Good MA for children

[kj gotro]

The atmosphere / instructor is more important
than the style.
Please consider that all styles are good. Without the proper
instruction, there will be no benefits.
Grabo mentioned earlier, enroll yourself,then
TRAIN Your Child!
_____________
john gautreaux


I am partial to an authenic Kung Fu program

[MarkF]

As background, I currently practice aikido, and in the past practiced kenpo and taijiquan. I decided not to enroll my son in aikido, as I am not a big proponent of aikido for children. Not to put anything bad toward judo, but I have a friend who is a physician who stated that he thought there was too much risk for injury to children's developing joints in judo. Again, please don't take offense, as I am just reporting what one person said to me. Can anyone with experience in judo address this concern?

In a thread concerning what is best for children I doubt anyone can take offense in this discussion. Don't worry about it.

However, I believe your friend, the physician, to be wrong or perhaps he simply is uninformed about the numbers or hasn't read the literature. What does he think about ballet for children? Has he also looked at the literature concerning ballet and compared it to the judo injury rate? Most parents of little girls (and some boys) push them into ballet (well, perhaps not most. The kids pretty much do all the pushing and controlling). Does he treat foot and joint injuries young ballerinas and ballerinos suffer? Has he seen the toes and hips of retired dancers? The knees and/or shoulders of old judo players? Has he actually crunched the numbers to find out if he is correct? While repetitive injury possibility is there, it is unlikely especially at such an early age just as bad feet are unlikely at the same age in dancers (toe dancing is NOT taught to females that age and male dancers do not toe dance). Not to go off on a tangent or anything, but just about any activity for children will cause injuries. No one is saying it has to be this or that, but you nailed it when you said we push what we know. As I got older, I found that the ukemi I had done, probably millions of times (well, that may be high) came in handy and continues to do so in late middle age.

Do the search, then crunch the numbers. Gotta be fair about it. At least the child isn't into motorcyle racing yet.


Mark

[Garryn]

The atmosphere / instructor is more important
than the style.
Please consider that all styles are good. Without the proper
instruction, there will be no benefits.
Grabo mentioned earlier, enroll yourself,then
TRAIN Your Child!
_____________
john gautreaux


I am partial to an authenic Kung Fu program

I'd agree. Also in my experience most infant school teachers tend to be female. Also in my expeience the majority of MA instructors tend to be male.

My opinion is that a good adult martial arts instructor isn't necessarily a good instructor for children.

Go along see how the kids and instructor interact, how the instructor reacts to kids being kids.

My lads not yet 5years and has started 7*Mantis KF. seeing the instructors face when the entire group broke into a chorus of "when Santa got stuck up the chimney" was worth the class fee alone!

[Budoka 34]

I've worked with children most of my adult life.
As had been stated the instructor is as important as the art.

That said for children under ten Judo and Wushu are my first choices depending on the interests of the child.

My nephews have studied Wushu for years. They love it and have done some remarkable things.

Our Jiujitsu classes follow basic Judo kihon and the little ones (3 to 10 years) just love it. They enjoy the close contact and friendship.

[Josef]

Did a little research to see what was available locally to help make a choice.

There are schools offering children only classes in Wing Chung, Aikido, Shotokan, Judo, Taekwondo all locally.

Not visited them or checked them out for the Mc Dojo factor yet.

Got to admit, I'd be a bit worried about Taekwondo and Aikido for really young children, I think when older and a bit more responsible, but surely too much concertration and self control for a 6 year old is required not to injure the opponent.

An acrobatic Kung Fu appeals to me because she's a girl and Judo cause of all the recommendations, though I'm not too sure whether a child should be taught to be competitive at all.

Thanks for the replies.

[Rogier]

though I'm not too sure whether a child should be taught to be competitive at all.

Thanks for the replies.

Competition is good for children depending on how their teachers and parents deal with it.

Personally I see children benefit more from judo (at least at a young age) then arts like karate. The close contact seems to be better for them then the 'distance' arts.

[kj gotro]

well boy or girl does not matter to choosing an art.
You have received many well written replies.

However,
Consider sneaky dragon or
the trickster characteristics of a monkey; even
praying mantis.

the techniques are hidden / ideal for a female -
this adds to a preconception of vulnerability
and weakness.

as you may have figured ; some
styles are more masculine in appearance
and application !
_____________
john gautreaux

maybe Kunoichi

[momoyama katsu]

Got to admit, I'd be a bit worried about Taekwondo and Aikido for really young children, I think when older and a bit more responsible, but surely too much concertration and self control for a 6 year old is required not to injure the opponent

taekwondo you should worry about because of the mcdojangism. I would recommend Aikido because it does not have competition and teachers (at least my teacher) leave out the more dangerous techniques and taijiquan is good for the little ones as well in fact in order to realy get good at taiji you MUST start early

maybe Kunoichi

I HOPE you don't know what was practiced in kunoitiziutu (or kunoichi "jitsu" *feh*) other wise you should be ashamed (lets just not go any further then that because it's not comfortable to talk about [kunoiti practices])

[gr455h0pp3r]

I STRONGLY suggest you put your girl in a good aikido school.

[gr455h0pp3r]

Your asking me?
Im not one for reading huge articles unless im really interested (no offense meant) . The kid might not understand what she is learning, but if she enjoys it, I believe it will all fall into place at the right times. She will learn how to
respond to action, get away for agressors and hopefully not have to hurt anybody, and I think that is what you want for her, yes?
Not to mention the connection with the ancient Bujutsu of Japan. It is a good gateway to japanese/asian culture (if you want that in your child).
It also promotes peace. Aswell as that when you come out of the Dojo your feeling quite good about yourself. I think these are good reasons.

[P Goldsbury]

My 6 year old son has expressed a desire to start karate, so I will likelybe enrolling him in one of two traditional Shotokan karate schools I have identified in my area. The rest of the local martial arts schools are either McDojo or sport TKD, or both. I will decide which one after observing their classes and speaking personally to the sensei.

As background, I currently practice aikido, and in the past practiced kenpo and taijiquan. I decided not to enroll my son in aikido, as I am not a big proponent of aikido for children. Not to put anything bad toward judo, but I have a friend who is a physician who stated that he thought there was too much risk for injury to children's developing joints in judo. Again, please don't take offense, as I am just reporting what one person said to me. Can anyone with experience in judo address this concern? Thanks.

Hello Robert,

Did Tohei Akira Sensei have children's classes in the Mid-West Aikikai?

I have heard the arguments against very young children learning aikido, on the grounds that the katame waza in aikido are not good for the joints.

Here in Hiroshima we have thriving children's classes in many of the branch dojos. I think the minimum age is around five or six. There are a lot of rough and tumble games using ukemi and I think that the kids learn some of the basic techniques. Ukemi training disguised as games, however, is the staple.

When I opened my own dojo here, a conscious decision was made not to accept children and now our youngest member is a boy in his first year of high school (aged 16). The reason was that children practising aikido need expert supervision, as much in the general teaching of young children as in the correct teaching of aikido. Since we could not offer such supervision, we decided not to hold children's classes.

[gr455h0pp3r]

I think you have taken my words incorrectly.
Firstly, if you think Judo is better for kids than Aikido thats ok, in many ways Judo offers alot of the same things. I think Aikido is better.
Secondly I do not think that Aikido is the "art of peace" though some may choose to translate/look at it that way. I do however, think it promotes peaceful conduct in the induvidual practicing it.
Also I feel that at en early age a Gendai system is a little less intense and offer a gateway to the old, and if the individual chooses to investigate koryu systems later he/she can.

[BC]

Hello Robert,

Did Tohei Akira Sensei have children's classes in the Mid-West Aikikai?

I have heard the arguments against very young children learning aikido, on the grounds that the katame waza in aikido are not good for the joints.

Here in Hiroshima we have thriving children's classes in many of the branch dojos. I think the minimum age is around five or six. There are a lot of rough and tumble games using ukemi and I think that the kids learn some of the basic techniques. Ukemi training disguised as games, however, is the staple.

When I opened my own dojo here, a conscious decision was made not to accept children and now our youngest member is a boy in his first year of high school (aged 16). The reason was that children practising aikido need expert supervision, as much in the general teaching of young children as in the correct teaching of aikido. Since we could not offer such supervision, we decided not to hold children's classes.

Yes, Tohei Sensei did have a chidren's program and it still exists. Even if I did want to enroll him in aikido, I live over 25 miles from the dojo, so it is not really condusive to bringing my son there - it's hard enough to get there often enough for myself. I have now found a good Shotokan karate dojo for my son, and am going to enroll him as soon as he shakes the cold he contracted last week. Thank you everyone for your responses.

[Ekajati]

I did judo at c age 6 - loved it until a fellow ?judoka decided to have one last throw on me although the teacher had called us to stop, and I wasn't expecting it... so fell badly and fractured my elbow! I rather annoyed everyone with my technique, though, which was a kind of "path of least action" one .... I have fond memories of standing stock still, arms stubbornly crossed, whilst other tinies desperately (and ineffectively) tried to throw me or even just push me over - with the Sensei equally ineffectively yelling "FIGHT! FIGHT!" at me

[Margaret de Bethlen]

[Ekajati]

Oh and I forgot the important warning for anyone enrolling their kids into judo... I once indirectly caused a really bad injury to someone when I was doing judo. A friend at school asked me if I would show her a judo throw. I agreed. Almost immediately after that she went and threw another girl in the school playground (a cement courtyard) and next thing I knew this girl was hobbling around in crutches for a good few months. Good idea to explain to kids that it is only safe in the dojo on the tatami with the sensei looking on - not to do outside and never to show to other people outside of the class.

[Margaret de Bethlen]