:::OshnSoul:::

My husband and I decided to get our son into Tae Kwon Do for focus, discipline, and the proper usage of his energy and how he likes to "play" fight. He is into Star Wars and superheroes, and we have spoke with him about fighting is seen on TV, it is harmful to fight in real life.
We took him to a couple different places to try it out on him and he sure seems to enjoy it, but he has a wandering mind and takes a lot for him to stand still and listen, but he has done pretty well. I am really psyched about this, because I feel that, even if not right away, this will help his focus and also respect for others, as well as physical and mental being.
Do any of you have or have had your children in Martial Arts and what are your experiences with it?

Zander

When I was little, my parents signed me up for Karate. i hated it because the instructor was an asshole and kept hitting me with his stick while making me do Push-ups (I was prolly around 10 (or less)!!11 at the time). I told my parents that they were mean to me and I quit. I wish I would have stayed in karate or atelast something else.

Now my friend who is really good with martial arts is training me 1 on 1, and it's great, I just need to get my body into shape.

For your kid, I think Tae Kwon Do would be great, as it will teach him to stand up for himself. Don't let him quit, he'll like it in the long run when he can hit people if they're being dumb and they cant fight back unless they wanna get destroyed =D. It's also great physical training.

fatboss

My Eldest son (6.5 years) has been to Taekwondo for just a few weeks now and I think he's totally hooked.

We chose Taekwondo because it's a form of self-defence and not a combat sport for the very same reasons as above. He loves Star Wars and all the usual violent cartoons a boy of 6 likes. There were a couple of kids in the same year as him that go to this class on a Saturday morning, so it was quite easy to get him interested. He's just got himself a suit, but is a bit too shy to wear it yet. I'm not going to push him, all in his own time.

Taekwondo does teach more than self-defence. It teaches self control, discipline and self-respect as well. I think it will be one of the best things for him to get into at such a young age.

His younger brother isn't 5 until June this year. After that he will be able to attend the classes if he wants to. But I think he just wants to learn how to kick people in the head (his words!). Not sure how this one will turn out. Watch this space.

__________________
"never mind that shit........here comes Mongo!"

:::OshnSoul:::

Yes, I am looking forward to getting him started, although we are taking our time in choosing the right place, out of the 2. One is larger-corporated than the other and we met with the Master and did a one-on-one meeting with him the other day and just Josh & I will go back and watch a class without Drew. Both are Academies, a part of the WTF. They both have been around a long time, ever since I can remember myself. One is a larger place, it costs $75/mo, 2 days a week. The second, in which we are able to let him have a few free trial classes is $40 for the uniform then $50/mo, 2 days a week. We went to the first trial class yesterday and there were only 2 other boys in the class other than him, which we are really prefering, since he needs more of the one-on-one focus without distractions. He did really well, although for now he does still not comprehend the seriousness of it, but I am sure in time that he will. He does not lack of confidence at all, but I have a strong feeling that this will be a wonderful, effective way to learn respect, patience, self defense, and discipline. I think martial arts is healthy for any kid, for that matter.
We are to teach him his phone number as homework for the weekend, and we will go back on Tuesday. There is a lot he will have to memorize and I know it will seem overwhelming to him at first, but we will work with him every day on techniques, reciting morals, stretching, and routines. I know he will do great in the long-run.

rockzilla

I was in TKD for awhile when I was 9, had to stop when our family hit some financial problems. I went in thinking I would be the next Karate Kid, but it didn't take me long to realize that there's more to the martial arts than jump kicks and 'numchuks'.
One thing to look out for (mostly in larger schools), is how liberal the school is in awarding belts. Since most schools charge money for belt tests, and everyone's goal is to be a black belt, an unscrupulous master can get away with teaching your son next to nothing, and then charge you for a new belt every month.
The smaller school sounds like the right choice, but there's a lot to be said for larger schools with (possibly?) more experienced teachers.

:::OshnSoul:::

Hey, thanks for the heads up. I never knew that and will keep it in mind.

Boo

My son and I went to classes for a while. Here is what I learned:

Make sure the instructor has rules that are non-negotiable.

Make sure the instructor makes the belt tests as even as possible.

http://101.24fightingchickens.com/19_belts.html

Make sure the instructor has control over his assistants.

Don't mix disciplines on a day to day basis. Keep it all TKD or Karate etc.

Don't miss classes unless someone dies. "I don't feel like it" is not an excuse.

Attend every tournament that you can.

Be humble. If the people attending aren't, find a new place.

I personally like Akido or Jujitsu. Avoid, strike and learn to fight on the ground.

If they require a 6 or 12 month deposit or plan. Find a new place.

Practice at home. Yes, martial arts have homework.

Have fun.

__________________
Back button again, I must be getting old.

insidious_machinae

Tae Kwon Do is a good sport, but if you want a real confidence booster for a kid, put em in Judo.

isandro

Okay, i've no kids of my own or anything, but since i'm a student of TKD myself and wanted to chime in.
The children's group of my school isn't extremely serious and kids get an opportunity to joke and play during training. They usually train before the adult group and it's great fun to see them playing around and playfighting with the trainer after official practice ended. It gives them a release for their energy and possible frustration, so they're less likely to get agressive in school or anything.
Even if he does have a problem keeping his head on the training, if he really enjoys it he'll develop more focus and serious attitude in no time.

__________________
-Life, liberty and the pursuit of hamburgers.

clavus

Avoid instructors who put a lot of emphasis on getting a black belt. The belt should indicate nothing more than what techniques the student can practice safely.

If this sounds too wimpy to you, consider this: In order to get a black belt in my old dojo, you had to walk across the sharp edge of a sword blade without cutting your feet. We had very few black belts, but a lot of kickass martial artists. We never had injuries.

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Ass, gas or grass. Nobody rides for free.

Charlatan

Don't worry that your kid doesn't seem to focus...

My son is 9 and a bit and he was taking Karate (the instructor did a lot of yelling so he quit) but is now taking Kendo with me.

He still has trouble paying attention at times but (after 6 months) is progressing nicely. Our Sensei is very patient with him and recognizes that he is just a kid and has a different approach than the adults and teens he is teaching.

That isn't to say he is easy on him. Yesterday he made him do an excersize with the entire dojo watching because he didn't feel my son was doing it right...

In the end, different kids react differently to different Senseis... choose your teacher carefully.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke

:::OshnSoul:::

^^^ I can see my son doing Kendo- his uncle does it and we've watched him. What a cool martial art. But he can't start until he's 6.
And I do enjoy your avatar, I should send it to his uncle/my bro-in-law.

bigbark

I have 3 daughters that each started TKD when they were age 8. The eldest is now 19. I put her in TKD to learn self-defense because she was small for her age and shy. She's no longer small or shy and can look after herself. The development in her sisters has been similar. The object was self-defense, but they got so much more out of it. They gained great confidence, strength, flexibility, focus,respect for others, lasting friendships and leadership skills. I get compliments on my children all the time.

They trained a minimum of 3 times per week and 5 or 6 times per week if preparing for a competition or promotion test. TKD was a major part of their lives during their formative years. The lessons and values learned will be with them for life. All of this is down to the quality of the master and other members of the school. It's very family oriented, but someone can train to achieve what they want at this school. My children could attend as often as they wanted - no extra charge. Two of them have now competed at the national level.

Bob Biter

I had very short attention span when I was young, and martial arts was the only thing that ever hooked me. I started with Jeet Kun Do (Bruce Lee's martial art) when I was seven and loved the fact that there were no set moves. Everything was mutable and I learned to find my physical strong points. I found the whole thing very organic and progressive, but unfortunately my sifu (teacher) left after 2 years. I then tried Judo in my early teens, which helped me learn how to fall properly and not be easily intimidated by bigger opponents (the bigger they are, the harder they fall), but ultimately chose Shaolin Kung Fu, which I've been practicing for 7 years (18-25). I was never attracted to Tae Kwon Do, because it was mostly kicks and was too strict for me.

Basically, I believe Jeet Kun Do did wonders for me as an introductory martial art. Discipline and respect are still taught, but students get to progress as they like. There are no belts, which can be good, since there is no pressure to "move up" or bad, since some people need tangible markers to represent their progress. I gained self-confidence, stayed fit and made good friends.

As for kung fu, I believe it's more for more mature teenagers / adults.

Juts my 0.02$ I hope your kid develops a passion for martial arts!

__________________
A plan is just a list of things that don't happen.

celaeno

TKD--excellent stuff. I started when I was 16 and got a few of my friends to join up, too. My instructor has a son who's the same age as me, and we've become pretty good friends...

It's a lot of fun, I'm always learning something, and the comradery of this rough-and-tumble group is fantastic. I'd like to try some other martial arts, too, but TKD is great.

__________________
Talking to oneself is a lot like mental masturbation--it may be more meaningful when you have a partner, but ultimately, it really doesn't matter.

:::OshnSoul:::

Hopefully, he's going to start next week. It will take a lot of patience, both from us, the parents, as well as the instructor. But We've observed how they interact with him at trial classes and we are pleased.

Demiurge

If the kid is learning Martial Arts, seriously make sure they're teaching it the "Traditional Way". Esp in karate, if the kid is learning "technique" in the first few lessons, then get him straight out. First few lessons are always about respect, dislipine and other moral values.

shakran

I disagree, Demiurge. First off, if you sit a kid down for the first three lessons and lecture him about respect and discipline, the kid will lose interest and never be the martial artist that he could be. If, however, you start by teaching techniques, and enforce respect and teach discipline concurrently with the techniques, then the kid stays interested AND the respect/discipline lessons sink in much better.

The trick is not to teach the kid techniques that will hurt other people until you know he HAS the discipline! Teach him stances. Teach him "blocks" which, when he is old enough and skilled enough you can tell him are really strikes applied to an attacking limb, etc.