i have a 2yr. old son. Can I send him to martial arts classes next year?

Question

if that's still to0 early, then when is the right time?

(I'm considering jujitsu)

Answer 1

3 is too young, 4 or 5 maybe. The problem is that he wont understand why he's taking the class

Answer 2

While I am generally one to advocate considering each individual case differently, I think two is far too young to begin martial arts training. If you want to develop his coordination, get him in to dance, or some movement classes.

Any sort of formal sports can wait until he is about four, and I would say martial arts training can wait even longer. I am a martial artist myself and two out of my three kids are black belts (the third is well on his way). All of them started at six, and I would say that was just about right for them.

I also caution you that jujitsu techniques really need to be controlled as they make very effective use of leverage, so can cause pain and sometimes even injuries with little effort. I would not want your son to innocently put one of his friends in an arm bar during play fighting, then roll the wrong way.

To be frank, I would be wary of any club that accepts students so young. An instructor that would take a two-year-old on as a student is probably more interested in your money than in teaching your son.

Answer 3

honestly it depends on the school and the instructor.. if you find an instructor that is willing to teach preschool martial arts classes that's awesome, whether your son will be capable of comprehending and retaining what he learns is another story, but if you just want to get him out and around other kids this is a great way to spark his interest, jujitsu however, might be a lil hard to get a baby to comprehend, i'd start w/karate or tkd, they're more kid friendly... my son's 3 1/2, and he's already learned mma techniques from his daddy - the jab, straight right, elbows, headbutts, palm heels, hammerfists, low line roundhouse muay thai kicks, front thrust kick, armbar, and rear naked choke.. and from me he's learning taijiquan. so, you see they can absorb a bit at that age, although its not always a good thing, i did have to stop my son from doing a rear naked choke and transitioning into an armbar on another kid at a birthday party once... but it's a great way to keep they're interest in something that will benefit them in not only martial arts, but their health, safety, and discipline...

in our town we have an instructor who's a 5 dan in karate, aikido, and tkd.. and he has a class geared toward pre-k kids (you know the way kids are, they see big brother/sister doing it and they want to do it too).. it's a very simple class more about stretching and developing hand eye coordination and letting the kids have fun and get to know how their bodies work in terms of the martial arts, he does light kicking drills and punching, but it's all at their level, he even has toy blocks that he puts together and lets them break w/a chop or kick, it's really very cute.. i'm sure if he's doing these sort of classes there have to be more instructors out there doing the same... but, i'd say shop around, attend a class or two with your son and if everything looks good and he has an interest, i don't see what it would hurt to get him going next year..

good luck to you both!!!

Answer 4

I don't think anytime is too early. The martial arts help their bodies as well as their minds. They learn respect for themselves and others, which will help you next time it's spinach for dinner or time for bed. Also, most two-year-olds I've met have some degree of anger inside of them. They are now smart enough to know what they want but still may not know how to communicate that. The martial arts are very good for anger-management and relaxation so that next time he gets frusterated he can stop, calm down, and think of what he wants to say. And of course, kids these days could all do with some self-defense skills.

Hope I could help.

Answer 5

Absolutely you can send him to martial arts classes. The Gracies all started training when they were 1 and 2 yrs old. All the great Martial Arts stars started when they were that age or younger.

Answer 6

Probably too soon.. but what is his attention span.. My eldest had a concentration level that blew me away.. he would wok on a single project often for more than an hour to two hours at that age.. He began ice skating at 2, would literally study how the instructor moved on the ice and mimic with success and was skating fairly proficiently by three.. conversely, my other two had what I call 'normal' attention spans and were not ready to hit the ice until a more traditional time frame, four or five years old..

You know your child's attention span.. if it's there.. try it, but talk with the instructor first.. If he moves from 'project' to 'project' quickly, he's not ready to start..

Answer 7

start your child with a private tutour. I wouldn't start him till later unless you want him to do martial arts and self defense for a living. Kids lose interest really easy but if you want him to teach by the time hes out of grade school he should be able to teach other wise enter him at like 6 and don't press your children. Pressing your children to hard is bad its more liek tell them you show interest. as stupid as it soudns let them watch power rangers and kung fu movies with mild themes tehy might find them cool. but with most peoples luck they end up with kids that are passive agressive or emotional these days. so godo luck in your kids even deciding they want to fight you can't force them my parents wanted me to be a passive agressive lawyer pianist. But i'm a guitar playing, metal head, Martial artist. You can only hope the children you have raised will progress into martial artists

Answer 8

At my karate school we don't start teaching children until they are four or five. Some four year olds don't have the attention spans the training requires so in that case we give them a month or two and then we talk to the parents to see if they want to wait and bring their child back when they are five. Most five year olds have enough attention span to work with.

Answer 9

I have 4 kids at home of which 3 are currently in the martial arts. The ages are 13, 10, 4, and 4 months... With that said we have been practicing for about a year plus in Hapkido (very similiar to TKD). At the time we started, our 4 yr old was a late 2yr old. He was too young for the kids class, however, we practiced at home with him for about 15 min at a go. At 3 1/2 he was enrolled in a kempo class and practiced for about 4 months...He did great. We quit kempo after 4 months because of the school (we had moved cross country and had problems finding a good Hapkido school) Our 4 yr old stretches and works out for about 45 min with us a few times a week and his attention span is solid.

But that's us! He is surrounded by martial arts every day, has grown up seeing us practice non-stop. At the age of 2 he was too young and 3 1/2 borderline. Our decision to enroll him and his acceptance into the Hapkido/TKD was because of the family background. Though even at 4 it helps develop good skills that can be applied in school (sitting still, paying attention, excercise).

Consider that TKD is a sport and not so much for self-defense (unless learning the Korean version). Nothing wrong with that at all, just be aware of that. Kempo, Karate, Kung Fu, TKD are all good starts for a child at 4. JJ is not the best option for a child however. Medically their joints are not developed enough and JJ requires ground fighting. JJ is best started at a later age after learning another art or in conjunction with another art. Personally, JJ is for teenagers on up due to concerns with joints not having been fully developed. This is, however, arguementative and professional MA will debate such issues.

Make it fun for him/her. When she/he does not want to go take them anyway (all 4 yr olds eventually want to stop the sport they are doing). Their minds will change shortly.

Watch your child while he/she practices, unless he/she does not focus with you there. Make sure the sensei teaches respect, does not allow for running around etc (that the class is organized). Some schools are good with young kids, but horrible for adults (was our case w/ Kempo) and vica-versa. Talk to other parents whom are taking their kids to a school; ask about pricing (you can negotiate a lower price by the way). Don't sign any contract unless they are willing to allow you to pull him/her out with 30 days notice.

I also suggest you buy a few items for use at home. At two he/she can practice on a kick bag with you etc...to get him/her introduced into the art. Have them count the kicks, count punches. Have your child practice sitting still etc for a minute or two. This will prepare your child to enter at an earlier age (3 1/2) and do better. Once taking classes you should also have some tools for them to practice with you at home.

Good luck.

Answer 10

I have been teaching marital art for over 20 years...my opinion is that children should"nt start a martial arts program until at least age 5or 6 ..even that my be too young for some children..REAL martial arts training can be very discouraging for young kids. if you start them too young and they don"t like it they might quit and never come back...I suggest you start your son in a good tumbling /gymnastics program..he will have fun and aquire essential skills like balance strengh and flexibility..to make the transition into martial arts ..