Are martial arts classes really necessary?

The answer depends mostly on three things.

1. What are your core values as a parent, and what do you want for your children.
2. Who is your instructor.
3. What does he/she offer.

If you are not involved in your child's moment-by-moment growth, if you are a hands-off kind of
parent, who likes to leave the child to make his/her own decision, from as early as 5-6, to 18. If
you plan to provide everything for your child, so that they never have to know hardship, like you and
your parents did. If you what you care about are grades, grades, and even better grades. Then by
all means, martial arts training is not for your child. To put it concisely, you can't afford it.

Martial arts training aim to develop the whole person. Their physique, as well as their attitude. In martial arts, we welcome failure, just as we welcome success, for one does not exist without the other. We strive to do our best, and we learn to improve our limits and expand our comfort zone. Martial artist tend to be leaders. They don't want Mom/Dad to provide everything they want or demand, rather what they truly need. An opportunity to succeed, and the coaching to help them through it, not to guarantee success.

Martial artist put family and academics as top priorities, but realize that there are more important issues at stake here, then just great grades, great college, and high-paying jobs.
They are members of their society/village. They actively seek out to help others, not just themselves. They seek to become richer as a person, but not just in a monetary way.

So you see, the price to pay for a martial artist to become a black belt and reach beyond that, is more than the tuition you pay, it is more than the time you put to help your instructor. It is the love you put toward your training, knowing all the while that you only get, as much as you give.

Who is your teacher is a great factor. If you are a MAC-DOJO type person, whose only goal in bringing their child/themselves to class to get a belt, then you might as well not start. Because the type of training you get from those types of teachers, is only good for the four-walls that they teach in. It is a commercial enterprise, falsely presented with façade of self-improvement. If you don't want to be patient, work hard, give of your self and your talent to your friends in the martial arts school, contribute to your society, build strong character and courage. Then, don't start.

What your teacher offers, is not just a curriculum that he/she teaches. Anybody can teach you how to punch or kick, but only a master can guide you to a higher level of being. If all you think
about is punching, kicking, winning tournaments, or getting medals or trophies, so that you can show it on your college resume, then don't start.

One should start martial arts training, karate training, or other such undertakings, if one is looking beyond the obvious prize. What is this thing that I plan to do, what is its nature. That
should be your key concern. How will it make me a better person, what will do for me, that I can
then take to my family, community, and nation. How can it help me, leave my mark in a rightful and effective way on this world. If these are too complex of a question for you, then don't start.

Are martial arts classes really necessary? Well, if you can not see the importance of being courageous, kind, decisive, tenacious, hard-working, giving, active person, with tremendous amount of confidence and can do attitude, then no! They are not necessary.

If making a life is more important to you than just making a living, if being involved, is more important to you, then what you are entitled to, if you can see how important your role, as a single individual contributing, to his/her society is more important, then what you alone want.
Then may be you should be starting martial arts.

Remember, better to never start. But if start, better finish.