According to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, youth fitness in the United States has not improved in the past few years, and in some cases has declined. American Children have become more obese since the 1960’s and 40 percent of all children ages 5-8 exhibit at least one risk factor that can lead to heart disease, including physical inactivity, obesity, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Technology, including video games, television and computers, has promoted physical inactivity in our children while attempting to stimulate their minds. Although in moderation activities like video games have benefits like increased hand-eye coordination, many children seem to spend too much time with them at the expense of their physical development. A good number of children become involved in sports, but sometimes team sports are limited in improving self confidence and physical ability. Other activities such as bicycling, skateboarding and rollerblading sometimes include a high risk of injury.

A complete martial arts program can be the balancing factor in your child’s physical and emotional development. Children who practice Chung Moo Doe martial arts has can develop all muscle groups, joint strength, skeletal structure, connective tissues, balance, coordination, control and elasticity, all of which are important in helping your child excel physically while minimizing the risk of injury. Children enrolled in a Chung Moo Doe program will also learn how to fall safely, an important skill to prevent injury over a lifetime.

The positive, encouraging atmosphere of a well-run children’s martial arts lesson can also help your children develop confidence, respect, discipline and effective communication skills, which will provide benefits throughout life in school, business and relationships. Personal attention from the instructor can increase the potential for the development of these skills. A qualified martial arts instructor will also be able to teach children how to respond to challenging situations with patience and calmness, reducing violence and negativity.

Chung Moo Doe teaches children 8 styles of martial arts, and can draw from an unlimited variety of movements to keep them engaged. If it’s not new or interesting, kids often become bored and disinterested. The positive challenge of working on fun, new movements keeps them engaged, developing attention span and focus.

As parents we hold the key to our children’s health and well being. Physical health dramatically affects the quality of life. Why not help our children develop the attributes and habits that will improve their quality of life through a balanced martial arts program?