Whether or not you had self-confidence as a child, you likely want your own children to grow up with a healthy feeling of self-confidence. Self-confidence means that you have a sense of trust in your own talents, merits, and intelligence. Children build self-confidence by participating in activities that allow them to successfully master skills. These kinds of experiences give them the belief that they can accomplish whatever they put their mind to. Martial-arts is an excellent way for children to build their self-confidence. It emboldens them to assert themselves, no matter their size or gender. It also teaches children the value of the journey towards perfection, and how fighting through failures toughens them up both physically and mentally.

Bully-Proof Your Children 
Unfortunately, many children will have to deal with bullying at some point in their lives. You may not be able to protect your children from a bully. But, bullies are less likely to target other kids who are confident in who they are. So, by allowing your children to train in the martial arts, you can empower them with the tools they need to stand up for themselves.

Martial arts teach respect and build communication skills. Students learn not only to respect their instructors but also their peers. All students in the martial arts class are valued equally, irrespective of their rank, age, size or gender. This shows children that there is no place in their lives for bullying. Furthermore, martial-arts instructors urge students to ask questions during class, which develops children’s social skills. This, in turn, gives them the confidence and skills to identify bullying and to stand up to it by reporting it to an adult and ultimately walking away from it.

Martial-arts also teaches self-defense. Nobody wants to see their children end up in a fight. But if it comes to that, those who have some training in the martial-arts will know how to defend themselves. Some forms of martial-arts are especially helpful for learning self-defense tactics. MMA and Combat Sambo teach you how to strike an effective punch and how to grapple with an opponent on the ground. Muay Thai boxing builds strength and teaches what to do in a clinch.

You Can’t Judge a Package by Its Size 
Some children feel inferior to others because of their small stature. But martial-arts teaches children that hard work and perseverance are more important than size or strength. It is true that training in the martial-arts will build strength and improve overall fitness and well-being. But you don’t have to be big or even particularly strong to be successful in the martial arts. In fact, some forms of martial arts, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, are geared towards helping smaller people overpower larger opponents with fighting techniques such as leverage and positioning.

Gender Doesn’t Matter 
Don’t believe the misconception that martial-arts are a male-dominated sport. Girls can benefit from training in the martial-arts in many ways. Not only does it provide excellent physical training, but it also offers psychological and social benefits that help challenge some of the social confines girls face. Girls can build self-confidence and learn to be fierce competitors by participating in the martial arts.

Martial-arts diverts girls’ attention away from pop culture. Instead of fixating solely on their appearance, fashion choices or popularity as a way of finding value, girls can learn concentration, willpower, listening skills and self-discipline from martial-arts. These skills teach character values that challenge those they see in the media or elsewhere.
Many martial-arts sports encourage girls to participate. Karate, Taekwondo Judo, and Jiu Jitsu have junior leagues that encourage girls to join. Girls can be seeming competing in these sports in local, national and international competitions.

Fighting Through Failure
Many children get frustrated or discouraged when they encounter obstacles. Martial-arts teaches children not to quit just because things get difficult. Rather, through the practice of martial arts, children learn to set goals and to recognize their progress at each step along the way. As a result, they train themselves to be mindful and present throughout their martial-arts journey instead of racing towards their objective. They stop beating themselves up for not being perfect and instead feel proud of what they have accomplished as they continue to strive for self-improvement.

Martial-arts teaches children to embrace failure. Rather than feeling inadequate when they make a mistake, students of martial-arts recognize that failure is actually necessary. They know that they learn from their mistakes and that in fact, mistakes are essential for progress and growth to occur. Failure is not the end of a journey. Rather, it is a necessary and valuable opportunity to learn and to grow stronger.

Building Physical Strength
Martial-arts is an excellent form of exercise to help children build their physical strength. All forms of martial-arts incorporate physical conditioning into their training. Children develop athletic abilities that can benefit them while playing other sports. Martial-arts builds muscular strength and power which can help with a golf swing, lifting weights or sprinting. It also promotes endurance, which is useful in sports like swimming, rock climbing, wrestling, and skiing. The speed and agility learned in martial-arts are also useful in football, basketball, soccer, lacrosse, hockey, rugby, and tennis. Finally, students of martial-arts develop flexibility, coordination and balance, and these help with sports like figure skating, baseball, gymnastics, surfing, fencing, and diving.

Becoming Mentally Tough
Martial-arts instructors like to say that a “Black Belt is a White Belt who never quit.” This saying means that although the journey towards becoming a Black Belt is demanding and humbling, it helps you develop a mental strength that conditions your spirit and makes you a more resilient person. While any sport will benefit your children physically, martial-arts will also teach them to be mindful during competition. This means that they must have a calm mind, focus on how to solve a problem and incorporate respect, humility, and self-discipline into their attitude. Instead of focusing on instant results, martial-arts trains children to be accountable for their own behavior and to develop mental toughness.
If you want your children to build self-confidence, try enrolling them in a martial-arts class. They will learn to stand up for themselves, become physically and mentally strong, and develop a sense of self-confidence that will help them in many areas of their lives.