martial arts for my son??

thanks for the insight crazylegs. i'm shopping around so we will see what i can find around here. i hope that my son will continue with it for his life time it is an amazing art that i hope will also help to boost his confidence inside himself. he can do anything and i support his dreams the way i wish i had been supported to follow my dreams. (which i did anyway:) hence becoming a paramedic)
 
Alright, since I am somewhat in a hurry, and didn't get to read all of the posts, here's my advice.

Forget Martial arts, like someone stated, it doesn't really work for kids. I would suggest putting them in some team sports, such as soccer, or basketball, ect. It developes social skills, something that kids can ACTUALLY develope, and gets their bodies moving as well.

Kids cannot fully focus and be stern on something as demanding as martial arts. Sports are fun, becase they get to not only run around like idiots, but they get MORE exercise, and have LOTS more fun.

Just a thought.
 
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Nobody said:
Alright, since I am somewhat in a hurry, and didn't get to read all of the posts, here's my advice.

Forget Martial arts, like someone stated, it doesn't really work for kids. I would suggest putting them in some team sports, such as soccer, or basketball, ect. It developes social skills, something that kids can ACTUALLY develope, and gets their bodies moving as well.

Kids cannot fully focus and be stern on something as demanding as martial arts. Sports are fun, becase they get to not only run around like idiots, but they get MORE exercise, and have LOTS more fun.

Just a thought.
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I'm not sure where you're coming from on this one. 99% of martial arts schools are not "demanding" of the kids because parents won't put up with it. I will say that kids could use a lot more discipling than they get but martial arts instructors know that parents will just take their kids down the road to an instructor that will be nice and soft. In fact, sports coaches are a lot harder on adolescents than almost any of your martial arts instructors will be. I've seen more football/soccer/baseball coaches yell at their kids than any martial arts instructor...teh days of MA instructors whacking kids for mistakes is long gone.

Since kids are in classes together and have to work on different skills, they have to interract, so there's your socialization. Also, kids learn to kick, punch, roll, fall and so they learn coordination. If you're not working up a sweat in an MA school then you're at the wrong one.

Most of your martial arts are sports now a days. In fact, nearly most of your karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, etc schools are centered around competitions (like football, soccer, t-ball) and not so much the self defense aspect. But the kids who do MA learn a lot more self-confidence than your typical kid in football or other sports as such.

I'm still with finding out what the kid wants to do. I'm a firm believer that kids should be allowed to play any and all sports that they want until they find something they really like. I'm sure he'll want to do more than one sport and that's all the better--it will just make your kiddo an all around better athlete.
 
great post evolution my son is really interested in martial arts and i will be there to help him practice and encourage him every step of the way. my father has said that he will help with costs, travel and going with when i cannot(work-12 hour shifts!) so the hunt is on for the right class for him. i still don't know too much about the different forms but i will learn. thanks.
 
Well, the first is what fits into your budget, time, and drive time.

Some questions-
How much are testing fees and what is the testing time frame between levels?

Do you have any black belts that are under 18, if so, what's your youngest black belt?

How long have you been teaching and how long have you been practicing martial arts?

Is your self defense practical for street applications, do you seperate your self defense techniques from sparring techniques, and do the students know the difference between sparring applications and self defense applications?

How much time is spent on kata? How much on self defense? How much on sparring?

Is your self defense static or dynamic in nature?

----Those would be good questions to start out with. Feel fee to print them off and take them with you. A good instructor will not mind being drilled with questions.

Write the answers down and bring them back. I can also usually get a heads up on an instructor if you have their name and location.

Check out a half dozen schools if you can, make sure you get a couple free lessons to see if you like the way they structure their class, and go from there.

It'd be cool if you could find a Judo or American Kenpo Karate class for your son.
 
You're not looking for style effectiveness, unless I'm mistaken. You're looking for how good your child likes it first and foremost, and then whether or not the class fits your goals for him.

Just explain to the instructor your goals. You're not looking to put him in tournaments, boost his ego, or make him a better fighter. Therefore, there should be little or less emphasis on this, rather on the activity/fun level.
 
aevans410 said:
come clean, he made you tap out didn't he ;)
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Ha1. I'll never tell. Actually, I'm proud to say he did, after all, that was the testing point to see if he had learned the proper execution of the technique.
 
he is far too young for boxing. my dad didn't teach us until we were 12 and could understand that there was not to be any pulverizing of family members. LOL
 
oj sorri i wuz juss lol takin lol oopz didny meen 2 thro any1 off i guess dats wut i get 4 bein all l337 an evrythin im just tird bcuz i waz doin stuff 2day lol it was fu roflz hey lol luk at my dog she is leik sctratchign hur face lal
 
Just because I like sharing, thought I'd throw out a pic of a couple of my kids sparring....
 

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LOL he's wearing a homies shirt!

If the girl didn't have a big old smile on her face I'd be tempted to think that's some hardcore sparring. But instead, I think it's like hardcore tickling. With mouthpeices and headgear.
 
The smiling for the picture caused him to get clocked pretty good. Since they are kids ages 9-12, it's important that they wear mouth pieces, head gear, and cups...if they were adults, welll...I'd hope they'd still wear a mouth piece. We practice in their regular street clothes unless it's testing time.

One more and then I'll stop
 

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