Almost every doctor who deals with child or adults with Attention Deficit Disorder will agree that martial arts, if taught correctly, will help kid's or adults with ADD/ADHD, but why?
Well first any parent who has ever talked with me about this problem knows that I am apposed to drug use unless the child's safety is at risk. Drugs are a band aid solution at best. So, why does martial arts training work? Well it is a combination of exercise (aerobic) and having to focus or concentrate on what you are doing. What his means is that lung capacity and focus have a direct relationship.
It has been show that intelligence can be increased in any person, if the proper learning steps are taken. Unfortunately school in the traditional sense will not accomplish this. If you look at history you will see many examples of this phenomenon in action. Albert Einstein is one such example. As a child he was considered to be mentally retarded, horrible in math, and a waste of teaching resources. So what happened? How can I help my child to become an Einstein or can i?
Now I am not saying here that martial arts alone will turn an ADHD child into Einstien, but it can be one giant step toward the goal of curing the problem. Back when I was in grade school the average class size was 30. One teacher handled the duties day in and day out. In this class there was one or two very smart children, and there was always one who was looking at failing the grade each year. Everyone else fell into the 'average' category.
Currently researchers are looking for the reason that ADHD is on the rise in children in North America. They are looking at environmental factors as well as food etc. But they are missing one very important item, that is lifestyle! Today children are far more sedimentary. They play video games, (which does stimulate the mind) and watch TV (a huge waste of time). They do not however play the physical games that I did as a child. Now I know what some of you are thinking, your child plays soccer, hockey, karate and other activities but is still struggling in school. The reason is simple, the physical and mental must be put together in a proper sequence to see a result.
In the martial arts, and again I must say if taught by a professional martial arts instructor, the physical and mental are combined together, then we see growth in the child's mental capabilities.
Now here is an interesting experiment you can do with your child. If you have a swimming pool at home or access to one, this summer play this underwater game with your child. Take a golf ball or any other item that will sink to the bottom. Play a game to retrieve this ball from the bottom of the pool. Work at having your child swim underwater for longer and longer periods of time. This will very quickly increase your child's lung capacity. Retrieving the ball, as a game will also engage the mind. When the game is finished sit down and do some mental activity with your child. Anything, like a board game, reading etc. Over time you will see an increase in your child's focus during normal everyday activities.
Try this for July and August, you will be amazed at the difference in September.
In part 2 of this article I will explain more as to how this works. In the mean time parents, pay attention to how you breath when you are focusing to accomplish a task. Look for changes in your breathing pattern.
Yours in raising strong, confident children,
Master Art Mason
Founder: Art Mason's Peaceful Warriors' Martial Arts Institute
