Confidence is more than just a feeling. It’s having full trust in your abilities and your power.  When you have confidence, the world becomes an entirely different place.  I’m sure you’ve known one person whose confidence level was so great everyone knew there was something different about them.  When faced with new situations and endeavors, they act INSPITE of their fears – they are never afraid to shine.  This is true confidence and courage.

One of the best ways to develop confidence in any individual is by developing the feeling of competence.  This means enabling your child to be good at something.  Every child holds this wish – to be really good at something – to feel special with their ability. In turn, competence develops into confidence which is the solid basis for self-esteem.

So how do you achieve confidence when you don’t have much or any at all? The answer is by performing well.  It is that simple and that challenging.

For example, with Tae Kwon Do kicks, if your child can hit the target every time and produce a loud noise, it just feels right.  Knowing they can perform this kick every time and is praised for their efforts adds to their confidence level. The same thing occurs when your child performs well at the test and is happy with their performance and when they break a board on their first try.

You will notice there are students who wear black pants and/or a full black uniform.  These students have earned the right to wear them through projects at home, school and the academy signifying they are becoming more ready for a leadership role.  We first teach them how to become a self-leader, then how to lead others.  This builds a great deal of confidence in the students.  They know they are being trusted by the Instructor and other students to set an example and guide lower belts.

Confidence can be developed through action, and when your children see the results, their confidence goes up. Parents, because their confidence may not be outwardly obvious, what you say is very important. When your child leaves the dojang, you can say to him or her, “Hey, your kick was good” Or “Way to go!”  These motivational statements will go a long way in your children’s psyche.