Did you know that there are mental benefits of taekwondo aside from feeling amazing after a workout? A lot of people see taekwondo as a purely physical sport…. But it actually requires quite a bit of mental stamina and self-talk. We help hundreds of people in our Kaizen Martial Arts community transform into the best versions of themselves through the power of taekwondo and self-defense. Here’s how:
Confidence is a Huge Advantage of Taekwondo
There’s probably an area of your life that you already feel confident in, like your performance at your job or your ability to be there for your spouse when they need you. You might already feel confident in your body and even hit the gym every day.
But how confident do you feel in your ability to protect yourself? If it came down to it, would you know how to defend yourself against an attacker? Would you know how to save the lives of the people you love?
Self-Respect: A Little-Known Benefit
These questions are not fun, but you know what’s less fun- not knowing self-defense in an emergency and wishing you did! Learning self-defense to keep yourself and the people you love safe from harm is so important. It’s why our mission is to teach everyone in Monrovia how to defend themselves against an attacker.
It’s not just because it literally saves lives, either: imagine how much more confident you could be if you were sure you could handle any physical situation that came your way. That knowledge of self-defense would just be one more thing for you to feel confident about. It’s a huge mental benefit of taekwondo.
How These Mental Benefits Change Lives
So confidence is important, yes – but why is self-respect important? Because once you learn to respect yourself and your body, you begin making better choices. Once you start taking taekwondo classes, you may notice you feel more energized. You may start to want to eat healthier and think, “I wouldn’t be respecting my body if I ate this…
I want to feel amazing so I’ll skip the chips.” You may also find yourself wanting to take a walk in the afternoon or finally making time for a hike with a friend. This just makes you even more confident because you’re doing what’s right for you, you have more energy to do things you love, and you feel in alignment with your best self. The voice in your head saying “Let’s eat better” or “Go for that run” is finally being heard. Bonus – when you respect yourself, you start to treat others with more kindness and patience because you see and respect them, too.
This makes others more confident because they feel understood, and then they pass that feeling on to others… and there’s a compound effect in the community. And then the world becomes a better place. It’s all because of this little old sport we call taekwondo.
Confidence & Self Respect- Join Us to Learn More!
We see it all the time – a new student will come in to start training, and within months, they’ll get a promotion. Or negotiate a better salary. They may even find the courage to ask someone on a date. Or speak up for themselves in an unhealthy friendship. These aren’t just crazy random happenstances – they happen because taekwondo classes build confidence and self-respect.
Plain and simple. Again, when you respect yourself, you also start to respect other aspects of your life as well. You start to realize that you deserve better treatment from others, professionally and personally, and you find the courage to stand up for what you want. Do you see now how the mental benefits of taekwondo can seriously change your life? Just these two benefits- the mix of self-respect and confidence- can help you realize that other people’s judgments and the value you place on other people’s judgments are worth less than how it feels to respect yourself.
When you know how awesome you are because you’re kicking major butt in your taekwondo classes, you’re not going to shy away from creating awesomeness in your own life. You make bold decisions in your life, embrace new opportunities, and do the things you never thought you could do. It’s awesome! Okay, one more thing. In the classic mental health sense, the benefits of taekwondo are endless. Staying active, being a part of a community, and consistently accomplishing new goals each week- are the basic building blocks of mental health that taekwondo classes can provide. Your mood and health can improve tremendously right alongside your mindset.