Karate or Tia Kwando for my 5 year old son?

Question

I'd like my son to get to learn a martial art. My local centre has courses in karate and tia kwando for children. Could someone tell me what the difference is between them and what would be suitable bearing in mind he's only 5??

Answer 1

It's okay that he's only five as most kids start young.
I'd suggest Karate, simply because more people do it than Taekwondo and he might feel less lonely if more people his age do it.
:)

Answer 2

That is basically the call you're gonna have to make. Not all children are ready at the same time to start martial arts. You should, however, give it a try. I'm not gonna tell you what style you should have your child learn, but it would be best to find a school that has a class that is especially for children his age. Usually those classes are taught by someone that specializes in teaching martial arts to children. Some lack the patience with children. Also, make sure that it's not a school that will make you sign a long term contract. If you sign a long term contract then your child might either lose interest and not want to go, or you might decide that he's not ready to learn because he isn't able to distinguish karate class from home. Also, any good instructor will tell you if your child is ready or not. Martial arts is definitely something that will help him learn control, discipline, and a way to burn some 5 yr old energy. Sign him up and give it a shot.

Answer 3

There is not much difference. A quick heads up on martial arts is most of them are just social fitness clubs, like doing dance classes.

In that the great proportion of them have almost no self defence uses.

Simply they are claiming to sell a product that can only be gained through hard experience, which of course no one wants to buy. Because well its...hard.

They take money from people, and give them a belt to show theoretical progress.Which is much easier.

That said people love doing them since they are a great way to spend an hour getting exercise, regardless how realistic anything they teach is. Any of them including the two you mention occur in a friendly atmosphere, are good for health, socialising, discipline, and keep kids occupied.

TKD's main advantage over karate is it is an olympic sport, therefore has better standards and regulations in place, and high level competition might be a goal later on.

My personal recommendation is Judo actually.It is also an olympic sport, and being wrestling based, the kids get to actually roll around with each other, and tire themselves out. They seem to have more fun than just standing there throwing punches at dummies etc on a hard floor.

Also judo actually works on the street, as a sidenote, whereas 99% of karate and TKD does not....

Answer 4

To be perfectly honest, there is very often little difference between the two.

Tae Kwon Do is a offshoot of Karate.

At 5 years old fighting skill is hopefully not your goal for him, so I'd ignore any advice that says one is more practical then the other. That all depends on the school anyways, and should be the least of a 5 year olds concerns.

So what is really going to matter is how the classes are run, and the personality of the people running them. If you can, try both and let him choose.

Answer 5

Some will tell you that Tae Kwon Do is more for street fighting and Karate more for competition fighting or some other meaningless difference, at this age that part does not matter, But the truth is you are teaching your 5 year old discipline and athletics, frankly sit in on one of the classes and recognize how the individual teacher interacts with his students, and see what is a better fit.

Answer 6

It is very difficult to advise when it is not possible to see the quality of teaching. I practice Karate and we have a Tae Kwondo class that starts after us in our sports centre. The level of discipline in the TKD is miles behind what we expect from our kids and to be honest I cannot see what they are learning to be very valuable. The TKD instructor teaches about 20 classes a week and I have seen him leaving early from one class to get to another at a different venue. All that being said there are bad karate clubs as well as good TKD clubs out there.
Also there are different styles of both TKD and Karate which cover different aspects from the traditional right through to sports orientated.
Lastly as he is only 5 does he have the concentration levels to stick with a class. My own kids were 6 and 7 when they started and even that was touch and go but allowed me to train without worrying about babysitters!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Either of these disciplines would be fine, but selecting a discipline is not the most important thing in this case. Selecting the instructor and the environment for your son is the most important decision you must make.

Both disciplines will have the potential to teach your son many valuable life lessons but only if the instructor is competent and effective, only if the class environment is conducive, and only if your sone actually enjoys being in the classes.

Check out both classes, talk with the instructor/s, watch two or three classes in which your son would be participating in and talk with the other parents. If both seem equally matched and suitable, take your son to observe both and let him choose. He's more likely to stick with the one he chooses himself. If you can find a friend of his to join with him, that will also help to encourage his continued interest.

Good luck!


Ken C
9th Dan HapMoosaKi-Do
8th Dan TaeKwon-Do
7th Dan YongChul-Do

Answer 9

Karate

Answer 10

I agree with other answers that 5yrs old is a bit young to start martial arts,but saying that if I was to choose I'd say Karate and notably Shotokan which is a Japanese style.

Best wishes :)