Martial Arts For Kids
Martial Arts For Kids. Your kids might drive you a little crazy, push you to the breaking point on occasion, particularly during long weekends or summer vacation. Nonetheless, you still want the best for them. You work hard, doing your best to provide for them. Gracie Barra Chesterfield is right there with you. We are home to the area’s best martial arts for kids.
With several classes in martial arts for kids, along with a convenient and accessible gym near you, Gracie Barra Chesterfield stands by itself among the competition. Our newest location in the St. Louis area serves residents of West County — including Creve Coeur, Chesterfield, Ballwin, Maryland Heights, Kirkwood, Clayton, and Town and Country — and we are excited to meet some of our neighbors. Stop in and say hello or get a quick tour of our facility. We offer an environment that encourages and empowers kids through the wonderful world of martial arts, while instilling important life skills and connecting them with lifelong friends.
When you are ready to introduce your children to the best in martial arts for kids, call us at 314-861-9635 or contact us to schedule a free initial martial arts for kids class today.
Gracie Barra Chesterfield Martial Arts for Kids: A Passion to Teach, A Passion to Learn
Unlike every other martial arts school in the area, Gracie Barra Chesterfield uses a long term approach to child development. We provide an environment where kids can thrive in confidence, happiness, health, and strength. Our martial arts for kids classes are taught in a group atmosphere that is challenging and fun, with instructors who aim to meet the individual needs of every student. Our programs are split up between ages 4-6 and 7-9, in order to ensure our classes are age appropriate and offer the best possible instructor to student ratio. The program you choose as a parent should effectively teach your kids the martial arts skills they want to develop, while reinforcing the values you teach at home.
Gracie Barra is the leading martial arts organization in the world — with 400 schools in North America and 900 worldwide — and teaches principles, philosophies, and fundamentals of the best martial arts for kids. Give us a call today to get started at 314-861-9635 or contact us online.
Gracie Barra Chesterfield Martial Arts for Kids: The Benefits
Rooted in honor, respect, wellness, and discipline, you’ll find martial arts a great supplement to at-home parental guidance. Many parents find that the benefits of, martial arts for kids classes are second to none. We’re certain you will, too.
Between school and homework (and driving you a little crazy in their freetime), kids spend the majority of their day sitting at a desk. That’s why extracurricular activities that allow them to release their energy, like martial arts for kids classes, are so important. The Gracie Barra classes have exceptional effects on the physical and mental health of your children. They have a particularly profound effect on younger kids, establishing a strongly rooted foundation. Our primary goal is to instill confidence in your kids, giving them the tools they need to defend themselves against bullies and sharpening their minds.
Our martial arts for kids classes are structured through a custom curriculum made specifically for children that you will not find anywhere else in the Greater St. Louis area. Our instructors use a multisensory teaching approach to ensure our students retain the lessons and practices regardless of if they are visual learners, auditory learners, tactile learners, or kinesthetic learners. Our program is set up to provide children with a platform to gain a lifelong love of martial arts and an avenue to become better citizens, students, and human beings. Call us today at 314-861-9635 or contact us. Martial arts for kids classes at Gracie Barra Chesterfield are best for:
Improving Concentration
Some activities allow children to simply show up and go through the motions, or just be a passenger on a team. This is not the case at Gracie Barra Chesterfield. Our martial arts for kids classes rely on active listening and observing to learn new moves and sequences. In addition to improved concentration, your kids will learn to develop quick reactionary skills in order to change direction instantaneously.
Knowledge of Basic Self-Defense
Peaceful conflict resolution is a pillar at Gracie Barra Chesterfield martial arts for kids classes. However, there are instances when self-defense becomes necessary. While we hope your children will never be in these situations that require self-defense, it is a lifesaving skill. In a dangerous scenario, basic self-defense can give your children the ability to protect themselves. Our instructors stress the importance of being aware of your surroundings and who you are with at all times. Gracie Barra martial arts is the best way for kids to learn defense skills so that you worry less as parents, and they feel safer.
Discipline
Teaching your kids to block, kick, and punch doesn’t equate to them becoming more aggressive in their day-to-day life. Quite the opposite, in fact. A recent study by the National Institute of Health shows that martial arts can reduce aggressive behavior as it teaches structure, discipline, and self control. Over time, your kids will learn to be accountable for their own actions as well.
Coordination
The proper development of your kids’ motor skills depends on coordination and balance. One of the major physical benefits of Gracie Barra Chesterfield’s martial arts for kids is learning how to use your body and react quickly. Through punching, kicking, and jumping, your child will develop the coordination needed to excel in any physical activity. Many of these maneuvers also require fast changes in direction, which can improve balance.
Reduced ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) Symptoms
Some parents of children with ADHD report improve symptoms after enrolling in Gracie Barra martial arts for kids classes. Many of the basic tasks in our classes involve specific targets, which means children must focus their technique in one place. Whether it’s a kicking shield or punching bag, they learn to “zone in” on the task at hand. This helps sharpen the skills that are often challenging for children with ADHD. According to a recent study, Gracie Barra’s martial arts for kids classes are great for children who learn and think differently. Give us a call today to get started at 314-861-9635 or contact us online.
Healthier Living Skills
Physical fitness is essential for proper growth and development. In addition to eating a healthy diet, it’s vital for kids to learn the value of being active. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily for children aged 6-17, plus at least three days of muscle- and bone-strengthening activity per week. When your child takes three of Gracie Barra Chesterfield martial arts for kids classes a week, they meet the recommendation. Also, a recent Harvard Health study showed that a 125-pound person can burn 300 calories in just 30 minutes while practicing martial arts.
Memorization
Retention is an important skill to master. Young kids studying martial arts at Gracie Barra Chesterfield are taught to memorize important personal details. This may include their address, phone number, and a parent’s cell number. In an emergency, this information is crucial, and also goes hand-in-hand with our self-defense teachings, but it’s the concept of memorization that serves them for years to come. As your children work through the various levels of martial arts for kids, they’ll need to also memorize maneuvers and poses.
Teamwork
While the practice of martial arts is highly introspective, there are exercises and activities that call for teamwork. Partnering with classmates to practice various strikes or blocks provides an opportunity to master the art of working with others.Gracie Barra martial arts for kids require students to practice moves on each other (sparring) once they reach a certain level. This is one of the many social benefits of martial arts. This gives kids the skills needed to pursue positive social interaction at school and in other activities. The Gracie instructors also teach the kids to be respectful of one another and to encourage and support each other on their martial arts journeys.
Respect
The study of martial arts has long been tied to the concept of respect. It is one of the core values of Gracie Barra. From day one, kids will respect our instructors, as well as their parents, teachers, siblings, and peers. This concept is taught immediately by requiring eye contact, obedience, and the trademark martial arts bow. By stressing the importance of respect in the Gracie Barra gym, your children learn to transfer this to everyday life.
Increased Confidence and Self-Esteem
Enrolling your child in Gracie Barra martial arts for kids classes does amazing things for their confidence. Unlike team sports, the only person to compete against is yourself. This speaks to the many mental benefits of martial arts. While some kids struggle with the highly competitive nature of teams and the idea of letting others down, martial arts for kids can boost their confidence through slow and steady growth as an individual. The Gracie Barra Chesterfield classes are rooted in teaching the importance of personal growth rather than competition, so there is no pressure for your child to compare themselves to others. Starting martial arts at Gracie Barra helps your child feel more confident in themselves in everything they do.
Gracie Barra Chesterfield Martial Arts for Kids: The Programs
Give us a call today to get started at 314-861-9635 or contact us online. Some of our top martial arts for kids classes include:
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
- Karate
- Kickboxing
- Tae Kwon Do
- Judo
- Aikido
Considered the best martial arts for kids’ self defense as it teaches you skills that you can use against bigger and stronger opponents. Gracie Barra Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uses grappling techniques that focus on distance control, leverage, positioning, and submissions, rather than striking or kicking. Gracie Barra jiu jitsu is the best martial art for kids because it is not based on power, which gives smaller participants a chance to defend themselves.
One of the most practiced martial arts in the world, karate is a popular starting point for kids. In traditional karate, it is believed that the self is the real enemy, so the original teachings have a strong concentration on spiritual development, self control, patience, and discipline. Karate makes use of balanced, full-body maneuvers and training focuses on blocks, strikes, punches, evasions, and kicks that help your kids counterstrike.
Also a great tool for self defense, as well as for kids, kickboxing forbids using anything but your hands and feet when attacking an opponent, as well as attacking an opponent’s groin, legs, or back. This martial art for kids requires good form, mindfulness, respect, and being strategic.
Much like karate, Tae Kwon Do is a great martial art for kids because the training focuses on patience and discipline. Tae Kwon Do has a stronger concentration on leg work and kicks than karate does, so, if your kids are interested in fast and elaborate kicks, Tae Kwon Do might be the best martial arts for them. Your kids will still learn blocks, takedowns, throws, punches, joint locks, and strikes.
Translated to “gentle way,” judo is a system of unarmed combat and techniques used to throw, pin, or master an opponent. Our Gracie Barra techniques are generally intended to turn an opponent’s force to your kids’ advantage rather than to oppose it directly. Judo is a good way to teach kids structure and discipline.
If you’re looking for nonviolent styles, then aikido is probably the best martial arts for your kids to learn. It doesn’t have the best reputation for self defense, as it isn’t very powerful against other people experienced in attacks, however it is useful against unskilled people who lack control as it has a focus on wrist locks and controlling arm direction.
At Gracie Barra Chesterfield we teach a collaboration of principles of several different styles of martial arts for kids. While a specific class may be titled Kickboxing for Kids or Kids Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, it will have numerous fundamental teachings and applications. For more information on our school or classes, give us a call today at 314-861-9635 or contact us.
The Best In Martial Arts For Kids | Gracie Barra Chesterfield
Our instructors are skilled martial arts coaches as well as exemplary role models for children. They are perceptive to the needs and sensitivities of kids, and know how to encourage them and give them the tools they need to succeed. Gracie Barra Chesterfield provides a great way to expose your children to the countless life lessons and interpersonal skills and values through martial arts for kids.
We know you want the best for your children, so visit the home of the area’s best martial arts for kids — Gracie Barra Chesterfield. Register your children today or learn more about our martial arts for kids programs by stopping by our new gym, calling us at 314-861-9635, or contacting us online.