What is the best type of karate or self defense class for a child?

Answer 1

it's a personal choice of which discipline you want to study, there isn't a "best" Martial Art. Only YOU can Make the decision about which one is best for the child and what you him or her to get out of studying Martial arts for their personal benefit. but I would suggest that you take the child along so that they can also have a say in what school they can go to, because if they don't like it, then they won't want to go to class when it's time.

What many people fail to realize about Martial Arts is that there isn't a particular "brand" that is a "best fit".

There IS NOT a Martial Art that works for people with SPECIFIC body characteristics (height, weight, body type, gender, age, etc.)

when people ask "what's a good Martial Art for me to learn?" or “what’s the “best” Martial Art to learn” has 2 major problems that immediately crop up that leads to unnecessary problems:

1st: these questions just beg for the majority of people here to start blurting out names of disciplines that are probably not even available in your area.

2nd: Just because they recommend a Martial Art that they may (or worse MAY NOT) have studied and it just happened to become THEIR favorite Martial Art because they’re interested in studying it or it worked for them** doesn't mean that it's going to work for you or that you’ll find it interesting.

(**this is due to the pride they have in their discipline, which is a good thing; but should be looked at more realistically about what YOU need to get out of the discipline and not what THEY want to tell you about what they've studied)

First of all, what YOU need to do is research local schools by looking in the phone book or internet search engine to find out if there ARE any Martial Arts schools in your area.

Second, if you can find at least 3 schools that interest you and mot importantly, the child in question, watch a few classes at each one with him or her and decide which one out of those 3 schools that interested you BOTH the most.

Third, the next thing you should do is find out if they have some trial classes (up to a weeks worth to help you make a decision, hopefully without being hassled to join or sign a contract to join the class), and if you find that you like the school, then enroll in the class.

You just need to find a Martial Arts School that will provide a safe, "family like" environment for the child; and that the instructor(s) are going to help them become the best Martial Artist that they can become.

The discipline the child may wind up studying DOESN'T MATTER because there is NO discipline that is better than another, because they ALL have their strengths AND weaknesses

What matters is that you (and again that the child feels good about the class) feel comfortable in the classes (and like the classes) and feel comfortable that the instructor (and the instructor's TEACHING style and not the discipline itself) can properly teach the child self defense without the "smoke and mirrors" .

The instructor should also like to do it more for the teaching aspect rather than the "making money" which it is a business to make money after all; but it should not be the only reason for teaching the discipline.

The biggest problem you should worry about in finding a school is being aware of schools that're a "McDojo's" or "belt factory" type of school.

These schools usually do a lot of boasting; particularly about how soon their students make their 1st degree black belts. A prime example of this: having several "young black belts" that're usually 9 or 10 yr old kids, which should be a rare thing to see unless the child started learning the discipline when they were 4 yrs old, or promising that as a student the child will be making your black belt in about a year’s time (the average should be between 4 to 5 years or better) which often means that they have a high student turnout rate. This is a Red Flag

They may also try to get you to commit to (by signing) a contract, usually one that's 6 months long or more or try to get you to pay down a large sum of money for that kind of time period. This is a BIG red flag

And don’t be fooled by these schools telling you about how many tournaments or competitions their students have entered and placed in or won a trophy, which is NOT a necessity in Martial Arts. Tournaments/competitions can be good to test your own skills at point sparring but again, it’s not necessary because they are the LEAST important aspect to concern yourself with in Martial Arts.

Long story short, these schools will basically "give" you your belt ranks every few months as long as you are paying the outrageous fees per month, and you won't really learn self defense.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

Hi Jessica, I am going to give you a combination of Hammy's and James answers. I am not saying MMA might not be right for your situation, however you stressed self defense, and there are many components to self defense beyond learning to punch, kick, and grapple that many schools that train MMA's do not take into account. Don't get me wrong, as far as the physical stuff goes, any good MMA school should suffice to teach them that, however most of these schools train for fighting in a ring, or as a competition, and as a result do not teach some critical components of actual self defense, at least to the best of my knowledge, but all schools are different. Many people who recomend MMA's on here do not know the difference between a street fight and self defense. A street fight is a clash of two ego's, that requires 2 willing participants, that can be avoided 99% of the time if somebody has the confidence in themselves and the strength to back down. Self defense is where you have exhausted every other option, and has one or more attackers and one un willing participant. Some key components of self defense often overlooked are being aware of your surroundings, taking easy precautions and making them habit, and also realizing that self defense is not about knocking a person out or submitting them, but just pure survival. Doing what you have to to get away, rather then stay there and fight it out. My best advice is not to worry so much about style, as finding a good instructor and a good school. If you do a search on here, there are many good answers and questions about what to look for in a good school and instructor, and what to avoid, and also what questions to ask. If you want e-mail me and I will give you a list. Next find all of the available schools in your area and take the kids to check them out. Some may even let them take free trial classes. Use the list you have too put some in the maybe catagory, and the others in the definetly not catigory. Listen to the kids, but you make the final decision, because the kids could like the flashy fun McDojo, but in that you might as well buy them belts and save some money. I am not saying your kids might not winde up at the MMA gym or school if it is the best in your area. If that is the case then great, go for it, because the training is tough and will help build dicipline. Just make sure that whatever school you send them to stresses when it is to be used, teaches basic awareness skills, and teaches the kids precautions they and you can incorperate into your everyday lives and make habit, as at their age the last two will go further toward keeping them safe then any pucnch or kick. If you need further info feel free to E-mail me.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
What is the best type of karate or self defense class for a child?

Answer 6

Best Self Defense For Kids

Answer 7

For the best answers, search on this site https://shorturl.im/av0s3

First off this is just a generalized overview - there are lots of interpretations of any martial art. An instructor can teach a given style any number of ways, and incorporate lots of his own philosophy into his teaching - I would focus more on the teacher than the style taught for children. That said: Combat Hapkido - this is a survival self defense / military combat style and can be taught as pretty aggressive and brutal - eye gouges, groin kicks, weapon techniques, and chokes are common - probably not kid friendly. MMA - sport fighting style - this is a mixture of striking, clinching, and ground (grappling and wrestling) techniques. The specific styles taught depend on the instructor, but typically include Muay Thai kickboxing for strikes and clinch (close fighting), and Brazilian jiu jitsu for grappling. With a good instructor, this one can be kid friendly, depending on the instructor. *Beware - a lot of MMA instructors teach dangerous techniques to youth that are not ready to handle them (I don't think kids should be taught chokes unless they are really mature enough to understand the consequence of the technique). Shudokan Karate - Okinawan traditional style karate focusing on powerful striking (kicks and punches). They do the traditional "kata" or forms to practice and there are weapon techniques for advanced students. A lot of traditional Shudokan teachers focus on the discipline, respect, humility aspect of the art as well as the fighting aspects. Good for kids as a foundation because of the physical as well as mental aspects. Kickboxing - this is a pretty diverse term, but generally it's a sport type of martial art which is mainly focused on striking from punching or kicking range - some kickboxing schools teach throws and clinch / dirty boxing (Muay Thai for example) and some teach grappling techniques, but these are the minority. Typically very kid friendly, as the pace is quick and there is a lot of action. The training is a lot like boxing with punching bags and sparring being more frequently used than in some other schools. I recommend kickboxing if you want something for your kids will enjoy together - I imagine the 13 year old girl wouldn't be comfortable wrestling or grappling with boys, and the 8 year old may get bored with the pace of Shudokan. The best idea would probably be to visit a couple of schools and let the kids watch - most schools will let prospective students take a class for free to try it out. Let the kids make a decision on where they feel most comfortable. Please talk to the instructors and check out more than one school - a good instructor makes all the difference, and you can tell a lot by how they run a class. Good Luck

Answer 8

If its self defense your looking for and you truly want your child to be able ot defend themself in any situation then I would look into a good Mixed Martial Arts School. I read all the coments above and they all stress one of the most importants aspects. That is GOOD INSTRUCTORS who care about the children and not just your wallet! I've found that MMA is very good for children despite what you've heard or seen on the news. Mixed Martial Arts is the study of what works! This is proven in events all over the world. It is also a sport that doesn't focus on Belts. Belts give children a false sense of security and accomplishment. If you don't want your child to become involved in the striking arts (mma usually incorporates some form such as boxing, Mui Thai, or Kickboxing) then I really like Wrestling, Submission Grappling, or BJJ. Jiu Jitsu from brazil has some really handy, real world applications and I find it allot of fun! But again its important that you check out the school, Look for online reviews and complaints, Make sure they offer a Free Trial Period and aren't too pushy! Good Gyms don't need to pressure people to sign up because they usually get enought students through word of mouth. If the kids love it then they will tell their friends. I also suggest that you don't ever...EVER...Push you children too hard when it comes to Martial Arts. If your child is lazy and does nothing but sit in front of the TV all day eating ho ho's and drinking cookie dough batter then yes a little push may be necessary. Just remember this is supposed to be fun for them. Competition is healthy as long as the child is driven by something inside and not an overbearing parent trying to re-live their own youth through little johnny! If you ever find this to be the case and your that ****** parent screaming at your kid for screwing up that arm bar or high kick then sign yourself up at my gym and within a week we'll curb all those bad parenting habits with some healthy workouts! Good luck and remember is supposed to be fun and healthy both physically and mentally for your child!

Answer 9

My little sister is 7 and has been doing Judo for about 2/3 years. She's doing really well. When I say she's doing really well, I mean she enjoys it, she has the confidence to stick up for herself when someone harasses her, and while she's learning to defend herself, she has made loads of new friends.

My brother has also just started, he's 5. He also loves it.

So, in my opinion, I think Judo is quite a good self defence class because it's not so aggressive, but they still learn the throws.
I think the instructor is also an important factor. My sister and brother's instructor is really good with the kids.

Answer 10

All Martial Arts share good values for children, respect, integrity and confidence. The first style should pertain to your childs balance, judo and aikido is always a great start for the childs direction in life, very non-aggressive, but great defense for minors. They learn how to tumble, fall and get out of harms way, if necessary. Then the higher levels learn, the strike after maturity.

Answer 11

Tae Kwon Do is great for kids, it's fun and it helps then use all their energy in a fun and positive way, it is also a great sport, however, if what you want your kids to learn is self-defense then Tae Kwon do is not the class you want to put them in, I love Tae Kwon do but it is not very effective when it comes to having to defend your self in a real life situation.
Hapkido and/or Aikido are some of the very best when it comes to true and very effective self defense techniques an kids can do it and learn easily.
I teach both Taekwondo and Hapkido, there are some schools out there that teach both so if you can find one that does both TKD and hapkido or aikido that would be great for your kids, if not then it would really depend on what you are interested in your kids to learn.
GOOD luck