Martial arts have been practiced for centuries as a form of physical, mental and spiritual training. However, today, these disciplines are not only limited to adults, they are also a popular and excellent choice for children.
In the vast and varied world of sports, martial arts stand out as a highly beneficial option, especially for children. Beyond learning self-defense techniques, martial arts represent a philosophy of life that combines physical, mental and emotional development in an integral way.
Slide over and explore the countless benefits of martial arts for kids and learn about amazing summer camps and schools.
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What are Martial Arts?
Martial arts are self-defense practices that have evolved throughout history, encompassing a range of techniques, traditions and philosophies. From Korean Taekwondo to Chinese Kung-fu, these disciplines encompass a wide range of styles and approaches, each with its own distinctive characteristics. Although often associated with physical combat, martial arts focus on control of the body and mind, promoting inner harmony and self-discipline.
Benefits of Martial Arts for Children
Physical development
Martial arts are an excellent way to keep children active and healthy. Regular practice improves cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, flexibility and motor coordination.
Through precise movements and specific techniques, children strengthen their bodies in an integral way, acquiring fundamental physical skills for their development.
Mental focus
Martial arts foster self-control, concentration and attention. By following sequences of movements and facing physical and mental challenges, children learn to control their impulses and stay focused on the present moment, developing a more disciplined and resilient mind.
Martial arts demand focus and total attention. Although a technique involves a series of varied movements, they are assimilated progressively, repeating them and adding steps as they go along. In this way, children learn to anticipate the next movement and, over time, to combine them into fluid sequences.
Organization and structure
The fact that the techniques or routines are broken down into more manageable segments to make learning easier for children, allows them to acquire a methodology that they can transfer to other aspects of their lives.
This methodology not only teaches them how to effectively tackle large tasks, but also instills in them the importance of taking challenges one step at a time.
Emotional development
The practice of martial arts teaches children to manage stress, frustration and anger in a positive and constructive way. Through self-control and emotional management, children learn tochannel their emotions in a healthy way, promoting emotional balance and greater mental stability.
Key values: discipline and respect
Martial arts instill in children fundamental values such as respect, discipline, humility and perseverance. Through the ethics of these disciplines, they learn to value effort, self-improvement and respect for themselves and others.
By following the rules and showing respect for instructors and peers, children learn fundamental values that will stay with them forever and that they can apply in all areas of their lives.
Confidence, self-esteem and achievement of goals
As children advance in their training and master new skills, their confidence and self-esteem increase. The overcoming of challenges and the gradual improvement in their skills, reflected in the achievement of goals, provide them with a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction.
Martial arts are oriented to concrete and specific objectives, children work at their own pace and as they improve their skills and reach new grades, techniques and requirements they receive a new color ribbon.
By experiencing success and personal progress, they develop a positive attitude towards themselves and acquire greater self-esteem and confidence in their abilities.
Conflict resolution
Through martial arts training, children learn effective skills to resolve conflicts in a peaceful and controlled manner. They learn to avoid confrontational situations and to use communication and negotiation to resolve disputes.
Social skills
Martial arts foster camaraderie, teamwork and mutual respect among children. By practicing in a group setting, they learn to collaborate, communicate effectively and support each other, strengthening their social skills and sense of belonging to a community, to a group.
The best martial arts schools for children
If you are looking for an activity that stimulates your child’s body and mind, martial arts might be the perfect choice!
Martial arts camps and activities for children offer a unique experience that combines physical training, personal development and fun. Here we recommend the best schools for your children to begin to dabble in this exciting sport.
Martial Arts MAC
Artes Marciales MAC has been dedicated to the training of children, youth and adults for 18 years, using martial arts as a channel to improve the physical condition and personal development of each student.
Natalia Busca, its founder and with whom we had the pleasure of speaking, began practicing karate at the age of 8 in Mar del Plata, Argentina, her hometown. Since then, martial arts have accompanied her throughout her life.
Natalia specialized in Taekwondo, at the age of 12 she was a black belt and at the age of 15 she was already a member of the Argentine Taekwondo national team. Five years later, she started working in the United States, teaching in one of the largest martial arts associations in the country. In 2006 she settled in Spain and it was then when she opened her own school: MAC. It currently has 8 centers, more than 1200 students and a staff of instructors of excellent level.
Natalia mentions, MAC Martial Arts “is the fusion of the best of what I have trained in and the search for what is most effective and what the student really needs on a daily basis. Because the child or the student of today is totally different than the child or the student of 10 years ago”. For her, it is essential to continue updating the program and the system according to the social needs of both children and families.
At the same time, martial arts have had a great effect on Natalia since she was a child, allowing her to work on her confidence, instilling in her various values, such as discipline, and based on her experience she comments: “The sooner we start working on the values that children will achieve with long-term training, the more benefits they will have when they grow up. The first and fastest thing that can be instilled, even faster than psychomotor skills, is learning to listen, to be respectful, to have confidence, to believe in themselves“.
Natalia proposes a coherent education focused on unifying the values of the three pillars of education, ensuring that children receive aligned messages in all their environments. Learn more about values alignment and hear testimonials from other families.
The essence of MAC lies in its main mission: personal growth, teaching and reinforcement of values to all students through martial arts. Natalia emphasizes that “our work itself is not martial arts, our work is personal education, personal growth, through an element that is martial arts. I am not interested in a student kicking higher or stronger if he or she does not have the necessary values to be able to achieve it.
Martial arts workshops, family classes and extracurricular activities.
MAC centers have numerous proposals, from martial arts classes grouped by age, to family classes and summer camps.
The summer camps are a great opportunity to begin to dabble in martial arts and discover the MAC method. Their proposal focuses on children having fun, providing a safe place for families. They perform martial arts, acrobatics, games, excursions, pool activities, special classes against bullying and confidence building.
The camp combines different ages and levels, so that the children develop fellowship, continuing the same line that governs the school, working on values in a fun way, which is not monotonous or tiring.
At the same time, if you are looking for a family activity, MAC has an incredible proposal. As Natalia mentions: “We have a special class, the Family Class, for young children from 3 years old to adults, no age limit, and all levels. So, the child works hard to show the dad how well he is doing and how strong he looks and then also feels proud that the dad is working alongside him. And then, for the parents, there’s nothing nicer than having a hobby or being able to share an activity with their children.” Click here for more information.
Mugendo
Mugendo is a group of 42 schools located in Spain, which teaches a modern and innovative martial art, mixing the best of Karate, Taekwondo, Boxing and Kick Boxing techniques. It has more than 35 years of experience and more than 8500 active students.
Its learning system focuses on the physical development and mainly on the human development of the student. They offer classes, extracurricular activities, camps and specialized courses for children, youth and adults, with the objective of providing them with multiple emotional, psychological and physical tools.
In Mugendo classes, children develop physical skills such as balance, coordination and fitness, while learning behavioral skills such as self-control, discipline, memory and concentration and internalizing essential values in our society, such as confidence, self-improvement, family, friendship, teamwork and discipline.
They have a personalized follow-up plan, through an agenda with which they seek to improve the child’s behavior at home, at school and with their healthy habits.
They work together with the families, since the Mugendo system requires parents to mark their child’s behavior in the agenda every week. The school rewards children with good behavior and motivates those who do not to improve through stickers. When they complete a merit page, they receive a star that is placed on their uniform. The stars in Mugendo have the mission to give students self-confidence and security.
Mugendo Vallcarca
In 2015, Xavier Santamaria, opened Mugendo Vallcarca, 8 years after starting to dabble in martial arts and turning them into his lifestyle and passion. It started as a hobby, since he was interested in martial arts since he was a child, then he began to compete and dedicate himself to the sport and finally opened his own school. Martial arts meant a before and after in Xavier’s life, he made a leap from health to sport, going from working in hospitals to opening his own Mugendo center. He believes that thanks to Mugendo it is possible to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
Xavi Santamaria won the title of Spanish Champion in full contact Wamai in 2015 and is a 2nd Dan black belt in Mugendo.
As Xavi mentions, the philosophy that drives his school is “to improve day by day, to work for the children, to make both the little kids and the adults evolve and to contribute something positive, something different”. Mugendo Vallcarca is characterized by the super personalized work of each student, it is a small school that prioritizes the treatment of you to you.
At the same time, he recommends Mugendo for all children, he says, “For children who are hyperactive, it is an outlet that is brutal. For kids who are undisciplined, it’s a way to channel them. For kids who just want to play a sport and have fun and have a good time, it’s an excellent discipline both physically and mentally. And for kids all over the world who are in school and need an after-school activity and want to socialize with people, it’s a great tool. Even for kids who have a hard time interacting with other kids, even if it’s hard at first, they adapt to meeting people.
Click here and discover all the activities and classes at Mugendo Vallcarca so that your kids can start to dabble in martial arts and experience all its benefits.
Mugendo Esplugues
Mugendo Esplugues was founded 10 years ago, in 2014, by Esther Yepes, its director and owner, who began to dabble in martial arts, after the recommendation of her brother Christian, to lose fear as an adult, after having suffered cases of aggression and harassment.
She began to practice them as a student, then enrolled her daughter and it was there where she noticed the benefits of martial arts for children, in terms of discipline, values, mental health, reducing stress. When she reached a very high level and got her black belt, Esther decided that she wanted to give classes for children, since she had the desire to study pedagogy and martial arts allowed her to practice and make it happen, instilling the discipline they entail, along with the highly pedagogical system of Mugendo.
Christian Yepes, began to internalize in the martial arts since he was a child, he says “it all starts because in the 80’s, on television martial arts were very present, the generation of the 80’s motivated them a lot, so when I was 8 years old they pointed me to do karate and judo. And from then on I evolved in the martial arts and continued to practice them as a sport. He finds in martial arts patience, discipline and the importance of achieving one’s goals depends on oneself.
He considers them a great tool to gain confidence and security, as well as for introverted children or those who suffer bullying. Christian mentions “it is also a support for parents who need a little help when it comes to disciplining and setting rules and limits for their children, it will also make their task easier. By keeping the agenda and a personalized follow-up of each child, the truth is that it is very effective“.
Mugendo Esplugues is characterized by the family environment and the system they use to teach the children. Christian Menciona, “apart from the pedagogical follow-up we do, we carry out another way of teaching, in which we value the student’s attitudes much more than their physical aptitudes“.
In addition to offering classes for all ages, from 2 years old to adults, Mugendo Esplugues has an innovative proposal for the summer.
The summer camp for children from 4 to 13 years old, in addition to being family-oriented, following the school’s philosophy, is intimate since they focus on small groups. The days start at the school, then they go to the parks in the area and perform different activities and themes each day: from crafts, English, outdoor and water activities, homework and every Friday they take a different excursion, to CosmoCaixa, Catalunya en Miniatura, to the zoo, they have a family barbecue. It is a house dedicated to what the children want to do, but using martial arts in certain activities, such as performing demos, using nunchakus, among others.
Discover here all their activities and remember… On Friday May 24th Mugendo Esplugues turns 10 years old! Congratulate them and get free access to the self-defense and kickboxing initiation seminar for adults and the anti-bullying seminar for children.
15 Mugendo centers in Barcelona city and Barcelona province
Mugendo has been in Spain for more than 35 years under the guidance of Ricardo Gress, as mentioned by Elisabeth, who is part of 15 centers in Barcelona city and Barcelona province “in Spain we have evolved it, Mugendo is an educational program that is endorsed by psychologists and pedagogues, where we work together with them to improve the classes“.
The main differential lies in its teaching method focused on the development of children, working on their confidence, personal safety, respect, discipline, based on the aforementioned personal development agenda. At the same time, Mugendo is characterized by an educational system adapted to each person, both children and adults. Elisabeth emphasizes “people do not have to adapt to the martial art, but Mugendo adapts to each person, that is the big difference”.
From her personal experience, Elisabeth started martial arts at the age of 16, has been practicing for 27 years now and mentions that for her it meant a before and an after. “Practicing martial arts gives you a series of qualities that other sports don’t have. Teamwork, discipline, sacrifice. Personally, it helped me to do many more things in my life. And for children, I have a two year old son, the first thing he will do is martial arts, of course. But not because I am a teacher, but because I really believe in Mugendo as an excellent system for them to gain confidence, to be in shape, always doing different exercises, and for the mental part, because they become strong“.
If you want your little ones to experience the Mugendo method and to make an incursion into the martial arts, they have very interesting proposals for summer camps. They are characterized by familiarity, children will feel at ease and in a close and friendly atmosphere. They will practice multiple activities, from martial arts classes, self-defense classes, nunchakus, they will have fun in the swimming pool, in the equestrian center, they will play guided games, board games, and crafts.
Click on the center you prefer according to your location and explore the options they offer:
