-by Joseph Galea(2001/09/14)
Martial arts instruction has long been recognized for
it's ability to turn average or sub par academic students into honor students
achieving A's and B's. Parents know that better grades in school can strongly
influence a child's overall success in life, and feedback
from parents across the country indicates that there are an extraordinary
number of cases where children involved with martial arts training are
improving academically, sometimes dramatically.
What causes these martial arts students to have such positive
academic transformations? To give you a better understanding of this phenomenon,
here are some of the theories that may explain how martial arts helps students
succeed in school.
Hierarchy of Human Needs
Dr. Abraham Maslow was a famous psychologist who proposed that people have five basic levels of needs. His theory suggests that we must satisfy lower level needs before we can move on to achieve higher level needs. Following Maslow's theory, we need to feel secure and protected from the outside world before our mind can focus on attaining higher level needs, such as self-actualization, prosperity, self-respect, and self-fulfillment.
According to Dr. Maslow, after fulfilling level one needs (food, water, shelter, etc.) our inner self concentrates on level two, "Safety/Security Needs." The root benefit of martial arts training is learning the skills of self defense. Martial arts provides our young people with the knowledge of self-preservation and security, enabling them to concentrate on academics without distractions and anxiety stemming from insecurity, thus moving on to higher level needs.
Self-Esteem
Self-esteem is having a positive impression and respect
for oneself. Students who have strong self-esteem are more likely to succeed
in school, or at any goals they set. Martial arts training teaches students
the importance of mental discipline, which develops strong character traits
such as self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect. Martial arts
instructors nurture a student's self-esteem through positive
reinforcement of achieved goals.
Physical activity improves health and appearance which are also linked to one's self-esteem. It is easier to have a positive impression of yourself when you look good and feel good. Martial arts makes staying active easy...it's fun!
Respect for Teachers
Respect for teachers, parents, adults, and fellow students
is an important part of martial arts training. Students learn to respect
those with higher knowledge, which promotes positive relationships with
authority figures outside of our school as well. As students'
martial arts knowledge develops, it is equally important that they learn
humility when respect for their knowledge is reciprocated.
Setting Goals
To achieve black belt at our school, each student will
be required to successful complete a series of other rank promotions that
lead to black belt. Martial arts training teaches students that you can
achieve
a long term goal by breaking the goal down into many
short term objectives. These objectives represent interim goals that need
to be accomplished in order for the long term goal to be realized.
Students learn the importance of goal setting strategies which are invaluable scholastically as well as in life.
It doesn't matter if you are a student in pre-school, grade school, high school, or college; martial arts can impact your scholastic results. Martial arts students learn that success requires commitment, determination, and hard work.
Back-to-school season is upon us and many of you will
face important scholastic challenges in the year ahead. We have tremendous
confidence in our students to meet these challenges and produce excellent
results.