At PowerUP Scholarship Fund our mission is to help disadvantaged and special needs kids thrive by teaching core values through high quality martial arts mentorship. Through martial arts training, PowerUP helps young people build the skills they need for success in life. Please follow along with me while I discuss how our three core pillars (self-control, resilience, and respect) play a role in the practice of breaking boards.
One of the things that many of us think of when we consider martial arts is the amount of self-control needed to succeed in the practice. Martial arts training requires discipline and focus, which helps young people develop the self-control they need to manage their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in a healthy way. Our instructors will often tell students that breaking a board without self-control is possible, but if you can control yourself and learn how to break a board properly, you will walk away with a sense of accomplishment instead of an achy hand and splinters.
Self-control goes right along with our second pillar of resilience. Martial arts training is challenging, and practitioners are constantly pushing themselves to their physical and mental limits. They learn to take on challenges and overcome obstacles, which helps them develop the mental toughness and determination needed to bounce back from adversity. This resilience helps them to handle the challenges of life with grace and to stay focused on their goals, even in the face of setbacks. Our students may not break their boards on the first try, but, with the guidance of their sensei, they know that success will come if they keep trying.
When we survey our parents before they start martial arts classes they often comment on how they hope their children become more respectful. They may not be martial artists themselves, but the reputation for respect in martial arts is legendary and they know that respect is a critical aspect of personal development. Martial arts training teaches young people to respect themselves, their teachers, their country, and even their opponents in all aspects of life. Those same parents who comment on how they hope their child will become more respectful through PowerUP classes are often shocked when, after breaking their first board, their children are immediately ready to bow to their instructor and fall back in line rather than run around the studio to celebrate.
Whether they are breaking boards, taking tests, or helping out with household chores, PowerUP scholars are taught to take our three core pillars with them for success in all things. No matter what the task at hand is, we know that through discipline, focus, and hard work, young people learn to develop self-control, resilience, and respect.
Donate now to help us mentor and empower Atlanta’s children to break even more boards in 2023.
