The Benefits of Taekwondo for children

Many parents think that taekwondo is a violent sport in which a lot of strength is needed. However, nothing is further from reality. In fact, taekwondo is a very beneficial sport for children that helps to develop resistance and elasticity, allowing them to set goals and be persevering in their achievement. In addition, this sport helps them integrate and make friends.

Taekwondo is an ancient combat sport that demands very complete training, both physically and mentally. In fact, this sport does not cause children to develop violent behavior but rather the opposite, it teaches them discipline and encourages self-control. In this sense, it has been appreciated that children with a tendency to aggressiveness begin to behave more reflexively, while the most shy children gain confidence. This is because the practice of taekwondo shapes the character of the little ones. However, that is not the only advantage that this sport reports:

Promotes discipline

Taekwondo is governed by a series of rules that contribute to creating habits that not only help the child to improve in sports but can also be extrapolated to the school area, making the child more disciplined and develop good study habits. In fact, the practice of taekwondo often translates into better school performance.

Stimulates concentration

Taekwondo is not simply a sport of strength, it is also necessary to develop a certain mental attitude. Therefore, it is one of the recommended sports for children with ADHD, especially to relieve symptoms such as impulsivity and hyperactivity. In fact, taekwondo can cause an increase in dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine at the brain level, causing positive changes in the attention span of children.

Improves physical fitness

The practice of this sport stimulates elasticity, strength, coordination and endurance. It also improves your reflexes, increases cardiovascular endurance and enhances body awareness. In addition, it is ideal to keep childhood obesity at bay and avoid sedentary lifestyle.

Develops self-control

Although children learn attack and self-defense techniques, they are always advised to use them only if it is essential. Therefore, one of the basic pillars of this sport is self-control, a very useful competition for life that children normally take to acquire spontaneously.

Stimulates self-confidence

Taekwondo is an excellent sport to stimulate confidence and self-confidence, which is why its practice is recommended for extremely shy or for children with very low self-esteem

Fosters respect

One of the basic rules of taekwondo is respect, both for coaches and parents and peers. Therefore, the child will learn to respect the views and decisions of others, although he does not always share them.

Increase the analysis capacity

With the passage of time, children learn to anticipate the movements of their adversary. They also understand when a movement is poorly executed and are able to determine why. That capacity for analysis is an operation of thought that can be applied to other aspects of your daily life.

Promotes social relationships

Taekwondo is not a team sport but it helps children to socialize because in training they usually encourage fellowship and importance is given to each child within the group. Therefore, it helps children develop their social skills.

Minimum age recommended to practice Taekwondo

For children to take advantage of all the benefits that the practice of taekwondo reports, it is ideal that they start training from an early age. Usually, they are prepared between the ages of 4 and 5, a stage in which they have already begun to develop many of the physical skills they need for their practice. In any case, it will be the coaches who have the last word since sometimes it is better to wait a little longer, before subjecting the children to unnecessary physical stress.

It is important to keep in mind that taekwondo is a very technical sport that demands many hours of training. Therefore, the role of parents should be to support and encourage their children, without demanding too much or making comparisons that can discourage them.