Hi, my name is Ana Fernandes. My husband, Junior, is the owner and main instructor at Athlas Training Team Ft. Lauderdale. I’ve been working in martial arts academies for 12 years. During that time, I’ve seen what leads some kids to leave martial arts and what helps kids to stay. Of course, your kids martial arts interests will affect whether they stick around or not. But there are some easy things as parents that we can do to help (As a mother of two kids, 6 and 8, I speak from experience!). Read below for our top 3 tips to keep kids involved, engaged, and excited about going to their martial arts classes:
TIP #1: Turn off the TV and tablets before class!
Studies prove that watching TV demotivates kids, especially right before athletics. After a long day, that’s the first thing we all want to do—turn the TV on. We’re tired from work. The kids are tired from school. But your child will be less inclined to want to work out and do jiu-jitsu if you turn on the tube.
TIP #2: It’s OK to take a break from sports and athletics every so often. Sometimes our kids need it. They may play too hard at school. Or not sleep well at night. But when they’re crying and pleading every day, that simply means they want to watch TV and take the easy route.
TIP #3: Does your son or daughter love attending jiu-jitsu matches but balks at going to practice? If this is the case, make sure they understand that no practice means no matches. If you want to compete in matches, you have to put in the work. Life is not all fun and games! This is also an important life lesson that will stick with your child.
As parents, it might feel like we’re forcing them to do something they’re not. But anything worthwhile is going to feel like work to young kids. We need to give them positive reinforcement. We have to tell them how healthy and good athletics is for them. In other words, it’s our job to motivate them.
