It's time we all started taking the issue of children and stress more seriously. Kids are starting young with stress and it just continues to build as they get older. Plus stress for children is coming from many more sources than it used to. Nowadays, kids must deal with chemical stress, physical stress, electromagnetic stress as well as the more traditional emotional stress.
Wikipedia describes martial arts therapy as the usage of martial arts as an alternative or complementary therapy
for a medical disorder. This can include disorders of the body or of
the mind. The therapy may involve applications such as promoting
kinaesthetic balance in the elderly or impaired, through T'ai Chi
Ch'uan, or reducing aggressiveness in specific populations (Lamarre,
For example, in children with low self-esteem and high levels of stress, this therapy can simultaneously develop areas such as self-defense skills (to defend against physical bullying), physical fitness, instructions on how to handle stressful scenarios in a physical or mental context, and self-confidence, through successful applications of martial technique, such as board-breaking or kata.
Therapeutic Martial Arts
is a great way to begin eliminating the link between children and
stress. It is an exciting, breakthrough martial arts based therapy model
designed to empower young people to take control of their lives. It
helps both aggressors and victims.
Therapeutic martial arts is an active therapeutic modality that combines the principles of psychosocial rehabilitation with those of traditional martial arts training techniques. The program aims to provide young people with new skills to manage the challenges in their lives. It is excellent to help solve the problem of children and stress.
This therapy model has developed a wide variety of group and individual programs that utilize a broad base of martial art skills and drills all linked to the concepts being taught, to produce pragmatic therapeutic outcomes for children and young people. The philosophy is systemic. Many of the programs include pathways that support young people to gain and maintain connections to their peers, school communities and families, along with providing opportunities for further education and employment.
Not all types of martial arts are created equal and parents must be careful to choose a school or training center that emphasizes using this activity in a therapeutic manner. Some centers are highly combative and competitive and others are far more involved with a holistic approach to human development and well being.
There are great differences in the various forms of martial arts, such as Tai Chi, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, etc. Each of these forms of martial arts has a significantly different background and origination point and each is based on its own philosophies. Each will have a different level of therapeutic value. Doing your research is very important, as with any health and wellness solution, especially when dealing with the extreme challenge of children and stress.