By Jeremy Patton

Parents should teach their child the importance of finishing what he or she starts and having perseverance when the going gets tough. Martial arts are a perfect tool to teach this lesson because they require discipline, patience and commitment. We should never force a kid to participate in a sport he absolutely hates, but sometimes he needs a little push on lazy evenings.

Some parents complain that coaxing their kid to go to class can be a real hassle. He has a great time once he arrives, but it is a chore to get him off the couch and out the door.

Here is one way to make the trip much more appealing.

Try to recall some instances when he did not want to leave the house. What activities was he engaged in at those moments? Was he taking out the trash or doing his homework? Probably not. More likely, he was trying to complete a level in Super Mario Brothers or watching Looney Tunes.

If you tear him away from an activity he loves and drag him to class, martial arts will seem like a punishment and he will resent it.

So the solution to this problem is scheduling. Make a list of all the daily chores that your child is required to do. Could you schedule any of these duties when he gets home from school? Could video game time be bumped to later in the evening, like after dinner? Can cartoons be recorded and watched before going to bed?

Simply switching up the schedule can make him motivated and excited about going to class. Instead of interrupting beloved activities, you are temporarily absolving him of his responsibilities and rewarding him for a job well done by taking him to one of his favorite activities. For many parents, this is also their carrot on a stick for inspiring completed chores, improved behavior and better grades.

Resist the temptation to arbitrarily invent chores for this purpose, otherwise little Johnny will resent martial arts even more. Implement these changes gradually and in small increments so that your strategy is not blatantly obvious.

Martial arts is one of the most beneficial sports for children. When your kid starts complaining about going to class, it can be frustrating, but switching up the schedule and making martial arts part of a reward system is sometimes all it takes to keep him training happily for years.