6 Reasons why Martial Arts WITH your kid is the Best Thing you could do for your Family

 The Most Enjoyable Exercise You Could Imagine

Think about when you go the gym. Find your station, plug in your headphones, stick your tablet in front of you, or watch the TV. You're pretty much trying to drown out the experience, get it over with and just get the physical benefits. Imagine if you could get a work out and not even notice because the whole time you're witnessing your child overcome obstacles, become more confident, more disciplined, more focused. The time would fly by, and you'd be loving every minute of it, instead of drowning it out.

Leading by example: 

Children learn from what we do, not from what we say. For example; children who do well academically often have parents who read casually and often. Sure they encourage their children to read, but encouragement alone is only a small part. Parents who are constantly telling their kids to read more or do their homework but are not actually seen reading themselves will be constantly fighting a battle in futility. When children see their parents reading, it's more than encouraging, it's inspiring. That's the key. Words can encourage but actions inspire. In Kung Fu, often we see one group of parents sit on the bench on their phones while the kids attend their lesson. A well earned break for sure, after all they hustle to get the kids fed before rushing over to the next activity, they earned the hour of relaxation, no denying that. The second group is watching and coaching from the bench trying to tell their kid to focus, stop goofing around. The third group is on the floor doing the class alongside their child. Can you guess which group of parents have the best performing and most focused kids? All of these kids are getting a great experience, learning confidence, discipline, and focus, but the ones with parents on the floor training along with them are usually way ahead of the game, because they're not being told how to act, they're inspired and proud because mom or dad is right there with them. This is a learning experience for both child and parent. Mom or Dad tend to carry this habit home, and because they internalize the fact that they are leaders in their home, they are more likely to make healthy choices, in eating, in exercising. As a parent, it's easy to sacrifice our own health, but when we realize keeping healthy is not just for us, but for those who are watching and following, we are more likely to stick to our diets and exercise routine. We remember, they won't listen to what we say, but they will inevitably follow what we do.

Tremendous Time Hack: 

It's really easy to sacrifice our health to make sure our child is getting their needs met. Being a parent, between work, getting kids fed, and getting them to the next activity, who has time to exercise. On top of that, how do you find time to actually spend quality time together? How do you chose which is more of a priority? What if you don't have to? What if you can exercise, spend time with your child, and get them into a fantastic activity that will develop their confidence and focus all at the same time? That's the beauty of Kung Fu with your kid. 

Know what they're learning:

You've heard your kid come home using some language that you don't use in your household, and you know they definitely didn't hear it from family, or there's something taught in class at school that you don't 100% agree with. Wouldn't it be nice if you could be there so you know exactly what they were being taught. The lessons taught in Kung Fu revolve around confidence, discipline, focus, respect, and self cultivation. When you are there with them, you reinforce these values for your child. This leads to positive conversations around the dinner table after class. When a parent is on the floor with their child, all these values tend to get discussed afterward on the way home and kids find out how they apply to every day life. This makes the lessons stick for long term character development.

Build Stronger Discipline Together

When you start a new diet or exercise program, as I'm sure you have in the past, when you give up on it there isn't really any big consequence. Other than letting yourself down and feeling guilty for it, no one else might even know, or care. This makes it easy for us to give up on ourselves, beat ourselves up, and then get stuck in a rut until we pull ourselves out by getting excited about something new again, just to cycle through the same process. Many of our students went through this cycle. Things come up to get in their way and they get discouraged and it gets harder and harder to stick to the commitment they made to themselves. A family that trains together does not have this problem. Everyone has a day when they drag their feet and don't want to make it out to class, but the great thing is when you train as a family, you'll have one or two family members who have their gear on, ready at the door waiting to go. They pull you along and once you get on the training floor and get moving you feel great. You just needed that little push. Next week one of your family members might feel sluggish and you'll feel great and motivated so you'll return the favour. You keep each other accountable. As a team you are WAY more likely to succeed and see your goals through all the way to completion.

Makes Great Eating Habits Easier

It's already tough to maintain a good diet. It's even more difficult to maintain in a family. When you're trying to eat more of one thing and cut out others, it's difficult when others in the household aren't doing the same. When your exercise program lines up with other family members your diet can line up to. This is a great leadership tool for the family as well, because you're not just telling your kids that they have to eat healthy, but you're also leading by example. On top of that, you're not just telling them why they need to eat healthy, but you're showing them why in your actions. You're providing a clear "Why" for them to follow. Family leadership always works better when there's a clear "Why" or purpose for what we do. Once you do this your kids won't let you cheat, they'll most likely call you on it...every time :-)

If you're tired of trying to fit in good diet, exercise, kids' activities, teaching them discipline, confidence, and focus, all while trying to squeeze in quality time with them, maybe it's time to consider combining all of those things into one activity:

We've put together the perfect package for families just like yours. It includes uniforms, a 2 week trial, and 2 private lessons to give you a head start. It's good for every member of the household over 5 years old. 

This trial will show you immediate improvements in your child's focus, confidence, and discipline, not just in class, but at home as well. So you can enjoy getting in shape as a family while at the same time instilling life lessons that you want for every family member. There's no obligation to sign up for anything after your trial. Best part is, it's Completely Free

Just sign in below to claim it. One of our Professional Black Sash Instructors will be in contact with you shortly via phone to set up your first free lesson at your earliest availability.