Posted by Feel-N-Froggy in Ask any pediatrician and he or she will tell you that today’s kids are at risk from an avalanche of junk food and a lack of exercise, a two-pronged threat that can lead them down the path of obesity, hypertension, coronary disease and even diabetes. Society is partly to blame, as “helicopter parents” are loathe to allow their children any unsupervised outdoor activity (which previous generations had in tremendous doses).
As Seen on the Big Screen
Because of such conditioning, children have simply become very comfortable sitting on their couches playing video games, and they can be hard to budge after becoming accustomed to such a sedentary lifestyle. However, as mixed martial arts (MMA) has grown in popularity, it has captivated the imaginations of many a youth - naturally; they’ve seen it on TV. MMA training for kids is seen as a great way to provide them with physical activity - and more.
Let Kids Be Kids
A good training program will also include a good deal of character-building and mental discipline that will serve children well into adulthood. Concepts such as peaceful conflict resolution and interpersonal skills can be instilled - through mixed martial arts training - in children as young as the age of five years. Confidence and self-esteem come built-in with physical fitness and healthy exercise.
The only real obstacle to kids getting into MMA training is - again - the hovering parents who don’t even want their children playing Pop Warner football because they might come home sporting a few bruises. MMA, because of its earliest exhibitions, has yet to shrug off the unfortunate (and false) notion that it amounts to “human cockfighting”. More effective than any single martial arts discipline, MMA training teaches children self defense, and more important, self respect.
Mixing in role models such as a Superman wall mural cheap can and justice with strength.