In today’s culture, we are constantly fighting the screen time battle. Knowing how much is too much, whether it’s getting in the way of our kids’ development, whether they should be getting more exercise instead — it’s a lot to consider.
While we should certainly have more grace for ourselves (Take a deep breath; their brains aren’t ruined!), there are a ton of creative ways to get your child excited about moving their body and enjoying physical activity as well. Team sports, dance, jumping on the trampoline, rock climbing, hiking — any of these are great options, but one of the most unique is ninja training.
What’s ninja training? It’s a series of high-energy classes combining obstacle training, gymnastics, martial arts and more, giving your kids a super fun outlet to get exercise, learn new skills and build confidence.
Ninja training brings together elements from several sport disciplines to teach children:
1. Perseverance and hard work
In ninja training classes, children are faced with skills and obstacles they have never faced before. That means they won’t always be successful on the first try, but that’s okay. This teaches them to keep trying and work hard to strengthen their skills so they can improve from class to class, level to level.
2. Agility, dexterity + balance
The obstacles, gymnastics elements and martial arts skills in ninja training all require qualities like agility, dexterity and balance to perform. Not every child will begin with natural abilities in these areas, but practice and repetition through ninja classes can increase these skills and strengthen their bodies in the process.
3. Respect + listening skills
Ninjas in training must learn to respect their leaders and have self-discipline like listening skills if they want to succeed. Having your child learn to meet these expectations in other environments besides your home or at school gives them extra practice and reinforces the life skills you want them to have as adults.
4. Self-confidence
Even for the most naturally timid child, ninja training can build self-confidence. Children learn they can do difficult things — that they are strong and capable. They learn interpersonal skills that benefit them in other areas of their lives, which gives them even more positive interactions with others in their lives. Seeing the progress they make gives them a boost of self-confidence to accomplish even more outside the gym.
5. The importance of physical activity
Moving our bodies is important for staying healthy and strong. Ninja classes are a great way to teach children that exercise doesn’t have to be boring, and feeling strong builds their self confidence. Taking good care of their bodies (and how to have fun at the same time!) is a value they will take with them the rest of their lives.
By teaching these skills and values, ninja training is a great way to invest in whole-child development – mentally, physically, socially and emotionally. The variety of activities and positive atmosphere of the classes keep kids engaged and give them a fun outlet to get exercise and burn off some energy.
Interested in trying out ninja training? Perpetual Motion offers several unique classes for children ages 2-13. Learn more about our classes here or give us a call any time at 219-476-7209.