How Martial Arts Helps Those That Struggle With Team Sports and Social interaction.

Martial arts is excellent for those that struggle with social interaction as well as those that struggle with playing team sports. I started martial arts training when I was fifteen and have continued for the past 33 years. When I was young, I was terrible at group sports. I got so confused trying to remember what each person was supposed to do, what I was supposed to do, how we were all supposed to interact, what rules were most important. In short, group sports had too many moving parts for me.

In addition to group sports having too many parts and being confusing, I am and was socially awkward. Most people can't tell anymore but it just added to the trouble back then. Over the last 23 years of teaching, I have seen this dynamic replay hundreds of times. So...how does martial arts help?

Let's start with social interaction issues.

1) Martial arts training helps those that struggle with social interaction by having the student blend into a group. Everyone is doing the same thing. This removes the anxiety of everyone watching them.

2) Martial arts has them work as an individual and not as part of a team. They gain confidence that they can do what everyone else is doing.

3) They are paired with one other person that usually knows what they are doing and helps the students become better. This one is huge! The benifits of this one alone is staggering. This process repeats over and over with most/all of the students. The new student is exposed to new people in social interactions yet they already have something in common. Over time and repeated exposure they naturally find other things to talk about. Even more, if a student stays long enough, they become the helper and learn social interaction from the side of the insider and not the new person.

4) Over time strong friendships form and there is a community where socially awkward people feel at home, are known, and are accepted.

Now let's examine why Martial Arts training is good for those that struggle with team/organized sports.

Basically it's very simple... You are spoon fed what you need to do almost every step of the way. You are told how to stand and when you stand incorrectly, you are corrected again and again until you get it right. This process repeats over and over on everything from moving to punching, to kicking, to reversing to throwing, to submitting. Sure there are some aspects that are free flowing like sparring, combinations, and a few other things but there are still basic guidelines that are given to help. On top of that, help is always available.

If you or someone you know is socially awkward or struggles with organized sports and are looking for a place for social interaction with others who understand, looking for fitness/stress relief/or some sport, we would love to interact with you. We are located in the Shawnee Mall in Shawnee, Ok. next to Bath and Body Works.

Be Blessed,

Coach Chance