A Major Confidence Boost - A feeling of self-assurance coming from an understanding of your own capabilities and qualities. This is one of the most instant and noticeable things to happen when a child starts with Team Black Belt.

When training in Martial Arts a child a starts to believe that they can cope with, and deal with, unexpected challenges which they may encounter. This uplift in Confidence has almost no limits in which they will benefit in all areas of their lives.

Renewal of Self-esteem - With Confidence comes a renewal of self-esteem and self-worth, leading children to interact more with the world around them. Claim Their Space - Use their Voice - Feeling better about themselves leads them to be able to speak up, ‘claiming their space’ more in both the classroom and social settings.

Having a sense of purpose - The goal of gaining their next belt gives children something to aim for – and learning how to set clear goals and then achieve them is a valuable life lesson to every child.

Better Focus and Concentration – Learning to focus and concentrate is a skill. We teach them how to listen and watch carefully, and then translate what they have observed in to an action. But telling children to ‘pay attention’ is pointless, unless they know HOW to pay attention.

However, even our youngest customers can learn HOW with this simple mantra that we repeat with them…

~ Pay attention with your eyes - Look at the teacher.

~ Pay attention with your ears - Listen to the teacher.

~ Pay attention with your brain - Think about what you are seeing and hearing.

~ Pay attention with your body - Keep it still.

~ Pay attention with your mouth- Keep it closed unless asked something.

This cycle leads to the development of this ability, and as we say in class, Practice makes Permanent!

Reduced Stress - a Positive Outlet – With today’s 24/7 online access it’s harder than ever to shield children from the turmoil and worries of the adult world around them. Add in their own unique pressures of friendship groups, schools, exams etc and it’s no wonder that time out should be taken for children to protect their mental health equally as well as their physical health. Training and exercise combined with fun in our classes is a great de-stressor, with massive benefits to their overall health.

Rules Boundaries and Structure - The structure of our classes and the "cool" subject means that children are only too happy to work within the boundaries and rules that we insist upon. Doing so means that they also learn how to self-regulate and control their impulses, which like everything is a skill that has to be learned and practised.

This skill can then start to be applied in other settings when necessary, such as classrooms, public areas, relationships, and when older, employment settings etc. Learning behavioural self-discipline is one of the most important life lessons we can ever learn.