Martial arts for 6yo?

[CaptainSubtext]

I'm hoping for some advice as my DS, nearly 6, would like to do something like karate. We are quite spoiled for choice locally as there are loads of different clubs but I have NO clue whatsoever about the different types of martial art... please could anyone tell me a little more about any? Is there much difference between them, and are any suited to different personalities?

Bump (would this be better in Chat..?) :)

Hi CaptainSubtext - can you tell me a bit more about what you are trying to choose between? I may have heard of some of them (or not)

Hi :)
There's a massive Kung fu school, and various others like karate, judo and tae kwondo I think.

DS is quite shy and has a speech disorder so isn't very confident, not sure if that means he should do something more gentle. He's not very competitive!

It might really depend on how each individual club is run; hopefully you should be able to get a free taster session at each. Some will be super-disciplined, others more nurturing.

I would say, that at 6, your DS would be eligible either to start proper karate (etc) at our dojo, or to do the mini-karate classes, and I would recommend the latter. It teaches them to do stuff like stand on one leg, but also things like 'how to walk confidently' and 'how to identify a safe adult' etc. So I'd also check if any of them run something like that.

My DD, who is a bolshy so-and-so at home but a mouse in public , and DS who has significant speech delay and some physical problems, have both really benefited from said classes.

Whichever club has the nicest people running it.

Thanks :) all very helpful!

I've had a recommendation for a small karate group and there is a PAYG option, so I may try that one first although it's a bit tricky to get to!