Serious question

[eighteenvisions]

I have a young boy I was intrested in join a martial art. I want to know what is your guys opinion On What martial art would be ideal for a first timer and what is a good age to start?

[ryanhall]

Eighteen,
I would go with Judo. It's got enough useful stuff in it for your son to have a good start, but it's not a lot of the serious stuff that could cause problems. The contact aspect of it is fun for kids--at least it was for the kids I've seen. Hope that helps.

[eighteenvisions]

The ever present RYAN HALL Yes, I want him to have a good time, but also be able to experience what martial arts is all about.

[ryanhall]

The ever present RYAN HALL

What can I say, dude? Work is pretty good at keeping me plastered to the screen. Fortunately, I'll be done with this nonsense in a week.

[kh_s]

if you want your kid to grow up as one big bad ass I`d say join him in Muay Thai, It's great to start MT while very young...

But I dun mean into a violent kid rofl...

[eighteenvisions]

I am half Thai My mom is in the process of teaching him Thai........Ofcourse she didn't bother to teach me. I have considered it not only becuz I don't want my son to be bullied, but becuz It's my heritage. My son is Thai and Irish I think that is an excellent breed for a fighter,but thats a whole nother thread.

[Toudiyama]

Darn your son will be going from pub to pub fighting in everyone of them No seriously how old is he? if very young then Judo is a good starter

[MrPoopy]

Judo isn't the best, but then again there isn't a best. If he studies Judo long enough he should be able to adaquately defend himself, and the environement found in Judo classes is well suited to children. Judo usually doesn't cost very much either.

As far as how old he should be, if he can pay attention long enough to learn things then he's old enough. At my Judo class most of the kids just horse play and never learn much of anything. And it doens't matter how much the instructor fusses at them for doing it. They will act like kids no matter what.

[jcolvin]

Personally I wished my mother would have started me when I was able to walk. But, I actually asked my instructors this same question once and they all said around 6-7, because at that age children are more prone to listen and process what you are trying to teach them than at the younger ages.

In this conversation one of my instructors mention Judo and gymnastics, so that they got the coordination aspects down well. Then I think with your mother working with him on the Thai boxing aspect that will be a strong intro for him and as a side note there is nothing to stop you from jumping in and learning right along side of him. I think when he reaches 12 you should start him in an offical school where he can work BJJ ( ground fighting) and enhance the stand up work that you have been doing, like JKD, Boxing and Thaiboxing.

The thing is you want to expose him to alot and he will gravitate to what he likes best.

[Toudiyama]

I wish my dad had enrolled my in Judo ( he was a teacher nimself) at an early age, then I would have been able to do more throws effectively, But still as a 4yh kyu I can still do Yoko gake or yoko tomoe nage and manage to throw a experienced BB during randori, even heavier oponents
So even a small base in Judo is great
Also youbg people aren't shure what they like yet and can be hopping from one sport to the other
If your son is really young( 5-8) find a school that does Judo in a playfull way ( or any art for that matter) this will ensure that he will stick long enough to get a bit of a base and for the kids make it easier to learn

[swan104]

I started doing Judo when I was about 8, and that was my first experience in the martial arts. I think it is a good starting point with kids because you do learn about self-development and self-defence in a sport like environment.

I don't think it would be good for me to learn finger jabbing, elbowing, knees, knife work etc for use in the playground!!

To be honest, I wish I started kung fu when I was young.

[eXcessiveForce]

Well,

I started MA when i was 4. I never practiced and I was already ready to beat to death anybody who got in my way. I had already fought 8th graders and knocked out another kid with a 2X4. It actually calmed me down a bit by training.

But my training ended up being forced. My dad made me practice everyday. If I didn't or didn't pay enough attention I got spanked. So then I would be there crying and drilling. I ended up hating martial arts but I ever quit until much much later when we moved to a town that had lousy schools. But then after a year a new school opened and I started training again.

Since I was a child MA product and have taught kids all the way down to two years old I can tell you a few things to consider.

Do not worry so much about what they are learning. Make sure that they are learning good basics and are having fun doing it. If they aren't having fun they won't keep it up and then no one is happy.

Children are not usualy intrinsicly motivated so instuctors and parents must help to provide motivation for them to work out. This should be positive reinforcement (rewards for doing well) not negative.

Usually they should only train 2 to 3 times a week max. Otherwise they tend to burn out.

If you want them to be good never use MA as a punishment. Like clean your room or you can't go to class.

Be very careful about the amount of impact they are doing. THEY ARE NOT LITTLE ADULTS. when I was younger and still growing I ran 3 miles a day in bad shoes. It ended up causeing the bones in my leg to start to grow into my knee caps. The pain finally because unbearable after a few years of it and I went to the doctor and found out my situation. Childrens bones are soft, They can take falls well but they can be hurt by heavy strikes. And if they break a growth plate or develop repetitive use injuries you could damage them for life.

I have never seen a kid who has become more violent after taking MA except one. He was picked on because he stuttered and kids would fight him. Well later he got bigger and was trained and he wanted to do a little getting even.


It is better to find a good group with a friendly instructor that knows how to train kids rather than the best instructor who trains fighters but doesn't know kids.

[Lizard]

Well most people here think that Judo is a good choice. When I was 7 I wanted to do karate but my parents wouldn't let me. So just as the shoalin monks made gung-fu based on the observation of animals... I made DINOSAUR KARATE. I'm not joking, I knew a lot about dinosaurs and made my own martial art based on them. I think I even had a few students. At the end of the day it's the child's choice, show him Judo, if he likes it he'll stay. Motivation? Make him watch power rangers (or the Judo version of power rangers if there is one).

Dinosaur Karate.

Right. Now go with the nice men in the white coats......

[Lizard]

I'm quite proud of it. I created an entire new art, without previous MA expirience. It shows just how desparate I was to do karate. Galimimus kick: A push kick, designed to be hard to grab. T-rex chop: Double handed chop to the neck, more power than a normal karate chop. I even had some grappling moves. Hey do you think I shoud start teaching it again? At least it's better than TKD! I used to prove my skill by asking people to trip me up, as they went for a sweep I would step forward and push them and they would fall, it always worked. NO PREVIOUS MA EXPIRIENCE!