"Best" Martial Art for a 6 Year Old?

OK, I know there may not be a best. However understand I'm a parent that has very very limited martial art experience. My son will be 6 next month and very much wants to do "karate", knowing the "karate" is a generic term for most of the general population and certainly a 6 year old. Is the a Martial Art that is better suited for a 6 year old, or is there such a thing. Around town we have Tae Kwon Do/Hap Kido, TAIJIQUAN/TAI CHI CHUAN and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu/Mixed Martial Arts. There may be others but you get the idea. I suspect the best hinges greatly on it's staff, but still would like some input from others that have been in my oat.

Thanks

 

It will be really important for you to find a school that suits your purposes and makes you feel comfortable leaving your kid there. I'm personally a big fan of sporting arts and think they would do your kid fine.

I would recommend a good Judo class - not terribly violent, sporting, physical, fun, and often geared around kids.

Good luck.

 

I'd agree with Yohan that judo would be good. Much will come down to what you want out of martial arts for your son. Do you know? It's worth thinking about before you make your final decision.

 

Basically I want him to have fun, discipline, fitness, self confidence and self defense. Not sure about the availability of Judo in the area. Only a small city of 25,000 or so.

 

There should be judo, it doesn't tend to shout about itself as much but it's always there.

The first 4 requirements are covered by nearly every martial to one degree or another, the last one tends to be more controversial.

If self defense, either now or more proberly in the future (high school), is an important part of your reasons for choosing martial arts then the list of effective martial arts in your area greatly reduces.

It's not because those arts cannot be effective it's just the chances are they won't be.

 

judo and wrestling top my list of suggestions for young children to the virtual exclusion of everything else.

 

I second what everyone else has said....Judo is a great introduction for kids into MA.

Also look around for clubs that have classes geared specifically for kids which are SEPERATE from the adults.

Where are you located?

 

If they have websites, check those out and you should probably get a feel how they treat kids. Kids that age shouldn't really spend a lot if time doing old school karate, they will get bored very easily.

I would say not only would it be best if they seperated kids from adults, but also there should be an age range of about 4 to 8 that is the "tiny tigers" or "lil dragons". They are kinda cheesy but they are great programs for kids. Watch some classes and watch the teachers, they should be exciting, and if they wont let you watch some classes first, don't take your child there. Good Luck!!

 

My experience has been that any art you take your child of that age to is a watered down variant of that art that focuses on motor skills development and has a lot of game play in order to keep the kids' attention.

Personally, my own son has been in Aikido since he turned 5 (he's 6 now). For me it was far more important that he be exposed to an art with very few strikes that focused on avoidance. Considering that the first two years of school are the ones where most kids get into silly scrapes as they figure out their new friends; I didn't want my son being the bully.. but I did want him to be used to getting away from other kids.

Eventually, when he gets old enough he'll choose his own path. What you can't do is assume that he or she will stay in the art forever so do what you can to choose something fun that helps he or she develop into a strong person first.

Thanks,
A

and by the way.. if you're going to do this please for the love of the powers that be don't treat the dojo as extended day care. Sensei are not parents. Stay and experience the classes with him or her. There's a lot to be said for showing the art is important by example. A good litmus test for the right kind of dojo is finding a place that encourages that behavior.

 

........athough if your child sees Karate and all martial arts as punching and kicking he may be disapointed.

 

There's nothing stopping you from letting him/her punch + kick you

I say Judo for classes, and a little striking with you at home.

 

Kids that age love kicking and TKD definitely has that.

Just make sure the TKD schools in your area don't charge out the wazoo!

 

exactly! judo in class, box at home?

 

That's all well and good if you know how to box. As most people don't, including the O/P I guess, you might as well tell them to home-school them in anything.

You try breaking 4 or 5 years of crappy technique. If you want them to be able to fight take them to an expert don't DIY

 

oh yeah. sorry i had a stupid moment. personally, i teach my nephew, now 8, boxing, some kicks and simple grappling. just enough to get some punk kids off of him.

 

A martial artist teaching is one thing but it sounded like boxing, or the art of striking, was something anyone can just pick up without any experience.

 

i think putting my kids in martial arts would make me want to take it with them. OP are you interested in "karate."

 

I agree with the majority, Judo is a good starting point, we teach a lot of escapes and throws to the younger kids, they love rolling around the place!!!! I trained in Judo for a few years when i was a kid, and i turned out alright!!!!! That was about 25 years ago, but i still stick to the basics i learnt back then, come to think of it i'm not much taller now than i was then!!!!

 

A few ideas for getting kids started in the Martial Arts.

1. Does the school have a child centered program? - While not essential, a child based program tends to focus on character building and motor skills, very important building blocks for a good martial artist later down the road. They also tend to be geared towards a child's attention span, cutting down on the child loosing interest from getting bored with a more traditional class set up.

2. Are you comfortable with the instructors? - Make sure to get to know your child's instructors and see if they exhibit the kind of values and ideas you want your child to be around, sounds obvious but often overlooked. I tend to recommend avoiding instructor worship, which in small children is somewhat inevitable to some degree but avoid extremes.

3. The KIND of martial art? - If you float around the forums or the internet in general you'll find many differing ideologies in the martial arts, not only from art to art but from school to school within the same art. The way techniques are applied and taught can vary greatly depending on the schools focus. Some schools lean towards teaching tournament fighting, others Mixed Martial Arts competitions, still others teach very traditional forms of the martial arts, and finally others orient themselves around (sorry for the cliche) street use. Finding the one you feel is right for your child is very important, coming from a self defense background myself I DO NOT recommend this for a child starting out, build on the core values of responsible use of power and how to avoid getting into a fight first, then when the child is old enough to understand what hurting a person truly means for both themselves and the other person persue this route. This is of course a personal opinion.

4. Are there other children around the same age present? - Just like adults children need work out partners they can feel comfortable with and who's company they enjoy. Look for a school that has other children in the same age group for your child to train with.

5. And Finally, Are you willing to train with your child? - Often times having a family member present can make the training process easier for children and it gives them someone to look up to and train with at home. Having grown up in a Martial Arts family I have to say that having my father around to pick his brains at my leisure was and still is a great aid in my own training.

Hope that helps out with the screening process :hat: and good luck to you and your child in your future martial arts experience.