Martial arts?

[lovinmyboys]

My ds7 and ds5 are wanting to start karate. Does it matter at this age which martial art they choose? There are about 5 places they could go within easy driving distance. I was thinking of just picking based on the instructors, cost, and convenience. Then, I started wondering if I should also research which martial art would actually be best for them. Also, if they pick one now, is it fairly easy to do another one later? The one I am leaning toward teaches shorin Ryu karate.

[Paige]

Switching later is not problematic if you are prepared to start over. You can also have some instructor bias. I tried to take my DS to a different type of martial arts school while he still attended another school. DS wanted to learn both so he could have both styles' strengths and minimize his weaknesses. The instructor at the new place was not accepting and we could not pursue it unless we quit the original school. Other instructors wouldn't have a problem as we've looked into in the past but in our new small town it would not work. The instructor is absolutely the most important thing in martial arts. I'd watch several classes at each school and see which instructor you connect with most. Some are much better with little kids and some try to be good with kids but don't have that something special which makes it work.

[rieshy]

I agree- the instructor is the most important thing. A close second is school policy- I love our school because they were upfront about their tuition prices, testing prices (and schedules), equipment, etc. A lot of places want to have you come in and "discuss" their prices instead of telling you over the phone only to later nickel and dime you with extra costs every time you turn around.

 

I second Paige- go in and watch a class. Our school had a free one-on-one class with the head sensei, plus no contract- just month to month fees. I could tell by watching the sensei interact with our 11 yo and then by watching the class that the school was exactly what we were looking for.

[Truscifi]

Most schools will let you try a class for free before you sign up to make sure it is a good fit. Honestly, I wouldn't join one that didn't have that policy. And I agree with pps, the instructor is the most important thing - far more important than the style.

[Lawana]

Agreeing with pps. Do expect to start over whenever you change styles and even, for the most part, when you change studios within a style, unless the studios are allied in some way.

[JustEm]

My husband is the head instructor at a martial arts school that teaches kung fu. I would say the style of martial arts is very important and understanding the school's teaching style is too. Some schools are more performance based, whereas others focus on sparring. Doing a little research before hand and asking your kids what specifically excites them about the possibility of doing karate can safe you a lot of hassle if you do end up not liking the type you first choose. I've seen many new students come to the school upset over having paid so much at one place just to be completely disappointed when they realize it really didn't fit what they were looking for.

 

Also, I HIGHLY suggest getting into a negotiating state of mind when you go into the school and DON'T have your kids with you when you sign up. Most martial arts schools have a very odd pricing structure where it seems very reasonable when you sign up but then as you progress through the ranks they up your monthly cost and increase random fees (like test fees.) They do this because the mentality is that parents will put up with it and pay it because the kids have formed relationships with the school and going somewhere else would be more hassle. I personally think its dishonest and if you can find a school that has a very open price policy go with that.

[Parrothead]

I'd research the type as well as the school and the instructors.

 

When dd first started she went to TKD and had a fantastic instructor. TKD was right up dd's alley and things went well. She progressed at an even pace. Then we moved.

 

The only thing here at the time was Karate. Dd signed up and took classes for about 8 months. The whole experience soured us on martial arts. It was not a good fit.

 

Now we are all as a family doing tai chi - the kissing cousin to Shaolin Kung Fu - and we are much happier with the instructors, the atmosphere at the school and the all around experience.

 

All this to say, don't be afraid to find where your kiddo fits and what works for you as a family.

[KungFuPanda]

If the place offers Easy Lifetime Payments or some sort of All-the-way-to-black-belt direct deposit thing, I'd look elsewhere.

[happypamama]

I'd talk to friends in the area if you can. We just had a chance to try out a local martial arts studio that several of our friends have raved about, and we were really impressed. I liked that I could view class easily through big windows, and the owner/head instructor himself took the time both to talk to me and to work with my kids and the other newbies. The instructors were good with the kids too, no yelling or anything worrisome. I just got a generally pleasant vibe from the place. (Otoh, DD took ballet for several years, and we tried out one studio that we really weren't impressed with; the teacher tended to bark at the kids a lot, and DD just wasn't happy. The other studio we used was very different, very family-ish, used positive ways of motivating the kids, etc. She was very happy there, and I was very happy with it, although finances got in the way.)

[JFSinIL]

You want to pick a school, too, that has been in business for a long time. I have seen storefront places open and close quite often here - while one place has been in business about 50 years!!!! Make sure the instructors stick around, too - a sign of a good school (they treat their employees right). Talk to other families that have been with a place for over a year and see how they like it.

 

Sometimes a studio will also offer classes through the local park district - a cheaper, easy way to sample a marital art before committing to a contract with a studio.

 

And - is there accreditation of the school with an official organization?

 

A three or six-month contract to try a place is better than having to commit to a year or more up front.

 

Our place offered a month of free classes, then a six-month contract. After six months, if you were going to continue to black belt you signed a contract for 3 - 4 years, breakable only if you moved or had a major medical condition. The price covered getting the black belt - if you took longer, it did NOT cost more. They also offered non-contract basic classes through the park district, cheaper and no contract (but no black belt - for that you needed to move over to the dojo and join).

 

Lastly - try different marital arts to find one the kids (and you) like. My dd also tried judo - didn't like it. She loved learning forms, kicking and leaping, weapons - grappling or floor work not her cuppa tea.

[KarenNC]

Great advice upthread. The other thing that comes to mind is to make sure the martial art fits your family's philosophy. My husband and daughter are in aikido, which is very different than karate or TKD. There is no sparring (so no fees for sparring gear), no board breaking, no tournaments (they have seminars to refine techniques), and the emphasis is on using the attacker's energy to do as little harm as possible both to yourself and to the attacker while getting out of the situation. It's more of a grappling art than a striking one. http://www.usaikifed.com/about/aikido/ This fits better with our family philosophy than some other forms of martial arts (a purely personal decision, not to say one is "better" than the other).

 

Advancement is based on personal skill in the art, not by defeating someone or a certain number of people of a higher rank. There are no official children's ranks in the US Aikido Federation, so we only have in-house levels until the kids are, I think, 14 (would have to check as we aren't there yet), and there is not the option of a black belt until age 18---which would apply to my daughter even though she will have been on the mat since she was 6. For our dojo (I don't know if others are different), there are no testing fees for the children (because these are done by the local sensei---adult have minimal fees because they are official ranks registered with the main dojo in Japan), only adults have to pay the yearly USAF dues (I think $45 this year, don't remember clearly), classes are family classes for the kids so a parent must be involved as well, we pay month to month after the initial 3 months, and uniforms are inexpensive (plain white gis for the kids, ranks for them consist of adding colored electrical tape to the belt, the hakama is only added for very senior adult students).

[hillfarm]

Common complaints I have heard about martial arts places are that some of them are "belt factories" or "McDojos", and lock people into lenghty and pricey contracts, promote based on how long a student has been attending rather than how well they have learned the material, and give students a false sense of being able to protect themselves.

 

There are traditional martial arts, which focus on trying to stay as close as possible to how they have been doing things for hundreds of years. I think many of these are absolutely beautiful to watch. They seem to me to focus more on the "art" part of martial arts. Others are more contemporary and often include some aspects of combat, street fighting, wrestling, or other martial activities. Usually not as pretty to watch, but may be more effective in terms of self defense tactics. They seem to focus more on the "martial" part of martial arts.

 

Absolutely hold out for a teacher that you and your dc really like. It is critical to be able to trust and respect your instructor, to know when he corrects you relentlessly for the same thing that it is because he truly wants the best for you and is not just taking his bad day out on you. Look for the very highest level of integrity possible - you do not want to get into something with so much potential for dominance issues if the integrity isn't top notch. Inspect the facility for safety and cleanliness. Look at some of the other students, especially the more advanced ones. Do they project an image of that which you are seeking? Because they will set the tone for the whole school and be a strong influence on your beginning dc.

 

After a lesson or two, notice how your dc feel about catching the eye of the instructor. Dd and I have frequently commented on how happy it makes us when our instructor comes by and offers us specific instruction. We have definitely found ourselves wanting to do our very best for him and love it when he stops by to help us improve. Even from the very beginner level, he has a way of making you feel so encouraged and he is also an excellent teacher so you really learn your stuff from him. If your dc don't want to catch the instructor's eye, that may be indicative of a problem.

 

Good luck with this.

[rieshy]

Teacher/student ratio is important too. Our school always has 2- 4 instructors per class and the class sizes are between 6 and 15 students.

 

What I love about our school is how talented the teachers are at taking every child in the class and holding them accountable to do their personal best. I have an 11 yo who is unbelievably naturally talented and a joy to watch because of the sheer beauty of his movements. I have a 7 yo with health and muscle issues who is willing to work hard and really growing as an athlete- so someday we'll see. Right now they are in the same class (though different belts) and the teachers seem to be able to push them individually to constantly perform better without comparing them to each other.

 

Our school is a mixed martial arts school but not a "fighting" school. I love the emphasis on self-defense, personal discipline, the history and the "art" of martial arts.

 

I second hillfarm- beware of belt factories. What's the point?

[rieshy]

One more thing, find out who teaches. At some schools students are often teaching which can be good or not- especially when it comes to dealing with younger students. At our school the foundation classes are all taught by black belts- usually by the head sensei and the black belt candidates just help with crowd control and teaching the stretching sessions because the head sensei feels that the foundation classes are sooooo critical.

[Sarah CB]

I agree with the others who have suggested trying out classes, looking for an established studio, and talking with parents who have been there long-term. I also agree about watching out for hidden fees and binding contracts. Our studio has a monthly fee per kid and the fourth kid goes free - so we only pay for 3 of our kids. We get a price sheet every year that lists the monthly fees, testing fees and costs for sparring gear. We've been with basically the same studio for the past ten years and testing fees haven't increased in all that time. There is no contract, I think we have to give a month notice if we leave.

 

The kids do Taekwon-do, ITF style. I'm taking dd (17) to Nationals in Quebec City next weekend :) She stands a very good chance of making it to worlds in Spain in the fall. Take a look into tournament opportunities. My kids love tournaments. We typically have a Friendship Tournament (with local clubs) once a year, Provincials once a year, and Western-Canadian Championships once a year. We usually will only do Nationals if they are happening close by, but dd is in a very good position this year so we're flying East for it this year. She's a second degree black belt and pretty serious about her sport.

 

We really appreciate the hands-on help we get at our dojang. Two weekends ago our instructor spend five hours on a Saturday working with the four black belts who are going to nationals and then spend another four hours on a Sunday morning working with my dd and another black belt - no cost. He really wants to see his students succeed and his goal is their progress, not the money he makes from it. There's a real team atmosphere at our dojang and a real respect for the upper belts.

 

I wanted a ballerina, but I got a black belt :)