Martial Arts
dejablues
in Martial Arts classes?
grandma Rosalie
helps with coordination.
Chris
experience for him. He is agile, but not really athletic and did not
enjoy the team sports he tried (baseball, soccer, basketball). He
started TKD when he was 8 and really took to the discipline and
self-control. He likes the fact that it is an individual sport, and
his teachers emphasize doing your personal best. His instructors are
great, they push the kids and don't tolerate any misbehavior, but they
are also very encouraging. I was not sure about it when we started,
but I highly recommend it. I've seen it work wonders in building
confidence for some older pre-teen/teen boys who came to the class.
It is expensive and our school has all kinds of extra events (board
breaking tournaments, sparring tournaments, etc.) that they "sell" to
the kids, so that can be a drawback.
Chris
turtlechaser
> Can anyone tell me the benefits and drawbacks of having children participate
> in Martial Arts classes?
I am a certified Taekwondo instructor and have been participating in
the sport for over 13 years. My oldest daughter (4 years) will be
starting in the fall. There are many programs out there that offer
martial arts for 3-4 year olds, but the right-sidedness of children
make any form learning difficult at that age. The benefits for
preschoolers is mostly body awareness and self control.
Developmentally, its best to wait until your child is 5-7 before
starting martial arts, depending on their level of development.
The big concern I hear parents have is they don't want their kid to
become an aggresser or a bully. I tell them all the same thing, martial
arts teaches self control, disipline and confidence. When your child
learns these things, they don't need to be a bully.
This sport is non competitive and allows people to learn at their own
pace. Although many organizations have regular competitions, most are
very fun and focus on good sportsmanship and personal victory. I love
competing.
The obvious drawbacks, like any sport, are risk of injury. I've had 3
concussions and a broken finger all obtained during competitions. I
have never personally had a child student injure themselves but it is
always a possiblity. The most common injury will be blisters though
since martial arts is typically done barefooted. Adult students tend to
be more intense and likely to injure themselves - strained muscles are
very common. Overall the sport is one of the more safer for children to
participate in and I highly recommend it.
One thing to note however: There are no regulations on martial arts
meaning any Joe Shmoe can hang a sign and teach. I recommend you enroll
your child in an organization like the American Taekwondo Association,
the World Taekwondo Federation or other such organization that follows
a set of rules and guidelines. Do some research before you commit. Most
schools allow for 2-4 weeks of free lessons before you sign up so take
advantage of that and shop around. Good luck!
dejablues
"turtlechaser" <turtle...@qwest.net> wrote in message
news:1119174296.4...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
Thanks for the responses. The child in question is 7.5, and I've signed him
up for a summer session of beginning Taekwondo through the township. It was
very inexpensive, so he can try it without a lot of initial expense. I also
plan to stay and watch the sessions. It's at a local academy where the
teacher is a Grand Master (not sure what that means, but I figure he won't
be the one teaching these classes!)
I thought martial arts might benefit him because he is very active, thin,
and fairly agile. As for confidence and the bully factor, I feel he is on
the other end of the scale in that regard - he is unafraid of anything, and
somewhat aggressive, since he's the youngest of three boys, he doesn't take
any crap. I thought martial arts might channel this more positively.
Interesting that Turtlechaser mentioned kids being "right-bodied", my son is
left-handed, and left-bodied as well I guess. This made playing soccer a bit
more challenging for him. He was on a small-sided team last season and I
don't think the coach ever had a left-handed kid before. He mentioned during
the last game that E is really good with his left foot, and I said "Well,
he's left-handed!" He looked very surprised. I never thought to mention that
at the beginning of the season.
Thanks again for the input, and if I remember, I'll let you know how it
goes!
>
no_child_le...@yahoo.com.sg
for that, you should look into krav Maga
dejablues
<no_child_le...@yahoo.com.sg> wrote in message
news:1121782986.6...@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> suburbanized Martial Arts doesn't teach self defense, unfortunately.
>
> for that, you should look into krav Maga
>
I'm not interested in having him learn self-defense, just the opposite , in
fact. As the youngest of three boys, he's on his way to being a bully - he
doesn't take any crap from anyone. I want him to know WHEN to to fight, and
learn some self-restraint. Plus, he's 7.5.
He's had 3 classes so far, and he's having fun.
dejablues
>
> for that, you should look into krav Maga
I must say, Krav Maga looks pretty cool.
>
Ninja67
I have high level belts in Tae Kwon Do and Ninjutsu.
Forget Krav Maga. The style is less important than the instructor.
Find a good instructor that encourages your son, motivates him, and
teaches him when it is appropriate to use his skills. It only takes a
few short years to get a black belt in TKD, if your son is serious
about it.
That said, there are problems with why you have picked TKD. You
mentioned that he might be on his way to bullying, so you don't want
him to know how to fight. Traditional TKD does not teach joint locks
and grappling at the same level as some other art forms. Do not let
your son believe that because he knows TKD, he is a "weapon". This
will give him a false sense of security. By itself, TKD is a poor art
form for self-defense. But if he uses it on a child with no fighting
experience at all, it might work for him. However, if your child knows
how to make another child submit, then the fight could be over without
an injury. If all he knows is how to kick someone or punch, then there
will indeed be injuries. I enjoyed my years in TKD because I gained
greater flexibility and some self-discipline. I began studying
Ninjutsu after visiting a class and seeing real no-holds barred
sparring. I realized that if I couldn't kick my opponent or punch them
from a certain distance, then I was up a creek without a paddle.
Ninjutsu taught me how to get in close, how to take down, how to lock a
person up so that they couldn't hurt me. Some TKD instructors will say
that they teach that stuff as well, but unless they have a black belt
from another art form such as Ninjutsu, Hapkido, or Jiu jitsu, I
wouldn't have much faith in their abilities; at least not until I got
to watch them in action.
Krav Maga is the "flavor of the day". Most Krav Maga teachers got
certified through correspondence courses or take an occasional trip to
visit a Krav Maga school. Unless you know someone in the Israeli
military, you probably aren't getting true Krav Maga.
Brazilian JuiJitsu is also one of the more popular "fads" of today. It
is an excellent art form for ground fighting, but must be supplemented
with Kickboxing, Muay Tai, or Boxing. Otherwise, the BJJ fighter
always wants to go straight to the ground. That is fine in an octagon
when it is one-on-one, but you don't want to go to the ground in an
alley when the attacker has friends. Most robbers and bullies attack
in packs, not in an octagon by themselves.
In short, find a school where your son likes the kids, likes the
instructor, and has a good time. Many of the skills he learns in even
the less effective fighting arts will transfer to more effective
fighting arts when/if he decides to pursue that.
My 7.5 year old daughter is in Ninjutsu and my 3 year old son is
starting. We do it as a family and that makes it even more fun.
Beth Kevles
Hi --
I would like to second what Ninja67 said about martial arts. (Sorry --
I can't seem to grab the article to re-quote it, even though it's worth
posting again.) In short:
1. Find a GOOD martial arts instructor. They vary a lot. If your
child may be subject to bullying, you want him or her to learn how
to avoid and defuse situations. That's MUCH more important than
skill in fighting, and the teacher should be stressing that! Our
tae kwon do teacher will not let kids use their TKD skills outside
the studio under ANY circumstances.
2. Different martial arts teach different skills. If you're seriously
worried about fighting going on, you want an art that teaches what
to do when your opponent gets very close to you.
3. No matter what, your child should enjoy the activity itself. If
martial arts is forced on him or her, then it's not going to be very
effective.
We selected our studio because the kids all seemed cheerful, discipline
was tight, the tenets of tae kwon are stressed at every lesson and exam,
and kids never compete against each other to do things like achieve the
next belt. Kids are encouraged to do their personal best. And finally,
all the teaching is age-appropriate, even in mixed-age classes.
In the adult-only classes, we get regular instruction in self-defense
techniques as well as in tae kwon do. The kids don't get that, though.
They're taught to scream and yell and run fast instead. (The teachers
do a great demo from time to time, where they take one of the younger
red belts (2nd highest rank) and have them try to kick an adult as hard
as they can. Every single time, NOTHING happens, because the adults are
just so much bigger and stronger. A strong feather, I guess, is still a
feather.
--Beth Kevles
bethk...@aol.com
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.
NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.
no_child_le...@yahoo.com.sg
nothing to do with martial arts/ballet, it is all about delivering
feel-goods to parents. This is why the actual class time is devoted to
producing show-off skills. Because the denoument is not ability to
accomplish anything in life...it is to deliver shows where
parents/grandparents can sit and kvell, sit and sheb nakhes about their
little darlings.
This is why a Twae Kwan Do instructor wants you to forget about Krav
Maga... if you send the kid to Krav Maga, he's out of the picture.
Let's be clear about something: Krav Maga instructors aren't supermen
who never need to eat or pay their mortgages; just like the MartialArts
community, they are mom-and-pops who have a ricebowl with which they
support their family. So just like the Martial Artists, they come in
varieties of quality.
A Martial Arts teacher will probably secretly prefer that you forget
also about (say for example) violin lessons. Look, there's only XX
hours a week that the kids can go to these extra-curriculars; and XX
dollars a month that the parents will spend for the extra-curriculars.
If you send the kid to Twae Kwan Do, he will probably know how to
theatrically break boards for the rest of his life. If you send him to
Krav Maga, he will probably know how to repel criminal assaults for the
rest of his life.
Which is better, is a judgement call. I don't expect love of the
theatrical to be replaced by love of the practical in the mind of the
masses.... how many people put a fire extinguisher into each room of
the home, and teach the kids how to use it?
Beth Kevles
In response to:
> Suburban Martial Arts is the same as Suburban Ballet School... it has
> nothing to do with martial arts/ballet, it is all about delivering
> feel-goods to parents. This is why the actual class time is devoted to
> producing show-off skills. Because the denoument is not ability to
> accomplish anything in life...it is to deliver shows where
> parents/grandparents can sit and kvell, sit and sheb nakhes about their
> little darlings.
I'm sorry you were exposed to such a shallow instructor. The martial
arts instructors (several different disciplines) whom I've met have been
entirely serious, whether in the suburbs or in the city.
No matter what discipline you choose, pick your instructor carefully.
Quality varies in the martial arts no less than in other parts of life.