School me on martial arts

[Neige]

I'm an infrequent poster, but really appreciate the collective knowledge of the Hive!

 

I'm considering martial arts for my son (pre-K) - not necessarily now, but within the next couple years. There are, however, classes in our area for kids as young as 18 months! I don't like to head into things without researching first and I don't know the first thing about what to look for in a program.

 

So, questions:

- What are the basic differences between different styles (karate vs. tae kwon do vs. jiu jitsu vs. aikido, etc.)?

- What age would it be reasonable to start?

- Are certain styles better/easier to start with for younger children, before moving on to other modalities?

- Anything in particular I should look for in a program/instructor?

 

Many thanks in advance for your help!

[JustEm]

I don't know the differences between styles.  I started my son a month or so before he was 3 and my daughter at the same time.  They do kung fu(chinese martial arts)  because that is what their father teaches.  At that age the play a lot of red light/ green light, learn rolls, different punches and kicks,  they learn to sit and listen, and they do a lot of obstacle courses.  Its not until age 5 that they start learning forms and self defense moves.  

 

In a program I would look for one that DOES NOT require you to sign a contract and is upfront about their fees.  Many schools will have one low price to start out and then after one or 2 belts will up the price on you but never inform you of that while you are signing up.  Test fees should not be more as you progress although many schools do that and you may have a hard time finding ones that don't.    

 

In an instructor you need to find one that is good with children.  Watch and see how a few of the instructors teach.  You may have your initial lesson with someone great with kids who knows how to sell the program but they don't always turn out to be the one who is actually running your child's classes.

[G5052]

Your best bet is to read about the different arts on Wikipedia to get a general idea of where they came from.  Then go watch classes and collect information, including financial terms and contracts.  

 

Mine have done Aikido for coming up on 8 years now because philosophically we're more in agreement with it than any other, and our dojo is run by a couple we met through homeschooling.  Their policies and terms are very reasonable too.  Some Aikido dojos don't take children though, and many won't let them begin until they are 8 or 9.

[JumpyTheFrog]

We do Tae Kwon Do. I've noticed that none of the boys below age 10 or so and none of the girls below age 8-9 pay enough attention to detail to really be doing it. Younger kids can still get exercise, but they are extremely sloppy compared to adults of the same rank. The kids that are say ages 11-12 and up are generally as precise (but not as powerful) as adults of the same rank. If you are mainly looking for exercise, it might be worth it. However, if you really want your kids to pay attention to all the details, I'd wait until they are much older.

 

Other info:

 

-Watch out for "belt factories," also known as "McDojos." Adults at our TKD school can get their black belt in three years, if they never stall out, get injured, or go away on vacation. 4-5 years is more typical. If a school is promoting kids getting black belts in two years, you should probably run away. I've seen YouTube videos of "black belts" doing forms that were maybe yellow belt level in my opinion.

 

-Don't just look at monthly tuition, ask about testing fees. Some $chool$ charge hefty fees for every test and expect students to test every two months. At our school, students initially test every three months, but the higher ranks have to wait longer. To go from 2nd degree brown to black belt is generally at least a year for most people.

 

-Be sure to find out if sparring is expected and/or emphasized. Find out how many tournaments students attend and how much they are. Our school only attends one tournament anymore (a family oriented one) because our instructor has seen too many where the sparring opponents from other schools were out for blood. At one of them, a brown belt was put against a green belt from our school and kicked her so hard that she flew about ten feet and broke several ribs. Our green belt should've never been paired with someone so much higher and the other woman never should've gotten so out of control. Sparring is about scoring points (it's a sport), not about trying to injure the other person.

 

-Find out about injury levels in the upper belts. At our school, students preparing for black belt testing have to train 12-20 hours a week for at least six months, and the middle aged adults, being older, are usually nursing some injury. This is probably normal for the age group, but if large numbers of younger adults are injured, that's probably bad news. Also, if they are getting things broken sparring, the school might be too rough. (There are some out there that emphasize the MARTIAL part, rather than the sport of scoring points, and think getting broken bones all the time is normal.) 

 

-We had a student visit our school who was from another school. The other school expected anyone who intended to stick with it to black belt level to pay several thousand dollars up front to be in a special program. What a rip-off! Probably less than half of students make it to yellow belt (at our school, anyway) before dropping out. Another quarter drop out around green belt. <10% even complete two years of consistent training. Don't sign any contracts because statistically, your or your kids will drop out.

 

 

[JustEm]

I should have said not make you sign a long term contract.  I think it is entirely acceptable to have a contract from test to test, which at our school is every quarter and quarters are 3 months long.  But I see places with 2 year contracts and I think it is insane.

[Neige]

Thank you so much for your responses! It's really good information to have as we head into this process. Although now I'm considering whether I should just wait several more years, so he can really get something out of it.

 

I had no idea about the contracts possibly not including testing fees - I'll be sure to ask!

[JustEm]

Thank you so much for your responses! It's really good information to have as we head into this process. Although now I'm considering whether I should just wait several more years, so he can really get something out of it.

 

I had no idea about the contracts possibly not including testing fees - I'll be sure to ask!

 

I think it could be very beneficial at his age depending on what you're looking for. He will get a lot out of it at pre-school age if you choose a good school.  My 2 kids have learned a lot since they've started.  They have better balance, agility, confidence (when my dd started she was super shy all the time, now after a few months she is more outgoing not just in class but outside of it as well,) listening skills, and respect for others. They are 3.5 and 5 years old. 

 

I also find that the directed physical outlet is more helpful in getting their energy out than say having them run around at a park because they are engaged physically and mentally.  At his age he won't learn the skills the older kids learn but he will learn a lot.  

 

If you have any specific questions send me a pm with it and I will ask my dh who is the head instructor at his job and has been doing martial arts for 20 years. He knows a lot about the business side of things as well as the art itself