There’s more to Iaido than Meets the Eye!

JMAC Student Amy’s Feedback on the Unexpected Benefits She Experienced as a Result of Her Training. 

“What comes to mind first is the camaraderie and the friendships. There’s a diverse population at JMAC, all ages and persuasions. Everyone here is nonjudgmental and you don’t feel lesser for who you are. It’s a non-competitive atmosphere and people are supportive of each other and this makes for a wonderful kind of learning environment and dojo experience. “And, of course, the instructors here make a huge difference - Absolutely, they’re all great.  I ended up taking some private lessons with Holland Sensei, because I couldn’t always get here during my busy workweek. That made an enormous difference. The one on one time was a great way for me to learn. I think that if those things had not been true, if the teachers were not supportive, I wouldn’t have kept coming. It’s very gratifying.”

“I didn’t know very much about iaido at the beginning and found it interesting in so many different ways, including philosophically and the exactitude of it.  It’s very beautiful when it’s done by people who know what they’re doing. It’s an exquisite art form. And since I went into it for the exercise, I wasn’t expecting to love the history of the art – the samurai culture, uniqueness of the sword itself, and its fittings. I have a whole new appreciation for…. Read more.

6 Ways Kids Martial Arts in Ann Arbor Encourages Focus

Goals: Whether it's a skill, routine, move, or advancing to the next level, kids focus on meeting concrete goals. When achieving the goal is rewarded, their focus is also rewarded.

Routines: this element is great for kids who need extra help to focus. Techniques in kids karate can be long and complicated, but kids learn in manageable chunks and gradually improve. Instructors help kids concentrate by calling them into ready stance to reset when minds wander.

Structure: with clear expectations and consistently reinforced rules, the structure of martial arts doesn't afford kids much opportunity to lose focus. This means you child is constantly practicing this skill.

Read the rest of the list here!

How Martial Arts Can Help Your Child Focus and Learn

Does your child struggle with focus at home and at school?

Looking for a fun way to help improve your kid's attention?

Wondering how kids martial arts in Ann Arbor can help with focus?

Every kid has a hard time focusing now and then. But when focus is a regular issue, it can affect a child's ability to learn and leave you struggling to find a way to help. What if there was a fun, engaging activity that could help your child work on their focus without them even knowing they were learning? That's exactly what you can get out of kids martial arts in Ann Arbor with the right dojo and some dedication. We think every kid should experience martial arts. 

Keep reading to learn more!

9 Benefits of Kids Martial Arts in Ann Arbor

Fitness: every kid needs physical activity in their life. From cardio warm-ups to the strength-based challenges of routines, martial arts like kids judo and kids karate will get your kid moving and burning energy. Keeping up with practice at home will enhance these benefits.

Empowerment:: kids gain confidence by learning self-defense moves and mastering skills to advance to new levels. A kid who struggles with bullies can feel more confident learning techniques to avoid a fight; a kid who has struggles academically and/or athletically will feel more confident by focusing on personal growth instead of competition.

Discipline:: training in martial arts requires concentration and focus and there are elements built right in to help kids develop these skills. You'll see discipline reinforced in the moves, uniforms, customs, and attitudes of martial arts. The discipline kids learn in the dojo often positively affects behavior off the mat, too.

Respect:: for their master, instructors, peers, self, others, and for skills they develop, kids learn many forms of respect through martial arts. Respect is often seen as the primary lesson of martial arts, even before the powerful moves that initially attract so many martial artists.

Read more benefits here!

Can Training in Martial Arts Make You Happier?

JMAC karate student, Andrew’s perspective:

“Karate really became a part of my life until I let it go to focus on my career in my 30s; I never stopped thinking about it. In fact, I kept working on kata on and off. I really regretted the several years being out of the martial arts. It was definitely not a good thing to be away from in terms of mental and physical health and well-being. There’s also the meditative aspects of it and the mental discipline.  There was a clear distinction in my happiness when I was training and when I wasn’t.” He smiles, “Yes, martial arts will make you happier.”

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Why Should Your Kids Experience Martial Arts?

Does your son or daughter need more discipline, focus, and activity in their life?

Is your child interested in martial arts and you want to learn more?

Not sure about the benefits of kids judo or kids karate?

Picture an after-school activity with countless benefits for the body, mind, and behavior. Martial arts checks all these boxes. Among all the options for kids' activities today, martial arts may have one of the widest range of benefits. Although fitness may be what draws people to the dojo at first, martial arts like kids karate or kids judo help people improve in so many other ways as well. Parents are often impressed by the variety of skills and lessons kids learn in martial arts and are even more impressed when they see these things translate to other areas of life like performance in sc

hool, behavior at home, and with focus and the ability to learn .

Ready to learn more? Check out a few of the top benefits your kids can get from martial arts here.