Martial Arts for Kids

Off Topic
21

Wow, quite an informative thread. Personally, I don’t care for TKD from my experiences with advanced TKD practitioners. They would practice sparring with their hands down. Drives me insane. Granted, their foot speed is sick and they could take me in competition, but if we fought, it would be very different.

Regardless, one of the biggest problems with kids learning martial arts is that the parents get caught up in the ranking system. I knew a great instructor who had childrens classes, and he said their belts were meaningless. He just kept advancing the kids to please their parents. Whatever martial art you pick, your kids will have a huge advantage for future disciplines if their training focuses on the basics. Coordination is key.

22

I want to second what someone else said. Don’t sweat what style to put them in, go check out some schools, watch a couple of classes (yeah, I know, it takes time but your kids are worth it) and then make a decision.

I opened my dojo 7.5 years ago and 2 weeks after I opened another guy opened one almost across the street (literally). Well, 7.5 years later I own my own building and teach martial arts for a living and this guy still has his 800sq.ft. facility with barely enough room to do an empty hand kata. He has about 20 students and still works a full time job. Oh, yeah, I charge DOUBLE what he does.

Take your time, check out 3-4 schools and keep in mind you are gonna get what you pay for.

FatSensei

23

[quote]fatsensei wrote:
I want to second what someone else said. Don’t sweat what style to put them in, go check out some schools, watch a couple of classes (yeah, I know, it takes time but your kids are worth it) and then make a decision.

I opened my dojo 7.5 years ago and 2 weeks after I opened another guy opened one almost across the street (literally). Well, 7.5 years later I own my own building and teach martial arts for a living and this guy still has his 800sq.ft. facility with barely enough room to do an empty hand kata. He has about 20 students and still works a full time job. Oh, yeah, I charge DOUBLE what he does.

Take your time, check out 3-4 schools and keep in mind you are gonna get what you pay for.

FatSensei[/quote]

Like I said, there is nothing better than an instructor that isn’t in it for the money…

24

Martial artists tend to have deep loyalty to whatever style they have come up in. That is why it is important to take the tim,e to do a little homework and chose wisely.

Kids tend to want to be able to imitate what they see on tv. What they see on tv is very flashy, showy and would get you killed on the street as an adult.

Some things to look for with kids classes would be, do the kids look like they are enjoying it at least a little. It’s important they enjoy it or they will lose interest. Some really good karate teachers lose students in droves because their classes are not fun.

Watch out for teachers that are out to suck you dry. I know a school where the monthly dues are $40 (which is reasonable) but the teacher promotes every month and charges $60. It’s very hard to tell a kid they can’t get promoted this month because you can’t afford it, so this is a really profitable scam for the teacher.

Look for a teacher who is good at keeping the various parents egos in check. Too many parents want their 7 year old kid to be a black belt in one year. There are some highly successful Mcdojo’s that cater to this.

True character building does not come from being part of a rat race and gaining recognition easily. It comes from having the self disciplne to dedicate yourself over time to a task that is difficult that not everyone else achieves.

The navy Seal bootcamp is a good example of this. The men who make it through, know they had the balls to do something not everyone can do. This gives them a mental edge over their opponents.

Try to avoid schools that give children black belts. Once a black belt, you are a black belt for a very long time. It’s the journey that’s important, not the destination.

25

[quote]bigflamer wrote:
AG - I can’t recommend karate for kids enough. The impact it’s had on my 5 yr old son has been tremendous! Discipline, listening skills, and goal setting are just a few of the things that he is learning without even knowing that he is learning them. I really believe that his time spent in karate gave him a real head start to school (He started at 4 yrs old). Makes a dad REAL damn proud to hear him answer someone on his own “yes sir”.

As far as what kind of martial art, well I don’t think that matters as much as the shool and the teacher. Go to the school and get a feel for the instructors and the school itself. My son started at the same place I go to simply because I knew the school and the instructor to be very good with children. Ask the head instructor what their education methodology is in regards to kids instruction. And definitely sit in on a class just prior to signing them up.

Any dojo that emphasizes character development along with martial skills will probably be fine. My dojo really supports what kids should be doing in school as far as report cards and discipline go. That being said, I come from an American Karate/Kickboxing background and I have a love for the Chinese arts like Kung Fu and Wing Chun.

I also have a feeling that traditional martial arts are better for kids than other arts such as kickboxing, etc. Forms memorization and discipline being the reasons.

Anyways, I hope this helps![/quote]

What he said.

Can I add a couple of things? Emphasize to your boys that Bruce Lee got that way from MANY years of training. They will not look like him or move like him for years. If they want to move like Bruce, take them to gymnastics as well. The two tie in beautifully!

Now, pick a school that is close. Remember, you’ll have to drive to this place several times per week for YEARS. Do you really want to travel an extra hour per day in your car?

Lastly, while most kids prefer a striking art, some prefer grappling. Have each boy close his eyes, then gently touch him on the chest with your finger. If he goes backward, he’s a striker. If he comes forward, he’s a grappler. (Old Korean trick)

HH

26

[quote]Kliplemet wrote:
striking and kicking arts are no the best choice for kids, grappling styles are better. their joint and bones are not up to striking, yes even if it is striking in thin ait, which can actually be more stressful than hitting pads.[/quote]

Sorry, gonna have to disagree here. I’ve seen too many kids get hurt with regards to head, neck, and joint injury when grappling at a young age. Besides, this is probably a moot point as the issue of control and safety boils down to the instructor running the class.

As far as striking at a pad or performing technique into the air, in 11 years I haven’t seen one kid develop a joint or bone injury from this. Whether grappling or striking, safety is dependant on the instructor, and the prevailing attitude of the dojo.

27

Just wanted to add a couple cents:

  1. It’s better to take a couple months now and look around for a school that you’ll definitely be happy with (i.e. lots of comparison shopping) rather than switching every six months because the kids don’t like it. They’ll definitely get burned out and give up doing that.

To that end, ask to watch a couple classes. They should let you have a trial class (either free or real cheap) or week and if they’re pressuring you to sign your kids up or keep you from looking at other schools, I’d recommend you not go back.

High fees and long contracts don’t necessarily equal a better school.

  1. The school I go to has a very large kids/teen program and I don’t think that I’ve seen anyone look halfway decent (compared what an “outside” would consider a good martial artist) until they’re at least 16 or so, so while it’s tough to tell your kids that they won’t look like the guys in the movies until they’re older, you should keep this in mind when you’re evaluating the class.

The people at my school who are now 20-21 and have been studying since they were 10ish, on the other hand, are absolutely phenomenal. Granted, they’re <1% of the kids that came in and out of the programs during the past few years.

  1. The style thing is the last question you should ask a bunch of people on the internet. The TKD guys will say Muay Thai folks are brutes, the MMA guys will make fun of karate guys, the Wing Chun folks will tell everyone else they’re idiots and grapplers will laugh at Aikidoka.*

So, for kids, my recommendation is to find:

a) an instructor that you all feel comfortable with

b) a school that doesn’t treat kids like little adults (i.e., keeps in mind their attetion spans, motor skills, etc.)

c) something that’s not a McDojo and fits your schedule!

If you take the time to go to a half-dozen schools, you’ll really see the difference.

It’s essentially the same as looking for a new gym - the equipment may not be shiny and new, but everyone’s friendly and is there to work and help each other out, not to make themselves feel better just because they paid a lot of cash.

  • That said, if your kids want to be UFC fighters, I highly recommend starting them off with grappling. Given two equal students going to two equal schools (one striking and one grapplig), the grappler will get much better much more quickly.
28

It warrants repeating: do not put them in a dojo that gives children black belts. I think it’s even better to find a dojo that won’t promote them at all. I don’t know how it works in other places, but in the dojo I have trained at, the senior students are responsible for the the beginners.

Further, promotion necessarily means increased responsibilities, and the senior students are routinely called on to teach if the instructor is unavailable. Obviously, kids can’t handle these responsibilities, so promoting them is pointless.

29

Thanks to everyone for the overwhelming response and great information. I’m going to start making some calls and visiting some classes. You all have definately given me GREAT information and reconfirmed that enrolling them will be a terrific decision.

Thanks Again…AG

30

[quote]Cunnivore wrote:

I like hapkido as well, but I attended a few classes with my 11 year old, and he came away with ideas about throat strikes and various jointlocks that could seriously hurt someone if he happened to be showing off or even just playing around.[/quote]

Any good Sensei would drill into their heads that they DO NOT show off, or play around with a martial art.

|/ 3Toes

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Just an update on my Little Dragons. I took all of your great advice and enrolled them last week. We are two classes in and they are loving it!

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[quote]AG1 wrote:
Just an update on my Little Dragons. I took all of your great advice and enrolled them last week. We are two classes in and they are loving it![/quote]

That’s awesome! I hope your boy’s love the martial arts.

33

Hi guys,

I think that the first thing we need to realize when dealing with children and the martial arts, is “what do the kids have interest in?” You should never try to force your children into any particular system simply because you think it would be the best choice.

Along these lines, I am in complete agreement with the suggestion to “shop around”. See what schools your kids show interest in, then take them to the schools so that they can decide which one they want to stay with.

As far as systems go;

Korean systems such as TKD, Tang Soo Do, ect… are often times very flashy and visually appealing. A lot of the martial arts in movies is similar to TKD, i.e. high kicks, spinning kicks, jumping kicks, etc… Unfortunately, there aren’t many TKD instructors out there who teach effective self defense, so if your child is looking to be able to defend themselves, then TKD probably wouldn’t be your best choice.

Chinese systems pretty much run the gambit from being extremely flashy, yet not very effective for self defense (such as Modern Wushu) to not very flashy, but pretty effective for self defense, such as Wing Chun (of course the instructor will always determine the extent of effectiveness). Any system that teaches it’s students to fight like wild animals is probably not very effective for self defense.

Japanese systems tend to be more rigid and straight forward compared to Chinese systems. Karate, definetely the most well known, can be effective for self defense if learned from the right teacher (although not many left in the U.S). However, sadly most schools teach skills which are supposed to be for self defense, but are completely useless for self defense.

Sport systems such as BJJ, Kickboxing, Boxing, Greco Roman Wrestling, Sambo, Judo, etc… are often times exellent at developing the students physically. However, many of these schools focus so strongly on the physical aspects, that subjects such as character development, morality and discipline suffer.

Reality based systems such as Sento, Dynamic Combat, Chu Fen Do, ect… are the best bet if your child is looking for effective self defense, however, these systems are not very visually appealing, since they focus on economy of movement and effectiveness over flashyness.

Basically all these systems can be lumped into 3 categories: Exhibition (example wushu), Competition (example BJJ), or Self Defense (example Sento).

In the end it’s up to your kids, just make sure they are the ones who make the decision.

Good training,

Sentoguy