Martial Arts Values for Kids (Hardship)

Nothing in life is easy, and a lot of kids nowadays get it easy. Martial arts is a big wake up call for most kids because they are not used to being pushed to their limit. A lot of kids will quit because of this and it is both the teachers and parents jobs to teach them the value of the hardship they are facing.

Story of Aung La N Sang and His Son

Aung La N Sang is a two-division ONE Champions World Champion. Aung La N Sang was able to build up his name and reputation through perseverance and hard work. He is now teaching those qualities to Aung De, his son. Aung De didn't like martial arts at first, until he had friends that were doing it.

"As the love for BJJ has started to grow in Aung De, his father has begun putting him into competitions in South Florida. The results have not yielded gold medals just yet, but Aung La credits that to the stiff competition in the area" Aung La N Sang said.

For a proper martial artist, glory is the least important goal while the most important is becoming the best you can be. It is said that martial arts is about the journey, not the destination. The only way to become the best you is through struggle and hard work. That is what Aung La N Sang and everyone working with Aung De is making sure happens.

“You know what's funny is it coincides with his soccer league as well. His team was filled with five year olds, six years olds. And they were competing against seven and eight year olds. They didn't win a single match the whole season” Aung La N Sang said.

Aung De hasn't done so well in competition. “So, as far as defeat goes, he's taking L's after L's after L's. But this summer, we put him in the summer camp. So he's working on his soccer skills as well. And it's all about persevering, and it's all about working hard. I wasn't the most talented guy in the room, but I always showed up” Aung La N Sang said.

“They're improving tremendously, like, I'm not even kidding. By him competing and by him training with his friends, they've made leaps and bounds as far as the skill set goes. And competition is good,” Aung La N Sang said.

Results will only come through time and improved skill but never for free, just as Aung La N Sang did. It is already starting to show for Aung De. “Like, you can say whatever you want, but competition always makes you better. How do you know that the things that you do in training works? You don't really know unless you actually put it on the line" Aung La N Sang said.

Credit - BlackBelt Mag,

Don't Be Discouraged

For kids, or everyone for that matter, it is extremely easy to get discouraged when things get hard. However as we go through more experiences and begin to understand more, we realize the importance of those struggles. For kids, it is important that they have a mentor that will guide them through that struggle. It is not about fixing their problem, but guiding them so they will learn and grow from the experience. This is what martial arts strive to teach, especially for kids, because they are the most susceptible.