Through Audax martial arts training, children learn valuable lessons and acquire tools for life. In our kickboxing classes, girls have no problem training, learning, and progressing alongside boys. It doesn’t matter if they are confident, athletic, and excel from the start, or if they are more timid and need to break free from the typical « girly girl » image.

With our guidance, they confidently take on the challenges set by our instructors, and in this way, our martial arts foster their growth. I’ve seen several of these girls become fierce kickboxers and athletes.

And it’s not just children; many mothers end up putting on the gloves. One example was my student Jessica; after seeing her son Damien train for a few years, she not only ended up joining us, but she also became a fierce fighter.

In any case, the benefits of martial arts are numerous.

Here are 5 of them.

Benefits of martial arts

Martial arts for children offer numerous benefits, but the practice can be particularly enriching for girls. With the support and encouragement of their parents, girls reap the same advantages as boys. Perhaps even more so, as girls realize they can compete with boys in martial arts training.

1. Psychological benefits:

In a society obsessed with pop culture and celebrity, which I believe particularly influences girls, martial arts offer excellent guidance for children, especially girls. They receive numerous cognitive, social, and emotional benefits that translate into other areas of life. We have a modern approach to training, but we have also retained aspects of the structure and nature of traditional martial arts that instill concentration, self-control, attentiveness, and discipline. Students bow and salute their instructors, training partners, and, at Audax, even their parents. This practice demonstrates respect, humility, and honor.

Character and values ​​are often difficult to find in the images presented to our youth by the media. The mentorship provided by Audax Martial Arts instructors, always positive and trustworthy, gives children the opportunity to cultivate friendships and camaraderie with peers who, beyond practicing the same sport, learn the same values, such as respect, mutual support, and courtesy. Socialization is greatly encouraged by our group dynamics and teamwork. They are part of the Audax family and, by extension, the wider martial arts community.

2. Skills and Good Physical Fitness:

Audax Kickboxing training is an excellent way for girls of all ages to maintain their health and fitness. Downtime is quite rare in our classes, and alongside the technical skills they acquire, strength and conditioning are an integral part of the training.

The athletic skills developed in martial arts transfer quite well to other sports. These include muscular strength, speed and agility, endurance, flexibility, coordination, and balance. Even if it’s not strictly athletic, let’s not forget the most important one: self-confidence. We also encourage our students to adopt healthy eating habits and play outdoors.

For those with a more competitive spirit, we offer the opportunity to fight. Competitors are, of course, always paired according to experience and age. There is also a wide variety of rules with different striking zones and levels of contact. People can participate in light-contact tournaments and then eventually progress to full-contact fighting under K1 or Muay Thai rules. Even those who only wish to participate in light-contact kickboxing can become world champions. Kickboxing is also now recognized by the International Olympic Committee and is under consideration for inclusion as an Olympic sport.

3. Self-defense:

My perspective on “self-defense” differs somewhat from what “the market” would have you believe. My opinion is that most self-defense “techniques,” whether due to the application of the technique or the context, don’t work. I believe in teaching things you can and will actually use. If you can do it at full speed and power in our classes, there’s a greater chance it will work. We primarily focus on kickboxing and Muay Thai techniques. These have been tested in all combat sports. As the famous Bruce Lee said, “Don’t fear the one who has learned 10,000 techniques, fear the one who has practiced one 10,000 times.” Alongside this, we teach our students to identify potentially dangerous situations, be aware of their surroundings, use their voice, de-escalate a situation, and get help. There’s a “secret” saying in the combat sports community; “You don’t need self-defense when you know how to fight…”

As a parent, you might feel some relief knowing your daughter can stand up for herself. She can use strong, direct verbal communication, and her body language conveys confidence and a determination to face the situation. Bullies choose their victims—passive targets who seem less challenging. When children know your daughter won’t stay silent and is ready to fight back if necessary, she’s less likely to be bullied.

4. Life lessons:

Girls learn valuable life lessons through martial arts. The training offers children the opportunity to be challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally, and to overcome adversity.

Nothing replaces the experience of having to keep going when you’re tired; or seeing how you respond to a stronger or more skilled opponent. Always within a context of respect, integrity, and honor.

The process of acquiring new skills, practicing them, making mistakes, failing, losing, winning, and succeeding are all experiences from which girls draw strength throughout their lives. They improve through hard work, dedication, perseverance, courage, and resilience. The tangible reward for all this is promotion to a new belt. It’s also an opportunity for girls to learn what they have in common with boys and to earn their respect. For boys, it’s a chance to learn that girls can be just as fierce as they are.

These lessons build character and provide experiences they can draw upon as they mature.

5. Because it’s cool and fun!

The popularity of fighters like Rounda Rousey, who after winning an Olympic bronze medal in judo, became a UFC champion and WWE star, or our own local boxer and world champion, Kim Clavel, is inspiring a new generation of girls who would probably never have discovered martial arts.

These legitimate and accomplished champions add mainstream appeal to combat sports, especially for female athletes. Yes, martial arts can be brutal, but no one should be forced or coerced into competition, especially in combat sports.

But let’s not bury our heads in the sand. For some of us, boys AND girls, those punches, kicks, sweeps, and throws are all pretty cool moves. They’re just fun to practice. Regardless of what society thinks, boys and girls enjoy « playing rough and tumble » with their parents, siblings, and friends in a fun and non-threatening way.

I will conclude here, but there is of course a benefit number 6-7-8-9…

Share your thoughts and describe in the comments the benefits you experience from martial arts. For girls and boys, young and old.