Everyone has their own image of martial arts training. Some picture an old temple off in the mountains, others a secluded Japanese style training hall in the woods and some picture the more modern school approach. Regardless of your vision, we have all seen the ads from martial arts schools all over the world stating the benefits martial arts training will have on your kids. That’s because in the 1980’s the focus shifted dramatically to martial arts for kids thanks to the Karate Kid movie.
This is not to say that teaching kids is wrong in any way shape or form but rather that it has somehow neglected adult enrollment for more lucrative kids programs.
Business aside, take all of those print ads from the last decade and just substitute the kids’ picture or family picture with an “old school” pre-1980’s martial artist striking that famous “Karate pose”.
All the benefits; self-confidence, self-discipline, fitness, flexibility, focus, goal setting, perseverance, coordination, and respect are valid for students of any age. As much as we like to think that our children need these lessons the most, the truth of the matter is that adults are living in the most stressful times in recorded history and it’s not getting better anytime soon. What used to be the solution for helping the missing pieces that children lacked, is the same solution that most adults need to function in the world of constant multi-tasking scenarios.
Forget what you think of martial arts training and get into martial arts training for more than that 20-year-olds idea of being a tough-guy and see how it can positively affect your entire approach to life in the fast lane.
