The mental benefits of taekwondo are actually endless, but two important ones you may not know about are confidence and self-respect. A lot of people see martial arts as a purely physical sport…. But there’s a lot of mental stamina and self-talk required to really knock it out of the park. We help hundreds of people in our American Top Team community become confident and proud of who they are through the power of martial arts and self-defense. Here’s how:
Confidence is a Huge Advantage of Taekwondo
Chances are high that you already feel confident in one area of your life- your job, your role as a parent, or your studies, for example.
You might already feel confident in your body and even hit the gym every day. But how confident do you feel in your ability to protect yourself? If push really came to shove (literally), would you know how to defend yourself against an attacker? Would you know how to protect the people you love?
Self-Respect: A Little-Known Benefit
These questions are not fun, but you know what’s less fun- not knowing self-defense in an emergency and wishing you did! Learning self-defense to keep yourself and the people you love safe is so important. It’s why our mission is to teach everyone in Longwood how to defend themselves against an attacker.
It’s not just because it literally saves lives, either: imagine how much more confident you could be if you were sure you could handle any physical situation that came your way. Knowing how to keep yourself safe would just be one more thing for you to hang your hat on. It’s a huge mental benefit of martial arts.
How These Mental Benefits of Taekwondo Change Lives
So confidence is important, yes – but why is self-respect important? Well, once you learn to respect yourself and your body, you begin making better choices. When you decide to take martial arts classes, you may notice you feel more energized.
You may start to want to eat healthier and think, “I wouldn’t be respecting my body if I ate this… I want to feel amazing so I’ll skip the chips.” You may also find yourself wanting to bike instead of driving up the street or finally making time to teach your kid how to play soccer. This just makes you even more confident because you’re doing what’s right for you, you have more energy to do things that benefit you, and you feel in alignment with your best self.
The voice in your head saying “Let’s eat better” or “Go for that run” is finally being heard. Another thing – when you respect yourself, you start to treat others with more kindness and empathy because you see and respect them, too. This makes others more confident because they feel understood, and then they pass that feeling on to others… and there’s a compound effect in the community. And then the world becomes a better place. It’s all because of this little old sport we call martial arts.
Confidence & Self Respect- Join Us to Learn More!
We see it all the time – a new student will come in to start training, and within months, they’ll get promoted at work. Or negotiate a higher salary. They may even find the courage to ask someone on a date. Or speak up for themselves in an unhealthy friendship. These are not coincidences – they happen because martial arts classes build confidence and self-respect. Plain and simple. When you respect yourself, you also start to respect other aspects of your life as well.
You begin realizing that you deserve better treatment from others, professionally and personally, and you find the bravery within to stand up for what you want. Are you starting to see how the mental benefits of taekwondo can seriously change your life? Just these two benefits- the mix of self-respect and confidence- can help you realize that other people’s judgments and the value you place on other people’s judgments are worth less than how it feels to respect yourself.
When you know how awesome you are because you leave your martial arts class feeling super accomplished, you’re not afraid to confidently create awesomeness in your own life. You make bold decisions in your life, embrace new opportunities, and do the things you never thought you could do. It’s awesome! Okay, one more thing. In terms of textbook mental health, martial arts provide serious benefits of taekwondo for kids. Staying active, engaging in social communities, and consistently accomplishing new goals each week- these are pieces of the mental health checklist that every martial arts class checks off. Your mood and health can improve tremendously right alongside your mindset.