Martial arts benefit children and young people in many ways. They help improve focus, build mental clarity, and strengthen physical endurance. However, most young people can only access martial arts if they can afford expensive private lessons since these sports are not widely taught in schools.

Martial arts are already part of the school physical education curriculum in certain places such as Japan. Should our schools add martial arts to their curriculum as well?

The Benefits of Martial Arts in Schools

Martial arts provide physical and mental health benefits that could help students lead healthier lifestyles. Practitioners of martial arts report improved self-esteem, which is particularly important for vulnerable teenagers. They also have better strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Right now, most physical education curriculums focus on team sports. Adding martial arts to schools would give students another option to build a healthier lifestyle and show their skills.

Finally, teaching martial arts in schools could combat stereotypes about these disciplines. Martial arts are unfairly labeled as violent even though many practitioners are highly disciplined and you can have controlled bouts. There are also gentler martial arts such as tai chi.

The Drawbacks of Martial Arts in Schools

Making martial arts a mandatory part of the curriculum might be a bad idea because these disciplines are not for everyone. The learning curve is steep for students who are not used to moving in this way. Students may also have personal reasons for not wanting to engage in such a close-contact sport.

Although they are based on discipline, one cannot deny that martial arts also contain a level of violence. It would be easy for a student to get hurt since a physical education teacher cannot supervise so many students at once.

Finally, schools have limited resources. Martial arts require trained instructors and plenty of space. That might come at the expense of other, more inclusive sports.

While martial arts could be a good addition to a physical education curriculum, they are not the right choice for everyone.