By Master Joseph Ash

With the fast pace of the modern day family, there is a constant search for high quality programs that can fill voids and find a balance between school, work, family and exercise. Running from one activity to the next, eats away at not only time, but the overall quality of life for families. Not to mention, those activities often leave mom or dad on the side-lines watching instead of taking advantage of the benefits. Martial arts is a healthy alternative to traditional activities and it is something the entire family can do.

Martial arts education has been around for centuries, but only since the early 70’s did it start to catch on in the United States. Then it was predominately popular amongst the rough and tough adults of the day. Around the mid 80s the kids started to trickle into classes with the explosion of the original Karate Kid. After that it was Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and numerous others productions attempting to capture the hearts and minds of little ones. Currently, there is a mix-martial arts fad, but there is still an ever growing population of elite schools that receive families. Such high quality martial arts programs provide families with a healthy and safe alternative to the more traditional activities.

For the children, traditional sports and after school activities are more social and less productive in terms of life skills. Combine poorly staffed programs with overcrowded, unmotivated participants and you get a lot of opportunities for unbecoming behaviors. I’m all for letting kids be kids, but there seems to be too much free time, not enough structure and little motivation within many programs. Many times with traditional sports politics, cliques and favoritism exist and play a big role in whether or not children get to participate in the activity. Not having the opportunity to participate can greatly affect their feelings of self worth, confidence and self esteem. In the end, sports becomes more of a game about how we can win, instead of providing educational opportunities about life.

For parents themselves, taking part in a martial arts program will allow them to model ideal healthy lifestyle habits as well as, increase their own overall fitness levels, reduce stress and obtain mental clarity. With martial arts, no longer are the parents only allowed to “watch” their children do all the things they use to do, they do it along side them bringing another level of connection, purpose and meaning to each other. In some cases, everyone can participate at the same time, providing a wonderful balance of time, fitness and family.

With the numerous benefits martial arts provides practitioners, for families it brings a whole new meaning to “quality time.”

– Master Joseph Ash, Owner, BAEPLEX Family Martial Arts Center, Inc., Author: Martial Arts Unlocked