Is martial arts training a good thing for a child around 5 or 6 years old?

Question

I think starting a ninja clan would be cool and all but... ;-)

Just planning ahead...

I'm mainly interested in keeping the child active and able to defend itself.

Answer 1

I think a ninja clan would be cool :)
I teach kids karate ages 4-10, which I love, I am very passionate about teaching.I believe children taking karate at an early age has huge benefits in many ways.

I make sure the children learn age appropriate skills. The younger ages are exercising and keeping active. They are learning very basic karate skills, playing karate oriented games. It teaches them coordination, motor skills, social skills, patience, listening skills, manners, concentration and co-operation with others. I also teaches them stranger awareness. It is a great stepping stone for children that builds readiness for further karate training.

I do not teach children to beat up others, that is just nonsense.Martial arts does not teach kids to be bullies.It teaches them self discipline, self control and confidence in learning how to defend themselves.

Answer 2

Yes martial arts at an age around 5 or 6 is good because they are just starting or finishing Kindergarton and have learned some thing, and they should learn dicipline young. It is also a good way to keep them active in normally they like to sit on the couch and watch tv or movies. For a young child such as a 5 or 6 year old I would suggest judo it is one of the less aggresive ones and they teach you trowdown techniques which are good if you are bing attacked. I am currently in judo and there is a 3 year old in it and he can partake fully and he loves it.

Answer 3

It is great for younger kids but that age is different than children that have been in school a year or two. They think, look at and interpet things differently and often with an element of fantasy. If it looks like what you did, then to them, it was as good as what you did so they don't discern quality. They also don't have the attention spahn and tend to get bored easliy. In teaching them you almost have to make it a game in some ways and keep the lessons short like thirty minutes and change the tasks covered several times each lesson. Not only that but they are still growing at a faster rate than you and their balance and coordination is not keeping up with their growth in many cases and you have to be careful with some stretching and exercises so that excess play is not caused in the growth plate area of the joints. The way I teach, motivate and work with 5/6 year olds is different than the way I work with a 7/10 year olds. You have to keep the group relatively small and teach them skills that they can handle and wont get frustrated and give up on. At my school I work with them for several months to a year and once they have shown an interest and enough progress we move them up into a 7-10 year old class.

Answer 4

Depends on the maturity of the child. If they can follow direction and have enough control over their body movements then I would start them at that age.

I wish I had started young! Unfortunately it wasn't cool back then - esp for a girl.

OH and can I join your ninja clan?

Answer 5

Martial Arts is a great form of exercise and it is great for child development, if you choose the right school. Choose the wrong school, and you could regret it for a long time. Make sure the school you chose teaches a philosophy and code of ethics you want taught to your children. Find a school that teaches fighting only as a last resort, or find a Christian Martial Arts school, that is what I teach. You can't go wrong with the Bible.

Answer 6

the age around 5 to 6 is perfect talking purely in physical terms and the flexibility and the learning curve is high. But an 5 or 6 year old child is meant to play around, grow happily and have a simple life with an healthy mind rather than getting instincts like how to hurt some one how to kill some one etc..

Answer 7

It is..IF you can find a good school. AND make certain that you have been studying there first, so you can help them with their practice and make certain that they are getting it right. At that age it is not always easy to get them to put the time and effort into learning that is necessary to develop their skills and if another family member (parent, sibling) is studying as well is helps them to stay motivated, and becomes something that can create a bond that will last a lifetime.

Answer 8

5 or 6 is a bit young in my opinion because they kids aren't developed enough to do it well. However, some schools allow children this age. I would say around 7 or 8 is a little better for several reasons, but it doesn't hurt to try it out and see how they like it.

Answer 9

I have taken Martial Arts my whole life and it is a very good thing for a young child. They will learn good life lessons early on and discipline them.

Answer 10

I think it is a good idea. I started the best martial art of them all at that age...wrestling