Martial Arts For Toddlers
Perth

The short answer is YES! As children grow, they go through different stages of physical and mental development. One of the most crucial stages, which can have far reaching effects in later life, is when children are first beginning to develop their physical strength and coordination. This typically happens from around 18 months to 6 years of age. At Premier Martial Art and Fitness Academy we offer junior martial arts classes in Perth that are suited to all stages of your child’s development. Our Mini Little Champions classes are designed to help toddlers from 18 months to 3 years learn to move their bodies in a coordinated manner and build a strong athletic foundation for later life.

Martial arts is the perfect way to make sure that toddlers make the best possible start to life by staying active and learning to love physical activity. On top of that, training in martial arts at Premier Academy builds muscle and increase cardiovascular performance, ensuring that your toddler is fit and healthy. The movements involved in martial arts will challenge and build motor skills, flexibility, reflexes and dexterity, which help develop a toddler’s athleticism. This helps create a good athletic base for toddlers that will help them excel in all other physical activities when they get to school.

On top of the physical skills there are important mental elements that toddlers can learn from training in the martial arts at Perth’s Premier Academy. Through classes in the martial arts, a toddler will learn focus, patience, restraint, and the many qualities that come with discipline. The same level of discipline and focus obtained from practicing martial arts will become a part of their daily lives, providing a valuable foundation for when they start school. Respect is a big part of martial arts and its traditions. Toddlers will learn to be well mannered and respectful not only to their instructors, but towards everyone else as well.

A lack of confidence and self-esteem can be detrimental and plague a toddler for the rest of his or her life. The satisfaction of learning and achieving in martial arts will strengthen a toddler’s self-belief. Martial arts doesn’t just strengthen the body, it strengthens the mind as well. A strong mind is a powerful tool to help toddlers overcome tough times and succeed in all areas of their life.

While martial arts teaches the importance of teamwork, it is also one of the few activities that requires a practitioner to be self-reliant and independent. Learning how to do a technique or progressing to the next level is completely based on the hard work and commitment put in by an individual, giving your toddler the chance to excel when the time comes to be independent.

Finally, toddlers will learn how to defend themselves. One of biggest concerns parents have is that their children would not be able to defend him or herself in times of need (i.e. being bullied). On top of teaching children to avoid trouble altogether, martial arts will also prepare them both mentally and physically to defend themselves should the need ever arise.

There are been countless stories of how enrolling kids in martial arts has changed their lives through the many benefits that come with practicing martial arts. These benefits go beyond just keeping them fit and healthy – they provide qualities and life lessons that are undeniably valuable to a growing toddler. Here are nine major benefits that your toddler will get from the Premier Academy Mini Little Champions program: Premier Martial Arts and Fitness Academy focuses on individual growth, not on team competition. Many toddlers will struggle with the pressure of having to compete with other kids. So traditional sports may not appeal to them. But in martial arts, the focus is on self-improvement. There’s no “letting down the team.”

Some toddlers may feel like they never “win” at anything. In martial arts, toddlers work at their own pace. They’re awarded a different coloured belt every time they reach a new skill level. This can boost self-esteem and keep them motivated.

At Perth’s Premier Academy, routines are broken down into manageable chunks. A technique or form in martial arts can have dozens of different movements. But toddlers learn gradually, repeating and adding steps as they go. They learn to anticipate which step comes next and eventually put everything together into fluid movements. All of this gives working memory a workout, but in a way that toddlers find manageable.

Perth’s Premier Academy emphasizes self-control and concentration. A technique or form in martial arts can have dozens of different movements. But toddlers learn gradually, repeating and adding steps as they go. They learn to anticipate which step comes next and eventually put everything together into fluid movements. All of this gives working memory a workout, but in a way that toddlers find manageable.

At Perth’s Premier Martial Arts and Fitness Academy there is a big focus on coordination. The deliberate, repetitive movements of martial arts can help toddlers develop a better feel for their body in space, which can be useful to toddlers who struggle with motor skills. This may also help some toddlers sort out their handedness early, which is proven to be one of the best predictors of early success in reading and writing.

The instructors at Premier Academy provide structure and clear expectations for behaviour in all classes. Good martial arts instructors have clear rules and constantly reinforce them. They also emphasize good behaviour both in and out of class. At Perth’s Premier Academy, they will even hold students back from grading if their behaviour outside the Academy is not up to the standard set by their parents!

Premier Martial Arts and Fitness Academy provides a safe outlet for excess energy. Contrary to what some might expect, martial arts don’t encourage violent behaviour. In fact, Premier Academy instructors consistently emphasize that fighting is a last resort. At the same time, kicking, punching and wrestling can allow toddlers to work out frustration or anger, while also practicing self-control.

The environment at Premier Academy is accepting and communal. Respect is a core value in martial arts. Toddlers are expected to show it for their instructor and their peers. Negativity is not tolerated in class, and students are encouraged to support each other.

It can be very hard to compare different martial arts schools when looking for where you toddler should train. No matter what style of martial arts, all good schools should offer a free trial lesson or two, or a low-cost introductory program. These are a great way to try out a martial arts school and see if the school is a good fit for you and your toddler. Perth’s Premier Martial Arts and Fitness Academy offers new customers a free trial lesson, a beginner’s program and also runs a very popular School Holiday Program during every school break.  A school worth considering will have professional, highly trained instructors who hold black belts recognised beyond the actual martial arts school, such as those certified by Taekwondo’s Kukkiwon in Korea. Also, look for a school that has its own Instructor Training Program, and where all of their instructors have been trained “in house”. All instructors at Premier Academy are Kukkiwon-certified black belts, have been training with the Academy since White Belt, have obtained other qualifications or are currently studying at University or TAFE, and all Premier employees hold valid Working with Children cards.

A key feature to look for is Instructor to student ratios – look for school’s that make sure that large classes have more than one instructor, especially in beginner’s classes. All toddler’s classes at Premier Martial Arts and Fitness Academy have at least one instructor per six students to make sure you child gets the best possible start to their martial arts journey. A comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum goes hand in hand with good instructors as any martial arts school worth investing your toddler’s time (and your money) in will have a comprehensive, age-appropriate curriculum. Their program will be based on student’s mental growth as much as their physical development. At Premier Academy our curriculum for toddlers is divided into phases based on their age and experience. Classes should be differentiated by age and experience as this is essential for your child to get the best outcomes possible from their training. Perth’s Premier Martial Arts and Fitness Academy offers over 150 different classes a week, all divided by age and belt level in order to provide the most appropriate training environment for every student. This structure also provides a clear progression for students as they get older and more experienced.

All martial arts schools should offer a clean and safe training environment. The training floor should be fully matted, with range of age-appropriate punching and kicking targets available. There should be toilets and changing facilities available as well. This sort of environment is best provided by a purpose-built building such as at Perth’s Premier Academy. Here there are four different training floors, all fully matted and each fully equipped with a range of age-appropriate equipment. A good school will also offer flexible membership options ranging from month to month arrangements to fixed term memberships. There should be flexible payment schedules on weekly, fortnightly or monthly frequencies. Most professional schools will use an outside company to collect their fees as they are usually too busy teaching students to chase after late payments! While most schools will ask you to commit to a fixed membership term, this is not something that you should be wary of as training in the martial arts is primarily about commitment.