There are so few physical activities that family’s can do together. This is another reason I love Martial Arts. Other then the extreme youth for example: one or two years old, and the elderly ages, all family members can participate in training. Some techniques maybe simplified for the younger ages and some of the more physical movements may be toned down for the elderly participants, but overall the whole family can practice together. In Martial Arts we just divide up the curriculum to fit the needs of that particular age group and physical ability.
This wasn’t always the case. Martial Arts training these days are different in many ways then how we use to train in the 1980’s. Back then it was mostly young adult males, (sort of like Mixed Martial Arts is today) women and children were kind of looked at as a joke. But certain pioneers discovered that women and children probably benefit the most from Martial Arts. They were not afraid of being ridiculed by having them as students. I commend them. They have brought Martial Arts to the modern times. It’s not just for warriors only.
I think a whole society being brought up training in Martial Arts, with its values and philosophy, would make for a better country. Every day we witness the positive effects Martial Arts training has on students. It’s so good to see families train together. We like to say “A family that kicks together, sticks together!” It’s truly amazing to see small child start training at 4 years old and continue up to college age. The student experiences fantastic results through this training. It’s also great to see a mom or dad build their confidence and stretch their paradigm of themselves by training in Martial Arts. I highly recommend more familys get involved in training. We offer family rates as an incentive (little sales pitch).
This article was written by Master Jack DeSousa 7th Dan Black Belt in Taekwon-Do. Master DeSousa also has ranking in Hapkido and has been in the Martial Arts since 1982. Master DeSousa served in the US Air force and has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of New Hampshire.
Master DeSousa founded Martial Arts Advantage (formerly known as North West Taekwon-Do in 2003.
Martial Arts Advantage recently was voted the top school for 2018 from the UTA (United Taekwon-Do Alliance).
Martial Arts Advantage is located in Centerton AR, but also serves Bentonville, Gravette, Bella Vista, Cave Springs Pea Ridge, and Rogers. Our school is proud to have graduated over 130 Black Belts, making the communities of Northwest Arkansas better, one Black Belt at a time.