Let’s talk about something really important today- the mental benefits of taekwondo. A lot of people see martial arts as a purely physical sport…. But it actually requires a lot of mental stamina and self-talk. We help hundreds of people in our East Coast Karate Institute community build confidence and self-respect through the power of martial arts and self-defense. Here’s how:
Confidence is a Huge Advantage of Taekwondo
There’s probably an area of your life that you already feel confident in, like your performance at your job or your ability to be there for your spouse when they need you. You might already feel confident in your body and even hit the gym every day.
But how confident do you feel in your ability to protect yourself? If push really came to shove (literally), would you know how to defend yourself against an attacker? Would you know how to protect the people you love?
Self-Respect: A Little-Known Benefit
These questions are not fun, but you know what’s less fun- not knowing self-defense in an emergency and wishing you did! Learning self-defense to keep yourself and the people you love safe from harm is so important.
It’s why we want to teach EVERYONE in Glen Mills how to defend themselves against an attacker. It’s not just because it literally saves lives, either: imagine how much more confident you could be if you were positive that you could handle any physical situation that came your way. That knowledge of self-defense would just be one more thing for you to feel confident about. It’s a huge benefit of taekwondo for kids.
How these Mental Benefits Change Lives
So we all want to be confident people – but why is self-respect important? It’s because once you learn to respect yourself and your body, you start to make better choices. Once you start taking martial arts classes, you may notice you feel more energized. You may start to want to eat healthier and think, “My body doesn’t feel so great when I eat pizza- maybe I’ll choose a salad tonight instead.” You may also find yourself wanting to bike instead of driving up the street or finally making time to teach your kid how to play soccer.
Then you become even more confident because you’re doing right by your body, you have more energy to do things that benefit you, and you feel in alignment with your best self. That little conscience in your head guiding your decisions is finally being heard. Bonus – when you respect yourself, you start to treat others with more kindness and patience because
you see and respect them, too.
This makes OTHERS more confident because they feel understood, and then they pass that feeling on to others… and there’s a compound effect in the community. It’s kind of great, isn’t it? And it’s all because of this ancient practice we call martial arts.
Confidence & Self Respect- Join Us to Learn More!
We see it all the time – a new student will come in to start training, and within months, they’ll get promoted at work. Or negotiate a higher salary. They may even find the courage to ask someone on a date. Or speak their mind to a disrespectful colleague. These are not coincidences – they happen because martial arts classes build confidence and self-respect. Plain and simple. When you respect yourself, you also start to treat yourself better. You start to see how you can push yourself to new limits in martial arts classes, and you gain bravery and confidence you never knew you had. Are you starting to see how the mental benefits of taekwondo can really change your life?
Just these two benefits- the mix of self-respect and confidence- can help you realize that other people’s judgments and the value you place on other people’s judgments are worth less than how it feels to respect yourself. When YOU know how awesome you are because you’re kicking major butt in your martial arts classes, you’re not going to shy away from creating awesomeness in your own life. You take risks, embrace new opportunities, and do the things you never thought you could do.
It’s awesome! One last thing. In terms of textbook mental health, martial arts provide serious benefits. Staying active, engaging in social communities, and consistently accomplishing new goals each week- these are pieces of the mental health checklist that every martial arts class checks off. Your mood and health can improve tremendously right alongside your mindset.