Martial Arts for a Young Child
 

We're thinking of enrolling our four year old boy in a martial arts class. I'm just curious if anyone has any experience in any of the various types and what would be best for a young child. I found one place that teaches kung fu, another karate, and two more that fuse tae kwon do with a couple of other things. Does it matter which one we choose?

I'm a second degree black belt (also called Nidan) in Kenpo Karate with two sons who practice the same style too, a 13yo black belt who's been going at it for 8 years now and a 6yo who started last year and is now up to orange belt. I've also been teaching karate to kids starting age 4 since August of 2008, so now for two years.

I my opinion, four year old is pretty much the youngest a kid should be to enroll in a martial art, of any kind. As a comparison, our oldest was two months shy of turning five when he started and our school is only taking four year olds on a case by case basis with five being the official limit where anybody is allowed to come to class. They used to take them at four but I was told that sometimes four year olds were harder to deal with and it turned into more of a glorified daycare. Then again, there are schools that I know about that take kids at an age as young as three year old...

What you want to look for in a school, no matter what style you might be looking at, is for them to get the kids to have fun while learning a bit of the martial art discipline and respect that comes with training in martial art, especially at that age. Too strict a place and your kid will not like his experience and it will become a battle to get him to go to his classes but also, too loose and you will be paying a premium, under disguise of it being a "martial art program" for something that's not much better than a daycare...

For us, we do a class that's called "initiation to karate" for that 5-6 year olds. Classes are only 45 minutes compared to the usual hour long class for kids 7 and up and it's done with more play and running around than usual classes. Still, the kids learn through it, as evidenced by my youngest son who has already competed three times, bringing home a couple trophies and some medals. :)

I always stay away from comparing styles, as each style have their benefits and weaknesses. Roughly, tae kwon do related styles are well known for their kicks and leg work, kung fu is a more fluid, round style while karate is a more "square" style, i.e. block then punch type thing. In the end, it doesn't really matter which style you pick, as long as the school is good. You should probably try to speak with people in your vicinity to see if any of their kids go to one of these schools. Then maybe try and schedule a tryout class for your kid. Most class will allow a kid to try out without wearing a gi.

Hope this helps.

FM

We started both kids around 6. Son kept up with it and daughter became disinterested. I don't really know but 4 seems young to me.

At this age, it is not MA style (we all know MMA is best!) but more the instructors. Check out the classes, see how well the instructors work with the kids, talk to other parents etc.

also, no clue if that's the case but if your kid developped an interest into martial arts after seeing Karate Kid this Summer, please know that it was Kung Fu that was practiced in that movie. Same thing for Kung Fu Panda, as the name implies. Might not seem a big deal to you, but if he identifies to one of these characters, it will be a big deal to him and might play into his starting interest. The long last interest will come as he practices more and more and gets better at it...

FM

and because I'm a very proud dad, here's a video of my youngest son presenting his first kata in March, or about 6 months after he started taking classes:


FM

Thanks for the advice guys. And FrogMan, that video is awesome :)

Basically this whole thing was my idea. Our daughter started in dance class last year at the age of four. So I thought that perhaps our son would enjoy getting involved in a class of some sort this year as well. Martial arts seemed like a good way to go. Basically I just want him to be exposed to something new, be involved in a group setting with children his age, and get some exercise in the process.

The four places near us that have websites all had classes specifically for 4-5 or 4-6 year olds. I would think that these classes take the age of the children into account in the way that they teach them.

The one place that has replied to my email so far expects participants to attend classes three days a week. I think that's a little much for a four year old.

thanks :)

That whole idea, yours or his, is not a bad one at all, as long as you get a school that has classes adapted to the kid's age level, which sadly isn't always the case. Or again, they might adapt it so low, but still want to gouge you on fees based the fact that they are still known as a martial arts school.

I agree that three times a week is quite a bit for a 4yo. Again comparing to my sons, Matthew (the 6yo) as been on a twice a week schedule every since he started et Andrew (the 13yo) did a whole year at once a week, then went to twice a week and has taken as many as 5 hours a week for some time in the last couple of years. But then again, he's practicing the bo staff and was training to get his black belt at the ripe age of 12. :) Matthew should get a third hour in his week in a week or so when he too starts taking bo staff lessons.

Here's a demo of Andrew with his bo that he did in between two kickboxing fights at a gala this Summer:


you wouldn't believe how much them kids are making daddy proud :)

FM

He should only enroll in Kung Fu if he has a half brother he needs to search for in the future.

Wow... that could eerily be true...

This could get expensive. Boy+Martial Arts+Household items easily kicked = $$$ :D

You might consider Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At my club they can officially start at 5, though we do have a few 4 year olds, it really just depends on what the chief instructor thinks will work. The kids learn a fairly comprehensive curriculum, and can "graduate" into the more advanced adult classes if it makes sense for all involved. You don't get nearly as much live sparring in the kids program, but there is plenty of positional sparring, so the kids get a good chance to learn how to apply techniques against a real opponent. We also spend about 20 minutes a week talking about how the kids can be better people outside of the gym.

Whichever art you choose do your homework on the school, because there are a lot of shady people in the martial arts business. I would also recommend taking classes alongside your son. You'll get a nice workout, learn a new skill, and have a greater appreciation for what your son can do in whatever art you choose.

couldn't agree more, on both points actually. I started practicing about a year after my oldest son had started because I had no clue if what he was doing was right or not. Look where it has brought me, and us. He was ahead of me at first, then I passed him and it was my getting first my brown belt, then my black belt that drove him to keep on going and enjoy it with me. Now whenever he comes out of a class, I can talk about it with him. About what he's practiced, what he's learned. Same goes with our youngest now who incidentally got his card tonight to tell him he will be testing for his purple belt this coming Saturday. :)

FM

We signed up both our kids a couple of years ago in TaeKwonDo. The oldest (9 yo at the time) really liked it and wanted to continue, our youngest (5 at the time) liked it at first, but lost interest and we had to drag him at times. Find out if any of these places offer a free class and sign your little one up. Definitely talk to the parents and take note on how the instructors handle "problem kids".

I second taking a class with them or something similar. I took an interest in what our oldest was doing and decided to start taking BodyCombat classes and now I'm hooked.

oops hit submit without finishing my thought. I'd say start him off with 1 class a week and go from there.