The discipline of karate is both a challenge to the body and mind. It offer physical benefits for adults and children who take part in karate classes and programs. Children, especially, need the physical benefits provided by karate as they go through important phases of development.
Aerobic Effects
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that all children get at least an hour of aerobic exercise everyday, and a karate class easily helps your child meet this requirement. Karate moves, like kicks, chops and basic sparring, require movements that increase the heart and respiratory rate of your child. This increase helps burn calories, which in turn can help your child maintain a healthy weight.
Strength Training
Along with aerobic exercise, the CDC recommends that all children get at least three days a week of strength training activities. They need these activities to encourage healthy muscle growth and development. Karate helps strength train through basic karate movements but also through the physical training that most karate classes provide. These trainings often use basic resistance exercises like situps, pushups, lunges and squats to build the muscles needed to perform more advanced moves.
Bone Development
Actions like jumping during kicks and chops in karate encourage an increase in bone mineralization which strengthen the developing bones of children. These karate exercises place stress on a child's bones, causing osteoblast cells to rush to the site of stress to model and strengthen it. In fact, the CDC recommends that children include at least three days a week of activities that strengthen bones, such as jumping or running.
Building Habits
Karate supports the physical growth of children overall by encouraging and developing healthy fitness habits. With 72 million estimated adults struggling with obesity, according to statistics provided by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, healthy habits are needed at a young age for children to develop at a healthy weight. This reduces the risks of a wide range of diseases as the child grows older, from diabetes and heart diseases to even some forms of cancer.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Much Physical Activity Do Children Need?
- University of New Mexico: Exercise and Bone Strength; Mariana Shedden, M.S, et al.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Obesity - Halting the Epidemic by Making Health Easier At A Glance 2011
- Parenting; Karate Kids: The Benefits of Martial Arts; Alison Hendrie
- MayoClinic.com: Fitness for Kids: Getting Children Off the Couch
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