confident because they feel your kindness, and then they pass that feeling on to others… and there’s a compound effect in the community. And then the world becomes a better place. It’s all because of this little old sport we call martial arts.
Confidence & Self Respect – Join Us to Learn More!
This happens all the time – a new student will come in to start training, and within months, they’ll get a promotion. Or negotiate a better salary. They may even get the courage to ask someone out on a date. Or speak up for themselves in an unhealthy friendship. These aren’t just crazy random happenstances – they happen because martial arts classes build confidence and self-respect. Period. Again, when you respect yourself, you also start to respect other aspects of your life as well.
You begin realizing that you deserve better treatment from others, professionally and personally, and you find the bravery within to stand up for what you want. Do you see now how the mental benefits of Taekwondo can seriously change your life? Just these two benefits- the mix of self-respect and confidence- can help you realize that other people’s judgments can’t hurt you.
When you know you’re awesome because you leave your martial arts class feeling super accomplished, you’re not afraid to confidently create awesomeness in your own life. You feel empowered to make bold decisions in your life, embark on exciting new adventures, and do the things you never thought you could do. It’s awesome! Okay, one more thing.
In the classic mental health sense, the benefits of taekwondo for kids are endless. Staying active, maintaining a fulfilling social life, and achieving new goals each week- are the basic building blocks of mental health that martial arts classes can provide. Your mood and health can improve tremendously right alongside your mindset.