Everyone Knows...

...that martial art is, at its foundation, about self defense. Being able to take care of yourself when the yogurt hits the fan. Is that the end of it though? Is there anything beyond that?

The answer, obviously, is yes. If you already know about the benefits of martial art for children (and yourself), then click here to learn about our “No Commitment Introductory Program”. If you are unfamiliar with martial art, or just unfamiliar with Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie, then please read on.

First, what are the physical benefits?

Aerobic Fitness: Most people know that “fitness” is a large concept that can be described by several different factors. One of these factors is cardiovascular fitness, or aerobic fitness, or fitness of the heart and lungs, which is improved by aerobic training. Our martial art training is an excellent workout for the heart and lungs!

Anaerobic Fitness: An aspect of fitness which is often overlooked in fitness classes today is anaerobic training, or training stamina and muscular strength. Some people, and even some personal trainers, do not understand that there are incredible benefits to be earned by exercising the body in an anaerobic state. Much of martial art training is anaerobic. This improves stamina as well as fat burning.

Flexibility: This is an aspect of fitness that martial artists are very conscious of. A portion of nearly every class is devoted to improving flexibility. Students are taught a set of “body conditioning” exercises (which come, believe it or not, from the Buddhist Temples in Korea) that are said to work every joint in the body, improving both range of motion and strength throughout the range of motion in every joint.

And Finally, Self Defense. What does it really mean? Does it mean never losing a fight? Never being afraid of a physical confrontation? Having the capability to Kick Butt all over town? If that's the case, then I can't help you here. The things that I have to teach won't help your son or daughter one bit if this is what you are interested in.

However, if it means learning skills that will drastically reduce your chances of being a victim, carrying on in spite of your fear, and learning when and where it is appropriate to use your skills, then yes, we can definitely teach these things to your child!

First: as Martial Arts students become stronger, increase their stamina and increase their flexibility, they become more confident. This confidence quickly becomes visible to others. It can be seen in the way they walk, and talk. It can be seen in the way they hold themselves while in conversation with others. In fact other people in their lives often notice the difference before the martial art student does. This “self confidence” means that they are less likely to be chosen as a target by bullies, or “thugs” of any kind.

This is what I call "Passive Self-Defense." It describes why martial art students are less likely to be picked on in the first place. They don't have a "victim mentality." The self confidence, assurance, and discipline that come from martial art training will bring benefits that will stretch throughout your child's life in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine!

Second: Students at Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie learn that physical confrontation is, of course, a last resort. They are taught that the only valid reasons to fight are to protect their lives or the lives of others. That's it.

Third: Most fights in school have the same cause: ego. Name calling, teasing, boyfriend/girlfriend issues, and who knows what all else, all stem from ego problems. Our students learn to put these things in their proper perspective, and walk away from these kinds of fights. Anyone who lets himself be drawn into a fight because of his ego, or worse, someone else's ego problem, has already lost. The only way to win is to not play that game.

How about some non-physical benefits?

Concentration. It is a fact most kids in martial arts become better students at school. Why is this? There are three reasons.

1. Respect: Our students learn the benefits of respecting those in authority. They learn a lesson that most youth at large have failed to learn. You see, most kids these days think that they deserve respect. Obviously this is true: everyone deserves respect. Unfortunately, what most kids fail to learn is that in order to “get respect” you have to first “give respect”. Kids in our martial art classes don’t have this problem.
2. Focus: Students at Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie learn the three secrets of focus. This allows them to get the most out of their classroom environment, their relationships with their teachers, and their relationships with their parents. Simply put, they become experts at focusing.
3. Discipline: Students at Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie learn the definition and application of discipline. They learn about imposed discipline, and they learn about self discipline. They learn that when we utilize self discipline, imposed discipline becomes unnecessary. This allows our martial art students to progress far beyond average in most school settings.

Family time. To me the most important aspect in martial arts training is the fact that I can do it with my family. This is not true of soccer, baseball, cheerleading, choir, band or virtually any other extracurricular activity that I can think of. Not that these aren’t worthwhile and beneficial activities, but they do not allow the nurturing and bonding time that our martial arts classes offer.

We have become a society where it is normal to be disconnected from our family, to spend more time watching TV than talking to our spouses, to knowingly ingest foods that are toxic and cause harm to our bodies. We all know that it does not have to be this way!

You have the opportunity right now to offer the child in your life something better. I sincerely hope that you take this opportunity to call (or click) and register for our No Commitment Introductory Program. If you have questions, list them in an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and I'll get right back with you, (usually within a couple of hours). You truly have nothing to lose, and everything to gain!

Sincerely:
Kenneth G. Ring Jr.
 

Owner/Chief Instructor

Kuk Sool Won™ of Muncie Traditional Korean Martial Art