what age can you take up martial arts?

Answer 1

At our local school, they start as young as 4.
I've seen much older (adults) start as well.

Answer 2

There are two aspects to this question:
1) The legal and technical lower age limit.
2) At what age the child benefits from the teaching.

so...

1) Has been answered several times but generally 6 to 8 seems the general answer. Probably more to do with insurance and liability.
2) I believe that depends a lot on the teacher/sifu/sensei etc. Teaching can be a very dry thing for kids and the enthusiasm and discipline of the teacher makes a lot of difference. Most young kids do not concentrate for long periods and need something to keep them focussed. Yes, SOME kids can manage at a very early age especially if their parent(s) also are martial artists who also indirectly continue the coaching in their own way e.g. taking the child to watch adult classes.

From personal experience, I have found that most children who start martial arts early will tend to leave the sport but may return when they are older and understand more about the budo ("the way") of the art and not just the technique.

Answer 3

I have 4 kids: 13, 10, 4, and 2 months. Everyone in the family except the 2 month is in Kempo and everyone except our 4 and 2 month hold has a year of Hapkido.
Our 4 yr old started at 3 1/2 and learnt increased his listening skills and ability to pay attention. He takes classes for about 30 min at a go (3 times per week) and works with us at home. I do not expect him to move up quickly, however, I have noticed the differance it makes on him via attention span and positive behavior. Now, this is the same 3 yr old that would go to a 2 hour movie at the theater w/o a problem (watch Batman, Spiderman etc).
When our 2 month old is old enough to walk and ki, he will be ready for class. If you take the kids early it helps develop good habits. Dont push the belt issue -- a 1st dan that is 7yrs old knows alot but is not a true black belt in most systems. Most schools will provide a contigent blackbelt with the if being on the child staying in until 16 or so.
But any age is a good age to start...

Answer 4

I think it all depends on the style and the school. I know there are some martial art schools that take kids as young as 3 and others that require you to be 9 or 10. I know at my Tae Kwon Do school we have a special class for 4 and 5 year olds.

Answer 5

The traditional Samuri started their male sons training at the age of 5 years, 5 months and 5 days old.

I don't see starting children unless they have the attention span to do it. You can start kids at 3 and 4 but most won't get much out of it untill about 5 or 6. If the parent does the art then the child can be started earlier because they can practice at home.

My Dojo doesn't start them untill 5 and then if we see that they don't have the attaetion span, we talk to the parents about coming back later. We do alot of races and games to bring fun into our childrens classes so they will pay attention better.

On the other end, I have trained with a guy in his early 70's. He went on to get his Black Belt. A good school can teach just about anyone.

Answer 6

I myself start martial arts after high school. I think the best age to start is between 18-22.

Answer 7

As you can see from the varying answers here, different sports and different clubs take children at different ages. To start a child, you should be reasonably confident they will pay reasonable attention. In my club, my sensei is very outgoing and great with children, and can draw even the incredibly shy ones out of their shells.
Martial arts is great for kids. After they have been learning, they stop being violent outside of class. They develop a disdain for street fighting, but can defend themseves. Just make sure the club is reputable and registered.

Answer 8

Depends on the instructor. My kajukenbo instructor takes any age (I'm 31 and my boys are 8 and 10). There's an instructor in Jujitsu who only takes over 12. You just have to research the art and talk to the dojo.

Answer 9

I have students from 3 years old to 75 years old. My instructor is still doing it at 89 years old ! Jujitsu when done right can be done almost your whole life. Many styles of jujitsu are not just grappling like you see in Gracie Jui-jitsu. Most styles of jujitsu are more well rounded than the Gracie style and have many effective standing techniques. It does not require strength or great movement. So it can be performed at any age.

Answer 10

My son took tai kwan do from the age of four to the age of eight when he got his black belt.He's now 14 with great stamina for things like swimming and well built for sports like football.He's also much more flexible than his friends from all the stretching exercises plus it gave him confidence to face any situation!

Answer 11

I think a person can start at any age. You will succed if you really want to, if you put your mind into it and work hard. I started at age 20, and advanced quickly because I really like it. I met a 65 yr. old man who started at that age and he loved it.

Good luck!