It is an amazing fact that years ago when younger people played up or did not conform to society the most common answer was to enlist them in the defense forces (Army Navy Air force etc). This type of thinking does not seem to be in vogue any more but the violence in young people seems to be accelerating, is it the lack of discipline from an early age? What is the answer?
Around the world thousands of parents enrol their children into the martial arts all with varying reasons, the reasons vary from: teaching their children discipline, giving their child/children more self-esteem or more confidence, giving their child the ability to defend themselves, a lot of parents see martial arts as a way of keeping a child fit and keeping their weight under control.
The physical benefits of karate are only one part of the picture, the mental strains put on the modern-day child are a lot greater than years gone by. This stress is best relieved with physical activity and teaching the child how to relax without TV or handheld games.
Another important part of the factor is the amount of time parents can be with their children, considering the pressures of modern day jobs.
There are more and more martial arts schools and karate schools that are offering training for families. If the children see that their parents are interested in the same sport that they are, and can do it about the same time, then they will be much more likely to keep going at that sport.
When kids are taught karate it is like learning a dance, if the karate instructor does not get too bogged down in repetition than the child will find all the different moves a challenge. Many parents, once having made up their mind to unroll their children in karate, will just go to the nearest school, this can be a very expensive mistake.
Before choosing a martial arts school it is it best to invest your time and watch at the least a couple of classes, make sure the instructors keep the classes moving along and interesting. Another choice some parents make is to teach their child at home, while there are many resources out there teaching the child at home can quite often miss the main points that are taught in karate for example: discipline, courtesy, respect etc.
So when choosing to train your child at karate, one of the best things you can do is sit down and write down the reasons you are choosing this path. Then it should become clearer to you what to look out for when you are choosing a martial arts school or a home study course.