My 8 year old son wants to take karate. Can he get seriously hurt or have his teeth kicked out? Thanks!?

Answer 1

My son started Karate at about the same age. He was required to wear protective gear. That included headgear, footgear, shin guards, hand protectors and a mouthpiece. There are some precautions. At that age his muscles are not fully attached to bones yet. Hyperextention of legs and arms can cause some damage. My son had a problem when he started breaking boards. The muscle in his heel pulled away from the bone. He did heal but it was painful for a while. He went on tour with his Dojo and participated in Kumate and fighting. Kumate is the exhibit of form in his style. Fighting is what it is. All protective gear is worn during fighting and usually is not full contact. Mere contact in a score area is sufficient. Visit a nearby Dojo that caterers to that age and watch a workout. Going to competitions is were he will gain confidence. But remember, you cannot get in the ring to protect him. That is the referee's job and they do it well....Make sure the Dojo teaches him to use restraint. The idea is confidence in yourself and not to bully other kids. He should learn to avoid a fight and know that he could protect himself if need be.....Today my son is 26 Yrs old and a Black Belt in Shotokan. He has never had a fight and doesn't need to prove himself to anyone (but himself)

Answer 2

To be frankly, yes there's a chance. Well... getting teeth kicked out isn't too uncommon, but seriously hurt, that's very rare. It usually happen if someone fight in underground orgization, but like a 8 years old would do that.

However some pains such as minor bruises or some falling are very common if the school is good. Yes people will say it's wrong and stuff, but think about this, kids are very curious about everythings. So if they doesn't get a chance to spar or try their technique out against other resisting opponent, what will happen? Of course he'll start to wonder if it actually work and he'll end up do it on other kids outside of dojo which isn't good. Also by sparring hard, it'll keep him humble.

I strongly suggest finding a kyokushin karate, Eshin karate, and other offshoot of Kyokushin or Mas Oyama teaching karate. Those are the style where he'll most likely have more fun and learning along with sparring and allowing him to try things he learn out.

However if the students regularly are getting knocked out, breaking bones, etc... then something is really wrong.

Answer 3

Kids can get hurt doing anything. You are just being an over-protective parent...that is ok. BUT karate will give your child discipline and besides it will get your child up out of a couch or off the computer. Kids need the exercise and why not let him join it is something that he wants to do and it will be good for him. You know that he has an interest in karate and the karate instructor will make sure that they are learning how to properly use karate and abuse it so there shouldn't be any worry about the injuries.

Answer 4

I think it is fabulous! Actually, if he is interested in Karate, the chances are greater that he will get hurt or get his teeth kicked in if you don't let him take Karate.... Karate will teach him the proper techniques and it is a great tool to teach self-discipline and build his self confidence. It is also a great way to teach him to defend himself against bullies without resorting to a fight if he is ever challenged by a bully.

I'm a big supporter for Karate! I think you should do it, be very supportive of him....

Answer 5

If you do the research you will find that martial arts in general are less dangerous and have fewer injuries than most- not contact sports. The Insurance Institute rates injuries per 1000 hours of play or activity at 35 for football 28 for baseball 31 for soccer and - 3 for martial arts. The reason behind this is that most martial arts training is suprevised very closely and you know you are in a dangerous environment to begin with.
Start your child in martial arts only when they are able to maintain their attention span more than 15 minutes. Don't force them to go, make it fun. Find a school that doesn't just baby sit and keep kids busy. Look for focusing on co-ordination, team work, goal setting and respect.

Answer 6

yes any thing can happen, but the master that is teaching it, is usually watching and making sure that does not happen. Actually a big thing in Karate is self control, to learn self disaplen. They want the child to learn that it is not cool to use it if you do not have to.
That trying to talk it out, and work it out peacefully is the main goal, then if that don't work and he is going to be attacked then he has a way to defend himself. You also have to take in mind that people that are in Karate, and know it, and are good at it, they have to register their hands, legs, feet as weapons. Cause it can be dangerous if you do not have the control.

Answer 7

Martial Arts is Great but find a experienced and responsible instructor. Do not sign up for the first class you watch. Go to a few schools and watch classes see how they are run. Make sure they are teaching something you deem valuable and worth the money you want to spend. Also make sure they use safety gear when sparring. Make sure they look out for the welfare and safety of the children. they are teaching them to defend themselves but they should not get hurt to bad in class. Children do get hurt at times but not that bad.

Answer 8

I started Karate when I was 11 and I just started my second year. If his instructor is nice, considerate, or responsible he should make it so that when they spar if there is any illegal contact then the kid that did it will be punished. In my style no contact to knees, back, or face. Light contact to groin.

Choose a good school and you will see a major change for the good in his life and he will have no injuries to minor injuries.

Answer 9

My whole family trains in martial arts--hubby, 9-year-old, 5-year-old & me. Hubby & I were bullied in school. Though we're well past the age where we need anything more physical than self-confidence & composure to deal with bullies in our daily life, we enjoy training with our kids & helping them develop the skills they'll need to deal with conflict throughout their lives. Each of us gets something a little bit different out of it, but we all benefit from the rigorous physical exercise & the focus, respect, self-discipline & other skills training we get from the martial arts. It's also fun to practice together.

Like any such activity, martial arts does have its share of bad characters, but just choose carefully & look for a dojo that has a positive message (conflict resolution first, self-defense as a last resort) & caring instructor(s) that you feel comfortable with. Don't be shy--shop around & ask lots of questions before committing to a program.

Answer 10

A very good age to start karate! It's good to get your kids invovled in physical activities when they're growing. If he gets seriously hurt you could probably sue whoever's teaching the class...but it's highly unlikely that he'll get hurt cause they're good about safety and stuff.