Do you think its a good idea to put you child in martial arts karate?

Question

mine wants to so want some opinions//

Answer 1

It's a great idea. Just remember to research the schools in your area and don't just take him to the one closest to you.

You want to find a "Mr. Miyagi", not the "Cobra Kai". Of course that is an exaggeration, but there are good and bad schools out there. Have him take introductory classes and find one that you both like.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Well yes,
but I wouldn't say any martial arts school only because some would like your money than teaching your child actual self defence. I take Tae Kwon Do right now and we have an oath that we must say and the end of class and the Tenets of Tae Kwon Do that we must say in the beginning. The tenets are, Coursety, Integretiy, Perserverance, Self Control, and Indomitable Spirit. The student oath says that the student will only use the techniques they learn in Tae Kwon Do as self defense and that they will try to develop themselves in a positive manner. I won't say it word for word since it is pretty long. But I am a teenager and I wanted to take Tae Kwon Do when I was little becuase to be honest I wanted to be like the power rangers. Martial Arts in general helps you remember better, have concentration, and act nice. I started when I was 6 and loved it I am still taking it and I was actually offered a job at my TKD place. If you are still not sure, My grades are all A's and I have no problems with teachers or my parents. Martial Arts helps children become better students and people in general. It has them focus on one goal, black belt. And then once they reach that they must be able to make another goal and reach that. Martial Arts in my life is my life. And if your child loves it they will learn life lessons that they will never forget. Become inspired by their instructors. It is all around a great sport.

Answer 3

My father teaches both Tae Kwon Do and Isshin-Ryu to children at an independently owned school.
I would have to definitely recommend enrolling your kids in some type of martial arts class. It teaches them discipline and the importance of self control at an early age, and also provides a great workout.
I would be very discerning when choosing a school, however. In recent years that has been an upsurge of corporately owned schools who seem to have lost sight of some of the most important parts of this ancient art form. Be wary, first of all, of schools that charge too much or require a membership contract of any kind. Sometimes these schools will give you the same vibe that you get when you're looking for a regular gym-- the whirlwind tour and and the membership fees being thrown at you left and right with the promise of "this discount" or "that discount" and before you know it you're committing to a year's worth of exercise at a school you don't even know if you will like.
Also, ask them how they do rank promotion. You need to look for a school that concentrates less on promotion and more on the actual training and education about the particular discipline your children are studying. Sometimes larger schools adopt a sort of "pay to promote" system, which basically means your children are ready to be promoted as long as you're ready to pay them to make it happen. If you look around the school and you see black belts who are 10 years old, that's a bad sign.
Lastly, make sure you attend a class with your child before enrolling him or her. Any reputable school will be more than happy to have you there as an observer or participant if you just want to try it out.
Bottom line, it's a hobby that will benefit your kids in a lot of ways, but do your research first! Good luck!

Answer 4

Absolutely.

Martial Arts will help your child both physically and mentally, especially if you find a good school for them to go to.

physically, it'll help your child be more physically fit and active instead of home where children are least likely to be active, and they'll prob'ly have some basic fitness included in the curriculum for the children.

Mentally, it will give your child better focus, as well as give him or her a better incentive to keep up his or her school work , because some schools employ a system that requires the student to maintain a minimum grade average to continue participating in the class, as well as reward those who maintain good grades.

it's also a good model to help your child build good social networking skills, as he or she will meet other students that're around the same age as they are, maybe even some kids from their school, attend the same grade school that they do so they may also meet some new friends.

not only that, but your child will learn more about the meaning of respect, self confidence, and what it should mean to be a Martial Artist.

Hopefully you've found a decent school with a good teacher and a good model of curriculum, and avoided the "McDojo" or "belt factory" schools which basically "give" the students their ranks every few months as long as their getting the monthly dues.

If not, don't worry about finding the "best" discipline of Martial Arts, because there isn't one, not one discipline is better than another.

researching the local Martial Arts schools and picking at least 3 schools that you and your child likes is a good start.

from there you'll want to watch a few classes (from each of the schools) to assess for yourself how well the instructor(s) teach the students and interact with them (especially the children that're your childs age)

then ask your child which one he or she liked the most and try to find a good middle ground in finding a good school to train at and what you and your child wants to get out of studying the Martial art you will finally choose of the three.

It should be a safe, clean, friendly place with a "family like" atmosphere, as well as fun for the kids.

good luck, and I hope you find a good school for your child to start learning Martial Arts.

Answer 5

I have been doing tae kwon do for six years now and I help out with the kids classes occasionally. I truly believe that the kids experience more self-discipline and more confidence for themselves. It also makes the parents very happy because it gives the children something to work hard for. I have see some kids that showed no respect whatsoever to the instructor or the parents when they first began the class and after only a few weeks, they had changed their negativity into positive attitudes. I can say for myself that I have come a long way since I began practicing martial arts and I feel now that it is one of the best parts of my life. It has also been the most fun for me!!! I love it so much!!! Good Luck and I hope your son/daughter will get into martial arts!!!

Answer 6

yes and no.

It depends on many factors which only YOU can determine.

First off the statement that it "provides discipline" is a fallacy. Only you his/her parent can provide discipline. Does it give him/her drive to work towards something to achieve self-success to make them feel better, absolutely, but so does success in a sport, musical instrument, or art.

You need to look at the aggression level of your child. Martial arts does not "temper" a violent child. The closest thing it can do is make a compassionate normal child (not timid, not aggressive) realize how much they really can hurt another person. If your child is predisposed to go out and hit people, because of his lack of maturity or other issues, then that is what he will do, martial arts will not calm him. Did it do anything to make Mike Tyson less violent? No. (Boxing IS a martial art).

What type of martial art do you want him to study based on his/her age. If he is very young, you might not want to enroll him/her in a striking art, they might not be able to physically handle it and might actually be encouraged to hit more if they are not old and mature enough to listen and realize thier actions. In such cases of a younger child, a grappling art like Judo, jiujitsu, sambo, brazillian jiujitsu, folkstyle-freestyle or greco-roman wrestling, pankration, soi chao, etc. are probably better at younger ages when kids are more likely to wrestle among themselves anyway.

You want to also make sure that the school is teaching legitimate techniques, you don't want to waste your money having him/her learn something and be involved in something only to try to use it when he/she has to, and they get seriously hurt because they were taught by a garbage teacher.

Here the problem of "tournaments" come into play. If the school trains for what is calle point sparring, it is a crap school and training to point spar will only get your child hurt in a real situation. That is not something pleasant to think about, but the reality is, if he/she does well in point sparring he/she might be more cocky and likely to be involved in a confrontation- and when he/she is, they will get hurt. Training in point sparring actually makes you LESS capable to defend yourself than if you had NO training at all, as many people believe that this is realistic self-defence.

The school should advocate training with resistance (the partner doesn't just let them do the move- at first yes, but the resistance should pick up). Older students in the school should be doing some level of full contact sparring. (obviously if your child is young, he/she would not likely be able to participate in this until they are much older, but at least you know the school does train realistically).

If you are in fact looking for "karate" then if the school can't tell you the name of the style it teaches (this is actually more common than you would like to believe) then it is crap. go elsewhere.

Avoid long-term contracts that make you sign up for a year, 6 months etc. There is some dispute about that, but my opinion is that if a school can't hold students without locking them in, then there must be a reason it feels the need to "force" students to come back by giving them an incentive other than good training that would keep you coming back.

If you have further questions you can go to www.bullshido.net let everyone know you are a concerned parent and not a student yourself and you will recieve help. It is a no frills, no holds barred (opinion wise) website. Many members have actually uncovered and actively act to uncover teachers that lie about thier credentials, or make bogus and unrealistic claims about the martial arts (chi blasts, etc.).

I post under the same name over there. bluto blutarsky

Answer 7

YesI do think its a good idea, as I have a 6 year old daughter in Tae Kwon do she has been a student for about 7 months now and she is becoming more confident and is actually showing more respect than ever before... We have already been to our first tournament and we had a BLAST... The Taekwondo system is truley a goal driven type of Martial arts and keeps the kids reaching towards the next level...

Answer 8

Yes it is a very good idea! It builds Discipline, Confidence, and Self Control. It is also a great life tool! And, it looks great on College Credit! (But you shouldn't be worrying about that now!) Karate and Tae Kwon Do are great for kids. I help with the kids class at the Tae Kwon Do school I attend and all the kids have a blast and learn great techniques!

Answer 9

In my honest opinion, no. It gives them a false sense of security. They often think they can stand and fight against someone, who can easily defeat them due to size, knowledge of martial arts, etc. I also wanted to do Martial Arts as a kid and my parents never signed me up. I always asked why but they never told me, and now I understand, since it was for my own good. I know my answer is different but it's truly my opinion on what to do.

Answer 10

It teaches children about discipline and respect. It is a great way to keep your children physically active and it sets up a good foundation for their self esteem. It looks great on resumes and job applications. People enjoy knowing that they are going to hire a dedicated person whom will be respectful and resourceful. If your son is up for it, martial arts could be one of the best things in his life. It is something that he might always enjoy doing and might stay active in order to keep his physical health. This is a wonderful idea. Good luck.