At Choe’s HapKiDo Karate Lawrenceville, Georgia, one of the areas we try to help our students with is confidence and self-esteem. It’s hard to not talk about these two characteristics together because they go hand-in-hand. While (self) confidence relates to having belief in one’s abilities, self-esteem means to value oneself. Both aspects are important to develop, and martial arts helps everyone to improve in these areas. In fact, Martial Arts is great at building confidence and self-esteem because it introduces to students the healthy building blocks of these characteristics.
For starters, Martial Arts is a great program because students see their progress. Everyone begins with their first day of class and starts working towards their first belt. The lessons learned from each belt level are different, but fundamentally, students learn how to finish tasks and work hard. As a result of their discipline and attitude, their confidence grows. From belt-to-belt, they witness their own progress and come to trust what they’re capable of.
In addition to learning how to reach goals, they learn the importance of taking care of themselves. What’s great about Martial Arts is that we get to teach people of all ages to respect themselves and others. This lesson shows them that their actions towards people matters. As bowing and yelling “Yes sir!” or “Yes ma’am!” are ways to promote a respectful environment, students learn that exercising and healthy eating are choices that affect them. By taking classes regularly, the exercise they do helps their health, reduces depression and anxiety, improves focus, and lowers stress. When trying to increase confidence and self-esteem, including daily healthy activities like these make a difference in our lives.
Another edge about Martial Arts, it teaches students how to be fearless and how to stand up for themselves. Part of the reason why parents and older students love class is because they grow mentally stronger and healthier. In class, we talk to students about topics like how to handle bullies, how to not care what others think, and how to improve our attitudes and mood. Especially for kids and teens who are still learning about the world, taking the time to discuss important life lessons makes a difference to their lives.
Martial Arts is a gift to everyone because it shows students—from kids to adults!—that they are valuable, skillful, and talented. We all have amazing potential to do great in the world. But in order to approach life with everything we’ve got, it makes a difference when we’re confident and have healthy self-esteem.
For more information about Choe’s HapKiDo Karate Lawrenceville Georgia, visit here.