Which would be better for ds4: soccer or karate?

[Trivium Academy]

We have very limited time to register him for either one so we have to decide quickly, esp. for soccer which starts next week.

 

I want to try an organized activity for him, we were contemplating preschool but *I* don't want to even though we found a part-time program. But we (dh and I) feel he would highly benefit from an activity that requires another authority and physical activity.

 

There is a 4 year old soccer team (can you believe it?) and I know they would make him run, run, run. :thumbup1: But I do worry about him kicking other children... :001_huh: Soccer may involve some driving to games too, not sure yet.

 

 

Karate, hmm. I like the discipline and authority part but I wonder about his maturity and beating us up in his enthusiasm. :glare: Karate would happen in the same place, not sure about competition.

[Emmy]

I would do soccer. Those kids will have shin gards so no worries about him kicking other kids LOL.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

At 4, I didn't have him in anything that organized. I didn't see the need.

 

If I would have picked one though, soccer would have been far better. He thrived on running and was too young for structure of karate. I teach karate and think 4 is really young to start.

 

If you're worried about kicking other kids in soccer, what about him being taught to kick other kids in karate. I know we tell them they can't connect but sooner or later ....

[momofkhm]

But I'm a soccer mom in every sense of the word. I have the minivan and I have kids playing soccer. I even coach my daughters' team. Well only one dd this year, the other aged out.

 

They will be wearing shin guards so don't worry about kicking the other kids. A good coach will keep them moving a lot. Also, at 4, there may not be any real games. Just scrimmages within the team.

[Trivium Academy]

I didn't think the kids would be sparing (is that the word) together in a younger class, obviously I didn't think about that.

[Tracey in TX]

Our children all did soccer at age 4. It's the sweetest sight :) It's also good cardio, and learning basic rules for the years to come. Karate is a good sport, but a bit too regimented for an energetic 4y/o IMO. We tried DD at 5y/o and it didn't go well. She was too independent minded to follow a set routine and skills, whereas soccer (at this age) is like crazy kickball.

[Ferdie]

I would do soccer because our neighborhood kids get together to play all the time.

 

Also, I once met a karate coach at a dinner event and he told me that he thought it was better for kids to start karate around age 8 and up.

[rafiki]

.

[JFSinIL]

If he can pay attention for a class - martial arts. It goes year-round, and can lead to a very well-trained kid who knows good self-defense moves!

 

BUT - 4 is kinda young - so I'd do the soccer for now - maybe switch to or add in the martial arts in a couple years.

[Carol in Cal.]

A big part of martial arts is learning the self-discipline to avoid using them.

 

A four year old is really too young for this, and teaching him moves that increase his power to hurt others is giving him too much capability for his level of being capably responsible.

 

I have seen some pretty awful results from early martial arts. My DD attended a preschool where two of the more aggressive boys' parents thought that martial arts would channel their aggression in a positive way. It backfired horribly. In one case, it became impossible to see when the boy was about to 'go off' on someone, and he became even more aggressive and actually dangerous--something I would never have believed was possible for a 4-5 year old without having witnessed it myself. I'm talking about trying to injure animals on field trips, trying to smother a little girl in one of those parachute play tools, and, later in first grade, trying to choke two children on the playground in the playhouse where no one could see them.

 

Now, it was and is clear that he had some very serious mental/emotional problems; and he has been in treatment during part of the ensuing years. But in his case, the martial arts training made him much more dangerous without decreasing his likelihood to attack someone.

 

And in the case of the other boy, who was more 'normal', it allowed him to assume physical power and authority over the other children in a way that was arrogant and unhealthy, and it made him extremely unpopular, which made him angry, which made him more assertive and unlikeable, etc.

 

I think that waiting a bit on the martial arts would be a much better choice. Why borrow this trouble when in just a few years it would be a really favorable thing to learn?

[Mommamia]

If I had to choose.....soccer. Personally, I found taking my energetic, all-boy boys to the playground weekly was great for them. He is still so young(though I know many start soccer at 4). We just started soccer(6yrs) and there is a good amount of standing around:D.

 

Do you have a YMCA? They offer swim and gym classes or open gym.

[lighthouseacademy]

Our children all did soccer at age 4. It's the sweetest sight :) It's also good cardio, and learning basic rules for the years to come. Karate is a good sport, but a bit too regimented for an energetic 4y/o IMO. We tried DD at 5y/o and it didn't go well. She was too independent minded to follow a set routine and skills, whereas soccer (at this age) is like crazy kickball.

 

It really depends on the Sensei. My VERY squirly 4 yr old love Karate but our Sensei is wonderful. She does not have the kids do sparing. They practice on bags and on her but not each other until they get older. I grew up in a soccer family- we called 4 yr old soccer "bunch ball."

I personally love Karate and wouldn't hesitate to put a 4 yr old in as long as the Sensei is not a drill master- one who commands respect but yet has fun with the kids.

[Amy in Orlando]

We're a tae kwon do family. Love it. But, given your kids' ages and everything else, I vote for soccer. I did this with my older boys when they were 4-5-6. They had a blast. I loved that when someone got kicked or fell, they stopped the games for a group hug. I also loved when one of the kids would be working and working to make a goal, only to score for the opposing team. Just make sure you have a camera!

[Heather in the Kootenays]

but I think that if you spend enough time teaching a kid to kick and punch, there's always a danger that sooner or later they're going to kick and punch - unless they have a bit of maturity.