Martial Arts Poll

[RainbowSprinkles]

What type of martial arts does your dc do and why did you choose that one?

[jillian]

subscribing to this. DD will probably be starting after the new year.

[Critterfixer]

Also :bigear:. I'd like both my boys to learn a martial art as part of their education.

[West Coast Mom]

Ds10 and DS9 are starting their fourth year in TKD. They go five times per week. I'll start the younger ones when they hit seven or eight.

[crazyforlatin]

DD6 has been learning Akido because apparently it is supposed to use the opponent's force. However, she also takes ordinary karate because she's an active child.

[wtrmlnlabs]

We did tae kwon do for 4 years and switched to tang soo do... it's a sister to TKD so very similar. I chose this over karate and judo because this is how it was explained to us, whether it is exactly right or not it's what we see around here:

 

Judo is basically more of a defensive technique. Defend yourself mostly with blocking and avoidance and get away.

 

Karate is more offensive, where they teach more fighting. It's okay to attack if you feel threatened and you keep fighting till they are down (not really sure how to describe it like they did to me).

 

TKD is a good mix of both. I'll let you alone unless you attack me. Then I'll defend myself, lock you down or injure you and then run away.

 

Not sure if that makes sense on here, but in my head it does :D

[GingerPoppy]

Jiu jitsu. Why? Because it is offered at the school that is a whole 2 minutes away. And because it offers striking, take-down, and grappling. I studied karate and kickboxing myself as a young adult.

[NanceXToo]

Judo because it was offered at the Y for a reasonable price. My daughter started classes last November, the month after turning 10, and she just turned 11 this month and is still really loving her class. They actually do some mixed stuff though and not strictly Judo (the Y calls it a Judo class, the instructor explains that he does a mix of Judo, Karate, and something else I can't recall at the moment). They mainly do things like back falls, side falls, front falls, rolls, blocks, holds/escapes, throws, they practice punches and kicks in the mirror, and sometimes do something fun like doing running jumps/rolls over objects such as people and chairs and so on. It focuses on training and not so much on belt advancement but that's this particular instructor's thing. I don't know much about martial arts one way or another, but I know that she has a great time, is building confidence, staying active, and so on, so for now we're continuing to stay with it.

 

Like someone else said, I did once tour a local karate studio and it seemed too chaotic to me, too. There were SO many kids in the class that it didn't seem possible for any of them to get any individual attention. And it was much more expensive than the class at the Y.

Edited November 3, 2011 by NanceXToo

[coffeegal]

Karate is more offensive, where they teach more fighting. It's okay to attack if you feel threatened and you keep fighting till they are down (not really sure how to describe it like they did to me).

 

TKD is a good mix of both. I'll let you alone unless you attack me. Then I'll defend myself, lock you down or injure you and then run away.

:D

 

Interesting. In my karate dojo, we're taught the same as you in your TKD. :001_smile:

 

The kids do karate since that's what dh and I do.

[Lightly Salted]

Kajukenbo, because their Daddy holds a 7th degree black belt and teaches classes at our church. :D

[lakotajm]

TKD because that is what is offered locally. Not many options. And we live an hour away, so even that is not very "local". But it is in the town where we come for hs group and to visit my granny and go grocery shopping. We can stay overnight with granny after TKD and do hs group the next day. But this means she rarely can attend more than once/week, which sucks. But we can't afford to drive more than that. Sometimes she can hitch a ride with my mom if she goes to town. I wish it were easier, but that is rural America for ya.

We like TKD. She just earned her brown belt!:001_smile:

Lakota

Edited November 3, 2011 by lakotajm
sp

[ChristineW]

TKD--it's offered by our local gym and free with our membership. DD will also be starting yoga in January when she turns 5.

[LG Gone Wild]

Pick whatever is most reasonably priced and the most well-run establishment.

 

Right now, our family is migrating to Filipino Martial Arts - which is knife and stick and street fight.

 

People change styles over the course of their life so just pick one.

[....]

Tae Kwon Do...because my kids are Korean! :D

[MrsMe]

Taekwondo because it goes through life skills such as courage, honor, self control, goals, perseverance, etc.

It teaches kids not to fight, but in case it happens, they have the skills to do so. And they cater to kids from 4 to Adult.

[kristinannie]

We do Tang Soo Do which is the precursor to Tae Kwon Do. :001_smile:

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Krav maga!

 

Okay, so my kids aren't in it yet, but if/when I ever get back to martial arts, I'll be doing Krav maga and I would hope the kids could do the same. It uses your instinctual reflexes and incorporates them into the moves. I took a year of karate and 6 weeks of krav maga and the only stuff I remember is the krav maga.

[dm379]

Mine go to a mixed place. It's mostly tae kwon do but they do grappling and kickboxing. I chose it because it takes about 90 seconds for me to get there and they can go up to 4x a week.

[Serenade]

My boys do Ninjutsu. We became interested when my oldest attended a birthday party at the dojo.

[tntgoodwin]

I wish Krav Maga were available where I live, but it isn't. My kids will probably eventually learn Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Why? It's a good workout, plus I want my girls to be able to protect themselves and their loved ones if they ever are in a situation where they would need to do so.

[Mimm]

TKD because it's nearby and very affordable. I would prefer a school and focused less on forms and more on sparring and practical fighting but oh well. We can't really afford to be terribly picky and we really like the instructor. He's nice and easy going but insists on a disciplined class (he doesn't gripe at the kids for misbehaving, they are calmly asked to sit out the rest of the class if they aren't up to it). I figure it's a good workout. They stretch and I think having to memorize something physical is probably good for them. They don't just hand belts to people who haven't worked pretty hard on it and testing fees are very reasonable.

 

When I studied TKD as a teen, they had us fighting every class from the very start. I had lots of fun with it, but went home with bruises most weeks. Neither of my kids could probably handle that level of roughness, but they are younger than I was. :)

[G5052]

I knew the two main instructors from homeschooling circles and liked the style and approach better than the other ones that I visited. The price is right and the location is easy for me to get to.

 

Five years and going strong...

[Karen in CO]

We chose based on location, price, and how well-run the establishment was. We felt good about the people who were going to be an influence on the kids.

[zenjenn]

My youngest dd is interested in a martial art. I myself took a couple years of Aikido as an adult.. if Aikido can fit into our schedule next term that's what we'll be doing. LOVE Aikido - least offensive of the martial arts and just super fun with lots of tumbling.

[KarenNC]

Aikido. It fits well for us philosophically, it's something my husband and daughter take together and we found a fantastic dojo that is truly a community beyond just the classes. It is affordable (just ;)) for us, but the true test is that they have been willing to get up every Saturday morning and drive about 30 miles to class for the last 5 years. Well, to be honest, my husband is more willing about the getting up ;) but they both really enjoy it. They also sometimes have a class on Sunday afternoon and adult classes are available two evenings a week, but the kids' class is mainly on Saturday. Our dojo requires a parent also be training in order for the kid to train---no drop-offs. That's probably specific to our dojo only.

[Maus]

Our kids took Shorei Kempo Karate at our rec center because:

 

 

• the rec center kids' program is really low pressure
  
• it was inexpensive
  
• we weren't locked into a year's contract
  
• Shorei Kempo Karate is related to the style DH and I studied (Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate)
  

 

Both programs (the kids' and ours) really emphasized martial arts as defense only, never as aggressors for any reason.

[King Alfred Academy]

My boys (& dh) are doing Brazilian JJ because we felt it was the most practical as far as self defense goes. They are learning take downs, chokes, arm bars, etc. Great way to immobilize someone who is trying to hurt them. :001_smile:

[go_go_gadget]

Mine are in jujitsu, because the dojo is attached to my daughter's ballet studio. It turns out I like the philosophy as well, so that's nice. But whenever people ask about martial arts, I always say the same thing: it matters far more what the sensei and dojo are like than what the philosophy behind the particular martial art is.

[joannqn]

TKD. He earned his kukkiwon-certified black belt last summer. When he's 16, he'll start training in Hapkido. He's also studying Korean. TKD is our non-college backup plan for him.

 

We'd love to get our younger son into TKD also, but the class schedule and the distance between our home and the school makes that very unlikely.

[rafiki]

.

[Catherine]

Karate-for its ready availability. My older ds took from this teacher and he is wonderful.

[TKDmom]

We do TKD, because I found a place nearby with reasonable prices, plus I love the atmosphere. The kids' main instructor just adores kids--you can see his face light up when ds6's Little Dragon class is acting like a bunch of 5- and 6-year-olds. The instructor is always having to wipe the the smile off his face and pretend to scowl so that he can assign them a few push-ups for goofing off. The other instructor that they often have goes into lots of explanations about how and why to do moves. He's not nearly as much fun, but I really like that they get a mix of the two teaching styles.

 

Anyway, my main criteria were that I could afford it and that it would be a place I would enjoy spending several afternoons a week at.

[lulubelle]

My kids do American Kempo. We know the owners well and feel it is a great environment. I would be certain to get a good feel for the goal/mission of the studio and talk to the owner and teachers thoroughly before making a decision with what ever martial arts you choose.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We do a mix, so I marked other. I think it's important that both standing and the ground are covered.

[angela in ohio]

We do TKD because there is no Judo studio in the area. Krav maga is available when he is older, and we will likely do that.

[higginszoo]

Our academy is primarily TKD, though for the self defense, the main instructor has trained with the Israeli Army and the instructor I usually have is trained in and teaches hapkido. There's another instructor who I don't know as well whose first discipline is karate (he's a weapons expert).

 

I agree with looking at the tone of the academy/dojo more than the particular discipline of martial arts. You want a well-structured, yet non-threatening environment where not just martial arts but life skills are taught. Visit and see how the parents interact. Is it tense and competitive on that front or are the parents looking out for and appreciating all of the kids? (Or are the parents out on the floor, too?) These are the things that are going to be better indicators of your experience, and can occur in any martial arts discipline.

[AngelaNYC]

Shotokan Karate . I spent over a year researching various martial arts types and good neighborhood schools. Finally, after watching a ton of YouTube videos I found some kids doing exactly what I knew was right for ds. He goes 3-4 days a week. I couldn't ask for a better experience for him than this.

[Krista in LA]

We chose tkd based on the instructor, location, and recommendations from friends for this particular school. The style of martial arts didn't really matter to us - the instructor was the most important thing.

[mommylawyer]

We chose karate because of the convenience to where we live, the good things I'd heard from other people about the instructor, and the price (I have 3 kids in, now, taking up to four classes a week for $100 a month). My almost 5 year old just started in August; her two older siblings have been doing it a year. All three LOVE it!

[Zoo Keeper]

I'll echo what so many have already said: find an instructor/class atmosphere that you love, and then go with it. It really doesn't matter what the martial arts style is. Also, ask the instuctor and OTHER PARENTS about the specifics for testing/uniforms/fees and class attendence/tournaments etc. Some dojos have hoops that you might not want to have to jump through.

[WyoSylvia]

We became acquainted with TDK because my sister's family are all black belts. I watched her already marvelous two boys become even more amazing largely through TKD. I got to watch my eldest nephew warm-up and lead the beginning of a class. (His level of black-belt means that he is sort of an instructor in training.) His confidence and maturity in leading mostly adults, (even up to 50 year-olds) including his own mother, was beyond impressive. Both boys also play other sports and it has helped them to avoid injury. The eldest plays football and he has told me that many of the falls and lessons about how to generate power, etc. directly translated to skills he could use on the field and the coaches even noticed those exact skills. My dh and I truly wanted that for our ds.

 

My son has been in TKD for about 8 months and it's cool to see the same values and beliefs that he hears at home being preached there. He has fallen in love with the sport even though for the first few months he wasn't sure that he wanted to do it.

[sagira]

I'll echo what so many have already said: find an instructor/class atmosphere that you love, and then go with it.

 

This was my first criterium. We LOVE our teacher. The other thing that I wanted was a continuum of belts, and I wanted him to be able to use his skills anywhere, internationally, if he ever chose to do so. It's also an Olympic sport.

 

Taekwondo

[ChandlerMom]

DD6 has been learning Akido because apparently it is supposed to use the opponent's force. However, she also takes ordinary karate because she's an active child.

 

Aikido here, all the way. I like it because it's non-competitive, can be done by anyone regardless or size or strength, and can be done your whole life (I have a friend who was a black belt in judo switch to aikido when he turned 50 because it was gentler on his aging body, lol). But the best thing imo is the inherent attitude of aikido -- you are redirecting the other person's aggressive energy to help them find a nice comfy place to lay down (on the floor) and the person doing technique is fundamentally responsible for the person they are doing technique on. In other words, if you throw someone, it is your responsibility not to throw them harder or faster than they can handle. If your partner is injured, it's your fault. That basic sense of responsibility for others and for your actions I find very positive and missing from many MAs where it becomes about how hard/fast your can strike/kick. The "do no harm" attitude of aikido is why it is used a lot for training police officers.

 

Don't mean to sound like an advertisement for aikido, but it's not as well known as some of the others. :)

[jenL]

My eldest does TKD 2-3x/week. I chose it because they offer homeschool classes during the day that are cheaper than regular TKD classes.

 

It was also explained to me by a ju jitsu (sp?) instructor whose son played on my son's soccer team that TKD is the gateway to the martial arts, so it's a great starting point for kids.

 

DS loves it, and I've been pleased with the discipline it's providing for him. Soon, I'm hoping to sign up my youngest as well.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

This may or may not matter, but I thought I would mention it. If someone else already did, sorry for the repeat.

 

Ju-Jitsu (various spellings) and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu are not the same thing.

[Erica in OR]

We mainly chose tae kwon do because we were switching from gymnastics to the local dance studio, as one dd was interested in trying ballet. The studio also happened to house the local tae kwon do dojang, and dh and our oldest dd decided to enroll. Since then, the dojang has moved to a different location, and all of our children are now taking classes. We really like the instructor and his attitude toward TKD. DH had done some informal TKD with a friend years before and that slightly influenced the decision.

 

Erica in OR

[fairy4tmama]

I'll echo what so many have already said: find an instructor/class atmosphere that you love, and then go with it. It really doesn't matter what the martial arts style is. Also, ask the instuctor and OTHER PARENTS about the specifics for testing/uniforms/fees and class attendence/tournaments etc. Some dojos have hoops that you might not want to have to jump through.

:iagree:

I am so glad I waited and did not rush finding the right fit. We really stumbled into Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu via some friends and LOVE it. While I really appreciate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in form and philosophy it is the instructor that sealed it for me.

[Luvmy3kids]

My three kids do Judo and Jiu Jitsu :) We will also be starting them in Muay Thai.

 

 

Judo has amazing throws and groundwork.

 

Jiu Jitsu has awesome groundwork and submissions.

 

Muay Thai.....Kicks, knees, punches. Love it :)

[Free]

This is a great poll, and I liked reading the reasons others have posted for choosing a particular Martial Art. I am considering putting my son into some form of Martial art, so this is helpful.

[chiguirre]

TKD, because it's close and they offer an homeschool class during the day. I also like the instructor and the atmosphere of the class.