Martial arts for kids

[davis]

I've got a 4.5 yr old son that I'm looking to enroll him in some form of martial arts - not necessarily for competition - that'll be his choice - but more for the other benefits - i.e. self esteem, confidence, discipline, etc...

 

I'm posting here because I swear that there was a member of OFC who had a child - daughter I think - that was heavily involved in martial arts and might be able to share some advice?

 

Just trying to determine which discipline he should pursue. Open to listening to all suggestions/advice - PM me if easier.

 

~dave

[asdve23rveavwa]

Good luck with it...we had three boys taking it for a few years, they lost interest fairly quickly. However, it was more of their (biological) dad living vicariously through them then a thing they wanted to do.

Edited September 27, 2011 by FRANKIE65

[danbouck]

Splashhopper is the guy you are thinking of

[NAW]

I got into it when I was 8. I've been teaching in barrie for 10 years now, part time.

 

Eveyone will tell you something different about what style to get in to.

 

I would suggest you get him/her into a club at teached more then one style.

 

The club I'm with in barrie does Karate, Kick Boxing, and Jujitsu. A good combination of styles. That's what you need to be successfull in self defence these days IMO.

[davis]

now that's a stupid spelling mistake!!! D'oH!!!

 

Thanks for the suggestions. He hasn't really expressed interest, but he's a feisty little guy and I figured that he can benefit from the lessons learned through martial arts, including how to defend himself. Now that I've got kids, all these stories about bullies are really getting to me. I just want both my boys to have the smarts and skills to be able to look after themselves (and catch fish!) as they grow and mature...

[ssminnow]

My son does karate and jiu jitsu and has been doing it for 3 years now. He likes both but definitely likes the jiu jitsu the most.

[Live2fish85]

I agrre with N.A.W get him in to a place that teaches more then one style. I trainned in karate when i was a kidand as I got older I started trainning at a place that taught maui tai. Tae kwon doe and jiu jitsu which i really enjoyed alk of them.

[mbosh1980]

I will vouch for judo. It is good for self defence and an olympic sport. It's nice to be able to end a physical situation without throwing a strike...generally people will back down once they get tossed once. If you do research ontario has some very well run, legitimate dojo's. I don't see how you could go wrong with greco wrestling either. I haven't done it since I was 18, but the basics are still there...kinda like riding a bike.

That being said i have a groupon around here for muay thai classes that I should use soon...that might be fun as well.

[Roy]

Developing/fostering socials skills will help a child to never need to defend themselves physically. If all that's required is to toughen up the child, almost any team sport will fill the bill. Chores or any kind of physical work inside and outside the home will really help too.

But hey, that's just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions...

[Bernie66]

First off, how aggressive is your kid. Observe how he plays with others. Does he push, punch or kick when he is mad or excited. If the answer is yes, then you definitely want to put him in something more passive like judo, jujitsu or aikido where locks, throws and submissions are used when under attack. If he is more the mellow fellow than your options are open to even the striking deciplinea like karate, tai kwan do, boxing and kung fu. Kids will be kids and they are still figuring out right from wrong. Trust me, I have two. You don't want to get a phone call from school that little Billy gave his buddy a bloody nose and is suspended for bullying. At least with the more passive styles you don't leave any marks. Good Luck.

[Live2fish85]

Double post some how sorry.

Edited September 27, 2011 by Live2fish85

[greenfin]

My 11 year old son was born a 27-week preemie and thus his physical development was on the weaker side. He used to fall, even when walking leisurely on a flat ground!. Fortunately, he was and is okay in every other way.

 

My wife and I signed him up for Tae Kwon Do (TKD) training five years ago. He now looks tough, and has better coordination and stamina compared to before. We believe the daily (more about this in a moment) training does built up his physical ability and confidence, even though he seldom participate in other sports.

 

Another benefit to us is, the martial arts school also runs an after-school service. The school van picks up my son and 8 year old daughter from school. After some snacks, homework and playing with other kids, they start their physical training. We do not have to worry about being late to pick them up after work.

 

I think it is important to choose a good martial art school. One that emphasis on character development through martial arts exercises and leadership training. With instructors who are gentle and always encourages the kids to push higher.

 

Another way to judge a school is also to look at former students who come back to help as volunteers. Through the way these (black-belt) teenagers teach and mentor the younger kids, you can tell the type of leadership skills and confidence that they have developed while they were students at the school.

 

BTW, my (now 8-y.o) daughter started her TKD training when she was 4 years old. Currently, she holds a red belt and still enjoys her training.

[dannyboy]

My wife, daughter (17), son (19)and myself have been involved in karate for over ten years, we have all attained at least black belt and have instructed for several years.

I believe we have benefited from karate physically and mentally - the confidence gained is the biggest difference I see, as nice as team sports are in developing social skills, martial arts excels in developing focus and confidence.

 

When a parent shows up with a kid wanting them to 'learn karate' to keep their kid from getting picked on or they want them to learn some discipline I tell them those are poor reasons - those are social problems.

 

Dan

[splashhopper]

Hi Davis: My daughter started in Taekwondo for fun when she was 5 years old. She took to the discipline and the comraderie of the other kids.

 

 

Within a couple of months, her coach ( a former PanAm gold winner) spoke with us about her enthusiasm. We "let her go" three nights a week back then. It was good for her and we loved the little club she was in. Good family interaction etc.

 

She had to change clubs when it closed and moved to a club with another highly accomplished master. This club not only trains the kids at very competitive levels but has produced a couple of Canadian champions. There is a real committment by the older blackbelts to the juniors and their development as athletes. I can't say enough about this club for what it has done for my daughters self esteem, her disciplines in school and in her volunteer work.

 

 

She enjoys tournaments and is entering in to the referee role at some tournaments. She is drawn to the total package of this sport and seems to just WANT togive back to the sport.

 

 

This sport has also provided a place for my wifes natural volunteer spirit to be realized as she has found another way to share her kindness and enthusiasm for all the kids in the club.

 

 

Whatever martial arts form that you choose for you child, try to find out if the club participates in tournaments and has produced any champians. There are many "money clubs" that just want to push the kids through the belts for pure greed of money. It is a disgrace to the sports and a shame to see a kid get creamed with similar coloured belts at the tournaments.

 

 

I don;t know if her sport will still be her passion as she grows in to a young woman now ( 13), but we hope she does as long as SHE wants to. She has been very blessed to have been the 5 time reigning Provincial champion and 3 0f the last 5 National Champion as well. Thsi year she was invited to the Senior Canadian National training camp and came back with a very powerful message. Her confidence is amazing, her humility is something for me to strive towards and the Olympics are not a pipe dream for her.

 

I hope that whatever sport your child chooses that they have as positive experience that our family has had with our daughter.

 

Sincerely,

 

Splashhopper and Botbot

 

Edited September 27, 2011 by splashhopper

[John Bacon]

My son was in marial arts for several years and attained a green belt in Karate and in Nerkin Ouj before he lost interest. I would recommend visiting a few locations and speaking to the instructors. It is quite likely that you can get a free lesson or two. See which intructors you feel most comfortable with.

 

I think the overall approach and philosophy of the instructor is more important than the specific style that they teach.

[Moosebunk]

All three of my girls take Ju Jitsu. They love it. My oldest daughter goes 5 days a week if homework is done. Both my daughters are very different in nature, both enjoy and take something away with them each week they participate with their friends in class. My oldest played hockey a few years and loved that too, until she had to make a choice, and she chose Ju Jitsu.

 

And Roy... agree in part with your thoughts, but in my job, especially when up north, there were enough girls over the years that could have used some self defence skills.

[ch312]

Developing/fostering socials skills will help a child to never need to defend themselves physically. If all that's required is to toughen up the child, almost any team sport will fill the bill.

 

sure, if your kids are going to live in the basement and never leave the house. the fact is you never know when someone is going to cause an altercation and you can't always walk away. knowing how to defend yourself can be the difference between going home or ending up in the hospital.

 

people that know what to do during a physical altercation will usually do much better than someone that tries to talk themselves out of a fight. they're usually the first ones to help someone when they're getting beat up too.

 

that said, my kids will at least try kick boxing, judo, karate etc. if they like it, great. if not, thats their choice and thats great too.

[ricoboxing]

my son is 4.5 and i think he's still too young for martial arts. I think a good age to start is at least 8 years old. I started karate when i was 14, did it for a year and a half, but got bored of it so i went into boxing. Even though I love boxing, I don't think I would encourage my kids to get into boxing though.

 

I think I would put them into Judo, but that's only if they wanted to.

[Miracon]

My son took Jiu Jitsu when he was younger and also entered tournaments. It was a great time for him and he thoroughly enjoyed it. He became a junior leader and stayed until he received his black belt (junior) before he decided to try other things.

 

He was pretty small for his age back then (now at 16 he's 6' and works out so I wouldn't want to mess with him! Haha!). We had a big bully 2 years older then him who lived on our street. He started picking on my son by doing things like knocking him off his bike and picking it up and throwing it to the ground. My son was used to fighting in tournaments but had never been in a street fight or actual confrontation as he's not aggressive at all. And he also had a rule at his Dojo that if you used your Jiu Jitsu outside of class, you could be suspended and he took that very seriously.

 

I talked to his Sensei about was going on and he said...take him out! Haha! Not quite like that actually, but he was told he could use it for self defense. I also phoned my son's school and talked to the principal. This school had a rule that if you even fought off of school property, you would get suspended. But I told the principal that my son is in Martial Arts and if this kid goes after him in any way, I have given my son permission to take him out! I did use those terms! Haha! And I don't care if they suspend him. The principal said that he is aware of the bully as he has been suspended himself many times for fighting and picking on little kids and he also knew my son enough to know he has never been in trouble there.

 

And sure enough...one day soon after, the Bully (in front of a few neighbours on the street who witnessed it) crossed the street onto our driveway and punched my son right in the face! And picture this guy was 2 years older and twice my sons size! In the end, the kid ran home crying and I got a call from his mom complaining that my son beat him up! Haha!

 

And even now in high school the skills have still come in handy. He recently had a confrontation off the bus where 3 kids (a group known to attack random kids, get them down to the ground, and kick the crap out of them) jumped him and tried to take him down, and they couldn't. 3 on 1 and they couldn't hurt him. They left him alone after that because they were all afraid if only 1 of them met up with him. My son said unfortunately because there were 3 of them, he couldn't really get at any one of them and do damage, but they were unable to hurt him at all.

 

So I'm thrilled with the skills Martial Arts gave my son for self defense. I even started the adult classes when he was in and if time permitted, I would have loved to have stuck with it. I was able to go up 2 belt levels before I couldn't squeeze it in my schedule anymore. But to this day, I remember what I learned. And it came in real handy in a bar one night!

 

So I definitely encourage anyone to put their child in. Here's a few pics...

 

His first tournament...3 Events and 3 Golds!

 

Kata...

 

Sparring...

 

Grappling...This was CLASSIC! The kid in white was ring side with poor sportsmanship. He was telling all the kids he was going to kick their butts and we watched 2 of his fights before my son had to go against him and he was dirty (a lot of illegal chokes and jabs). His coach was just as bad by encouraging him. And you can tell from the look on my son's face...he was scared! Haha!

 

And this is how the round went...

 

 

The kid didn't get a single point and ended up tapping out, crying! (Proud Mommy moment!)

 

At the Dojo, they could win awards for respect, good sportsmanship, and overall helping others.

 

 

And Grading day was always great to watch for parents...

 

 

This is just to show they also had fun in class.

 

 

 

And this is just to squeeze in...my son has always loved to fish! Haha!

 

Edited September 27, 2011 by Miracon

[woodenboater]

Great read Miracon, I hope the bullies realize that one day, they WILL be on the other side of the fence and hopefully change their ways before it's too late. The one thing people I know who have kids studying martial arts appreciate is that they learn respect. Respect for others but also respect for what they are capable of and to understand it's not something to be flaunted or abused. With such knowledge comes responsibility and a good school will make sure this is not forgotten.

[Miracon]

Great read Miracon, I hope the bullies realize that one day, they WILL be on the other side of the fence and hopefully change their ways before it's too late. The one thing people I know who have kids studying martial arts appreciate is that they learn respect. Respect for others but also respect for what they are capable of and to understand it's not something to be flaunted or abused. With such knowledge comes responsibility and a good school will make sure this is not forgotten.

 

Thanks wooden! And you're right...a lot of focus is on respect and discipline.

 

I will say though, I would hate for him to have made a career out of it! I like to watch UFC now and again, but that is not the kind of abuse any mother would want their son to inflict upon his body as a career! No cauliflower ears or permanent brain damage for him! Haha!

[davis]

Wow!! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond (and with pictures too!!). Lots of great stories and experience to help with our decision. Amazing.

 

The real appeal to me as a parent, as almost everyone has already mentioned, is the physical and mental benefits of a martial art. Team sports are great and have their place, but I feel that something like this really emphasizes character development and better reinforces the values that we try to instill in the home.

 

Just like anything though, it is what you make of it. I've talked to my son about it, and he seems pretty enthusiastic. Hopefully if we get into it, he'll stick with it. But that'll be his decision.

 

I'm starting to do my research on what's available in our area (Aurora/Newmarket) and am looking forward to making some drop ins. Thanks again

[Miracon]

Good luck davis! Glad you found some helpful advice!

 

And to touch on the team sports...my son had played with Barrie Minor Hockey for 2 years...at 5 and 6. And that is when he decided he didn't like team sports and wanted to try martial arts. And I couldn't have been happier! Some of the parents and coaches in hockey...holy

crap! Don't yell at my 5 year old because he missed the net (or...maybe scored on his own...but still!!!)! Haha!

 

I think the Martial Arts environment teaches them some great values compared to team sports with the wrong people around!

[splashhopper]

Wow!! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to respond (and with pictures too!!). Lots of great stories and experience to help with our decision. Amazing.

 

The real appeal to me as a parent, as almost everyone has already mentioned, is the physical and mental benefits of a martial art. Team sports are great and have their place, but I feel that something like this really emphasizes character development and better reinforces the values that we try to instill in the home.

 

Just like anything though, it is what you make of it. I've talked to my son about it, and he seems pretty enthusiastic. Hopefully if we get into it, he'll stick with it. But that'll be his decision.

 

I'm starting to do my research on what's available in our area (Aurora/Newmarket) and am looking forward to making some drop ins. Thanks again

Hi Mr. Davis, this is SplashHoppers daughter (Chanelle Hunter from Tristar Taekwondo),

I would suggest for you to take your daughter to -

 

Young Choung Taekwondo - Aurora

Howard Johnson Hotel - FitPro Gym

15220 Yonge Street

Aurora Ontario, L4G 1L9

Telephone: 416 880 1997

http://www.yctkd.ca/contact.htm

 

 

Please mention that I am referring your daughter to the club for a one week trial. They seem to have amazing training, they have produced many champions, national, international and world. The kids that go there get very close with eachother and always look like they are having fun. If you have any questions, please PM my dad.

[Cudz]

My 10 year old daughter is pretty heavy into MMA. They focus on Muai Thai and Brazilian JJ. Her jiu jitsu instructor is a true BJJ black belt which is really cool. The training is very physical and conditioning is very hard but she loves it. She is one tough cookie too. She fights boys because there are no girls to challenge her. I guess it comes pretty natural to her seeing as I used to wrestle a fair bit and my father is a collegiate wrestler and had a record of 33 and 1.

The MMA is quite a bit different from regular karate and tae kwon do as it takes from all martial arts and puts it into one package. I hope you have deep pockets though. lol