If you ask a young child what they want to be when they grow up, they may say an astronaut, a professional sports person, or a famous celebrity or performer; a heroic figure of some sort. Kids always want to be the most incredible things. Children have an innate confidence in their ability to do anything they want to do; but then something changes. Sometimes that uncorrupted self-confidence just disappears. Upon leaving school many lack the confidence to pursue their dreams, or even to get the most basic job.

How does this happen? Is it learned through an accumulation of negative messages or from the endless comparisons children face between each other in person and in all forms of media?

“You aren’t as smart as your brother.”

“You aren’t fast (or big, or thin, or talented) enough.”

“You’re a bad boy!”

At some point, peer pressure rears its ugly head. “Hey, it’s stupid to try hard. It’s not cool to do well in school. Why don’t you be like the rest of us?”

The Greatest Asset

Self-confidence is the greatest asset a person can have. A person with self-confidence and belief cuts a wide path through life. Doors open that remain shut for the timid. The person with fearless self-confidence experiences all the excitement life has to offer!

Imagine your child conquering personal fears and self-doubt; replacing those thoughts with the confidence to move outside their comfort zone, to work hard, to overcome fear of failure and to take responsibility for themselves, without being a victim of circumstances.

We hear it on the football ground, soccer field, and even at the local pool. We hear it from friends, coaches and parents. It’s that all important refrain, “You can do it!”

Unfortunately, most people never hear it directed to them, or on the rare occasion that they do hear it, they don’t believe it. By the time they become teenagers, most people lack the self-esteem to confidently accept this type of encouragement.

Setting a goal and seeing it through to its accomplishment requires the realisation that the goal is not just possible, but it will happen. There comes a time during every worthy pursuit that a person has the realisation he or she will actually be successful, and in most cases will exceed the initial expectation. This moment of clarity – when the impossible seems possible – is the greatest builder of self-confidence and belief.

Sometimes it happens to an individual without any external influence from family, friends, or others. But as parents and teachers we cannot assume that our students will have this experience of epiphany that they truly have what it takes.  So, it is necessary that they receive direct input from us.

When a person gathers the self-confidence to strive for a challenging goal, it is usually because somebody encouraged the belief that they could do it. That person could be a parent, a schoolteacher, a coach or their martial arts teacher.

We, as parents and teachers, have the privilege and the responsibility to be influential and create positive change in our children’s/students’ lives.

We understand that confidence is a prized possession that can be learned, practiced and rehearsed; it is more of a skill than an attitude. We strive to reinforce confident behaviour, and all approximations of confident behaviour, with positive feedback.

You may notice that our Success Martial Arts teachers have specific strategies based on proven psychology to build this level of confidence. One is the idea that our students rise to our expectations of them.

That’s what I like about you!

For example, imagine that a young student approaches their teacher and says that they have a bandage on their finger and doesn’t think they can do pushups in that class. The teacher responds with, “That’s what I like about you Sam. You can train hard and do pushups even when you have a bandage on your finger!”

Instead of falling into the trap of sympathising or agreeing with students’ diminished view of themselves, we make sure we build up their confidence by always sharing with them, “That’s what I like about you!”

This gives the child a brand-new way to think about themselves. We are literally putting new confidence-building words into their heads for them to use later about themselves.

Rather than being disappointed or criticizing, we turn the situation into a challenge for the student to perform at a higher level, even though they feel they are facing a difficulty.

Martial Arts – The Secret Weapon of Confidence.

A common progression for a child beginning at SMA is going from being shy, scared to walk into the martial arts school, to being a student, to being a confident student, to being a confident person and a confident leader.

We help the students have small successes, followed by bigger challenges and successes and then constantly remind them of their success after drills, classes, inhouse tournaments, belt presentations etc.

Prepare the Child for the Road, not the Road for the Child.

As teachers, we make a promise not to put our students in harms way. At the same time, it is our responsibility to present our students with challenges where if they focus and do their best, they WILL be successful and along the way learn the self-confidence not to be afraid to try new things.

We prepare them to have confidence for life.

Our Inhouse Tournaments and Belt Presentation Ceremonies are two of our “secret weapons” in developing this confidence. Performing or speaking in public is one of the biggest fears that many people have. Therefore we give our students opportunities, in a safe, controlled environment, to challenge themselves to grow, to get stronger, and be recognised and rewarded for their efforts. They face their fear… and conquer it!

Few things can boost self-confidence like facing a fear and coming out of it successfully. That’s why our Inhouse Tournaments and Belt Presentation Ceremonies are so important for developing fearless self-confidence and belief.

TRY US AND SEE FOR YOURSELF

Introduce your child to the martial arts. Watch enthusiastically as your child increases in confidence and begins to break the hold of self-defeating thoughts, such as…

• “I’m so dumb.”
• “Why do they always pick on me?”
• “I can’t do it.”
•  “Nobody likes me.”

THE SMA “KIDS SUPERPOWERS” INTRO PROGRAM

Smile as your child gains power from the ability to be confident yet respectful. In one short lesson, your child will end up with real-life “Success Skills” that they can put to powerful use right now, today.

Here’s how it works:

Your child begins by learning the profound influence of the martial arts “attention” stance and the “bow.” Watch as they:

• Gain confidence with “R.A.D – Five Steps to Self-Defense Awareness Every Child Should Know”
• Build rapport with a super role model Black Belt instructor.

Your first session includes a visit to our full-time facility right here in South Lismore, a private lesson, and a Student Parent Conference. During this visit, you become acquainted with our program. We will meet one-on-one to discuss your child’s needs and progress and to answer questions you may have.