Martial Arts for Kids

Summer is here and I find my son has far too much idle time…hanging out in the school with us all day…

I wanted to get him started into martial arts anyway, however, I don’t know if this is an appropriate time to begin (he’ll be 6 in Nov). Also, I have no idea which one to choose.

I don’t really want him learning something aggressively violent, but I do want him to know how to knock someone down if trouble presents itself…so that he can run away.

Also, there is a chance that he will inheret my spinal arthritis, so I hope to offset this possibility with a lifetime of exercise/fun (his life).

Any suggestions?

jdsmith, I have to say that I think judo is a great martial art for kids.

It’s non-aggressive (I’ve never met a nasty judo guy), a great workout, a toughen-upper, and your kid will certainly learn how to put someone on the ground without breaking his knuckles - and if you’ve ever been thrown by a judo guy, you’ll know that it makes you want to stay on the ground. He’d certainly have time to get away; if not, he’ll be controlling the guy on the ground.

There are many judo schools around, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for kids. I loved doing it when I was a kid. Judokas are very confident, respectful people.

Good luck!

[quote=“Stray Dog”]jdsmith, I have to say that I think judo is a great martial art for kids.

It’s non-aggressive (I’ve never met a nasty judo guy), a great workout, a toughen-upper, and your kid will certainly learn how to put someone on the ground without breaking his knuckles - and if you’ve ever been thrown by a judo guy, you’ll know that it makes you want to stay on the ground. He’d certainly have time to get away; if not, he’ll be controlling the guy on the ground.

There are many judo schools around, and I wholeheartedly recommend it for kids. I loved doing it when I was a kid. Judokas are very confident, respectful people.

Good luck![/quote]

Thanks dog.

Ive heard similar things…

waiting for more.

But judo is so ugly to watch.
I think kung fu is much more beautiful. Really, if he could do a few cool kung fu forms in the park one day he’d be able to pick up any chick or dude he wants. Especially praying mantis style, which is just gorgeous.
But seriously, 6 is the perfect age. I think a sifu will not take anybody younger than that. And if you do start that young you will be more flexible…something that’s a problem especially for guys starting too late in life.

[quote=“twonavels”]But judo is so ugly to watch.
I think kung fu is much more beautiful. Really, if he could do a few cool kung fu forms in the park one day he’d be able to pick up any chick or dude he wants. Especially praying mantis style, which is just gorgeous.
But seriously, 6 is the perfect age. I think a sifu will not take anybody younger than that. And if you do start that young you will be more flexible…something that’s a problem especially for guys starting too late in life.[/quote]

the beauty of it, I’ll let him decide later on…right now

the throw
run away
technique

works best for me.

however a good kick to the pancrease isn’t so bad either…

My son is doing Chinese kung fu and dragon dancing, he’s been doing this for over a year now and he is loving it. When he first started he was a bit too much into it to my taste i.e "hey dad i’ll show you something…and bang knock my knee :smiley: but he soon learned to not show off or anything of that sort and now he is pretty good at it.
Is your son interested in it?

[quote][quote=“igorveni”]My son is doing Chinese kung fu and dragon dancing, he’s been doing this for over a year now and he is loving it. When he first started he was a bit too much into it to my taste i.e "hey dad I’ll show you something…and bang knock my knee :smiley: but he soon learned to not show off or anything of that sort and now he is pretty good at it.
[b]Is your son interested in it?[/quote][/quote]

uhm, hard to say…he loves jackie chan!

I would hope that he could pick his own style when he’s older. I hope now to get him started in something that builds a good foundation of MA skills.

Martial Arts are a wonderful thing for kids. Really, just about any style is ok - the important thing is the teacher and the students he’ll be studying with.

Personally, I recommend Taekwondo, Taiwan follows the standards set by the World Taekwondo Federation, which is very standardized. The quality of Taekwondo instruction in Taiwan is also very high - Taiwan consistently earns medals in the Olympics and other international sporting events. Taekwondo will keep your kid super flexible, and he’ll burn off all kinds of energy.

Other martial arts are also good, but pay close attention to the teacher and to the other students - a bad teacher can really screw kids up!

Is TKD more about throwing?

I like throwing as opposed to striking.

for kids in taiwan, best bet is judo. Please no kung fu or karate or tae kwon do. he needs to learn to roughhouse and build natural movement and balance. Judo is good for that. Later, if he wants to do something else, it will all be easier because of judo background.

explain…

why would this be so? I’m not doubting you. I’m a father…and curious.

[quote=“jdsmith”]Is TKD more about throwing?
I like throwing as opposed to striking.[/quote]

No. To keep it (over)simplified, TKD is chiefly about kicking, with a very minor amount of punching. Karate is about 2/3 hand techniques and 1/3 kicking, or 50/50 depending on your teacher. Judo is chiefly grappling (from a standing position) and throwing. Aikido is the most non-violent of the bunch, emphasizing moving in fluid and circular ways to channel your attacker’s energy in ways that deflect his attack and lead to his own tumble, etc. There can be differences in the above descriptions depending on sub-style, teacher, etc. My karate teacher, for example, put more kicks in our training than traditional karate, and also blended in significant amounts of judo, boxing, and practical self-defense moves. But it was still fundamentally karate.

All styles are good. Each has its own strengths. Most practitioners, I imagine, will be biased toward what they themselves have studied. I know I am; I feel karate under a teacher like mine is a more balanced, and practical style than many.

If you study only kicking, and you’re in a situation where kicking won’t work, you’re handicapped. Same goes for throwing. And aikido is fantastic, but the skills, timing etc. are very difficult to learn quickly, whereas blocks and punches can be put to use more rapidly (although the effectiveness of those techniques continues to increase over time).

When taught properly, any of these styles should teach balance, movement, and so on, which will transfer well to other styles. I feel this is particularly true of aikido, judo, and shorinryu karate, but also true of other arts.

Above all, choosing a teacher with the right attitudes (not a commercial emphasis; teaching for the right reasons; valuing the practicality of the art, but also emphasizing humility and peacefulness) is far more important than which style you choose. Sit on the sidelines for a few classes. See if the teacher is making the students recite an arrogant, nationalistic-sounding pledge at the beginning of class (I saw that once at a Univ. of Ill. TKD club, and was very turned off). And so on.

I think your idea is great. Definitely enroll him. Keep it up if he likes it. Switch him to a different class and/or style later if he doesn’t like the first one. I wish my folks had done that when I was 6!!!

DB, great info

thanks

I’ve decided on getting him a Smith and Wessen .357 mag

:smiling_imp:

Oh, also, check out how quickly the students go up in rank. If you have a bunch of 8-year-olds running around in black belts, the place is a highly commercial school. Ask the teacher about rank promotion - if she or he talks about how the color of the belt is not important, but rather what’s important is mastering the basics upon which to build further ability etc., you may have the right teacher. If the teacher gives you a figure like 2_ years to a black belt, :unamused: that’s bullshit and commercial. Most people can’t master all the fundamental to intermediate skills of a martial art in less than 5-7 years, IMO.

Another point to consider: ask about sparring. Do they practice sparring, in which students do controlled fighting against each other? If so, what protective gear do they wear? Does the teacher start them off slowly, or just toss them in and let them have at?

My thoughts: Sparring is needed to overcome the fear of actual contact. Without learning to overcome fear, one cannot really defend oneself properly. Protective gear is a must (for TKD and karate). The teacher should start them out with slow-speed, controlled sparring, in which they practice a technique both know, and then they add another, and so on, as they each learn self-control as well as the technique. Just tossing them in together and letting them have at is not good teaching, and risks injury. Full contact sparring is not necessary, and risks very serious injury.

dude he’s only 5!!!

Yeah, what’s your point?

LOL

a) I want him to have fun
b) I want him to build the basics (whatever they may be)
c) It would be nice if he couldnt kick my ass until he’s like 17

really, good info…a lot…but good.

thanks

peace

[quote=“jdsmith”]
a) I want him to have fun[/quote]

All should be fun. Especially judo, I think, at age 5.

Hmm, any style, but I favor karate here.

Definitely aikido. :smiley:

(if you said “could kick my ass”, it would be TKD…)

I think Aikido is a great Martial Art for kids. Keep in mind that I might be tooting my own horn since I teach it.

For children your sons age we usually keep it very simple and focus on falling and rolling. Aikido is about 90% throwing and places the responsability of protecting the opponent on the person doing the throws. Consequently, non-violence and responsability are a big part of Aikido, especially the childrens classes.

We teach a pretty hard style of Aikido to adults with Aiki Jujutsu mixed into it. For kids that doesn’t start happening until Junior High or High School. Up until then it’s really about protecting themselves while falling, excercise and fun.

Our dojo is located in the mountains near Nei Hu, so it’s a bit difficult to reach. Currently my Sunday morning Aiki Kids class are all grade school age, so your son would be the youngest in the small group. I am working at getting something going at an Anjing Ban near Song Shan airport. Again mostly grade school kids, but it looks like at least over the summer I will have one child your sons age. Right now it looks like we will be practicing on Tuesday & Thursday evenings 5:00 - 6:30.

You can email me and check out the website at:

heaven-earth.com

Someone mentioned to me that too much striking and kicking is not so good for the boy’s joints, as they aren’t developed yet.

Thoughts?