How Parents Can Empower Their Child to Overcome Challenges and Thrive in Martial Arts...
Dear Parents,
I highly encourage you to take in this sage advice from Olympic Medalist and Coach Jimmy Pedro.
Here's a summary of what he has to offer.
1. Introduction
"My name is Jimmy Pedro. I'm a two-time Olympic medalist, two-time Olympic judo coach, and 1999 world champion in the sport of judo. Parents, I'm giving you a little advice. I've been in martial arts my entire life."
2. Addressing the Issue of Quitting
"I've heard it from many students and many parents, 'What do I do when my kid wants to quit?' Well, this is the response. We've heard the cliche a million times: quitters never win, and winners never quit. But it's true. Some things in life are hard, and life is hard. Along the way, there are going to be many challenges that your child will face. If you allow them to quit and not finish what they started, that will become a habit."
3. The Importance of Perseverance
"Regardless of the length of the program that you've signed your child up for, if you believe that martial arts training is good for your child, it's no different than making them eat vegetables because you know vegetables are good for their health, or making them finish school because you know it's necessary for future success. I guarantee your child will become either burnt out or tired or want to quit in their martial arts training."
4. Choices Parents Can Make
"You have two choices: you can either allow them to quit, which then might become a habit of quitting things often, or you could push them and encourage them to persevere, to not quit, to finish what they started, to do what they set out to do."
5. Personal Experience and Challenges
"I did not become an Olympic medalist or world champion because everything was easy. There were many times in my career that I wanted to quit. Many times I suffered losses, that I cried on the stands of a stadium, knowing that I didn't achieve my goal. Those were difficult, dark moments. All champions face them in life, and it is no different than being faced with a difficult challenge in your everyday life, whether it's a bully that comes along, or whether it's a job that you didn't get, or a school that you didn't get into."
6. Building Character
"It is those moments that define character. If your child is going to succeed, you cannot allow them to quit. You've got to encourage them to work harder, to do things differently, to work smarter, but to persevere. Perseverance is the true attribute of a champion."
7. Encouragement and Conclusion
"All champions, at one point in time, had to overcome difficulty, had to overcome challenge, had to face their fears. But one thing is for sure: you cannot succeed if you don't step on the line, you don't give yourself a chance to win. There's nobody that was a hero that didn't get up and overcome obstacles or take the risk that no one else was willing to take. So, I encourage all of you, in this darkest time, in this challenging time where your child wants to quit something, encourage them to do the right thing, to follow through, finish what they started, and see what happens. Hopefully, they become a black belt and they're armed for success in life. I wish you the best of luck."