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Parenting

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Original poster

Does anyone have young dcs who do a martial art?

21 replies

fluffyanimal · 12/01/2011 13:59

Ds1 is 4, will be 5 in March. He is a typical boisterous boy who loves physical play. Often says "Daddy can we play wrestling?" (Cue cringe from DH!) He also likes to pretend he is doing karate (from watching Kung Fu Panda and things like Pokemon and Power Rangers - flame me for that if you like!)

We are always telling him to be careful, not to be so rough - he can come running at you for a cuddle and jump very heavily on you, ending up in accidental head butts or knees in the groin.

DH thinks he needs some formalised outlet for his physicality. I have noticed karate classes going on in our village hall but not sure at what age they would take children. So I was wondering whether karate lessons would channel his rough play and teach him respect and restraint for his strength, or whether we would just end up with a kid who wants to chuck us on the floor every night?

Experiences from parents with dcs doing a martial art, the younger the better, please?

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Elk · 12/01/2011 14:11

My dd doesnt't do it any more but her tae kwondo class used to have a few 4 year olds in it. The teacher was great with them and very strict about the self control aspect of it.

Original poster

fluffyanimal · 12/01/2011 14:42

Thanks Elk. Anyone else?

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sparkle1977 · 12/01/2011 14:42

Very interested in replies you get to this.

I have a 4yo who can be quite boisterous too and do all manner of karate type moves so I too wonder if martial arts may help. From looking at a few martial arts classes near us the age they will take them seems to be 5 (when they are at school) so I think I will look into it again in Sept.

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pinkhebe · 12/01/2011 14:43

ds was 5 when he started karate, and he's never ever done any out of the lesson, that's a real no no I think. He's now 8 and still does it.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 12/01/2011 14:46

my ds is 5.5 and has been doing judo since he was just turned 4.

i started him in it for teh same reason as you. he had bag loads of energy and was doing laps round the living room in teh evenings.

i find now that he is at school he has expelled alot of energy anyway but the judo is good for him to learn about his body, his strengths and weaknesses, discipline, listening skills and lots more.

QuintessentialShadows · 12/01/2011 14:46

Not sure a young child who likes to playfight and wrestle would really enjoy the strictness of it? Maybe football? Plenty of running is more likely to channel energy than standing in a line in a karate suit doing restrained movements. My son started tae kwon do at 6. The boisterous boys go to football, the "nerds" go for martial arts, in my experience....

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 12/01/2011 14:47

oh yes, ds never tries to do judo outside of his lesson except when my dad asks him to show him what he has learnt.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 12/01/2011 14:49

no sure about how karate is taught but in judo they are mostly wrestling and putting holds on each other so if he likes to wrestle he would love judo.

Original poster

fluffyanimal · 12/01/2011 14:50

Thanks for the replies. He doesn't seem as interested in football - doesn't ask to play it when we go to the park although will happily join in in the playground at school. It's as much because he often pretends to be doing karate as to discharge the energy - as if he's got a real interest there. Or are all boys like that?

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ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 12/01/2011 14:56

no, not all boys are like that. try the martial art. it is teh only way you will know and it is no biggie if he doesn't like it, jsut take him out of it.

Original poster

fluffyanimal · 12/01/2011 14:58

Thanks Boo - I have to say I did like the way you described judo. Now I have to wonder which martial art, or just to go with the easy karate in the village hall option!

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ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 12/01/2011 15:03

well as you are just starting and have no idea what he will liek i would say try the karate in the village. no point going to lots of effort travelling further away only to find out it isn't for him. and remember, this should be fun for him. at 5 there is no need for him to be good at it. when i started ds at it he didn't listen to his instructor. agter a few weeks i spoke to the instructor and asked if i should take him out as i was worried about him slowing the class down and not gaining anything from the lessons. the instructor made it clear that the most important thing for him was that his students were having a good time, it didn't matter if they weren't very good, it burned off an hour's energy. i think i am lucky in that teh instructor is very patient but also very firm. he doesn't allow disruptive behaviour but he doesn't insist tehy are all at teh same level, he instructs and they respond as well as tehy can, he assists if tehy need it.

QuintessentialShadows · 12/01/2011 15:05

My niece does Judo. My son was very pissed that she suddenly threw him in the ground. Tae kwon do is non contact. My niece did not know this, and though judo and tae kwon do were quite similar. But they are not. Judo is wrestling, Karate, tae kwon do, etc, it is a different kettle of fish.

QuintessentialShadows · 12/01/2011 15:06

Sorry, I am not correct in saying that Judo is wrestling, but it is more like wrestling than any of the other.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 12/01/2011 15:08

yes, judo is very much contact and i would pretty much say it is wrestling. the aim is to keep your oponent on their back, their aim is to get out of the hold and get you on your back.

MrsWuh · 15/01/2011 22:48

I'd go for it! My son started karate classes soon after he turned 6. He'd been vaguely interested for a year, but I hadn't done anything about it. We'd tried enrolling him in swimming and tennis before, but he always got bored after a couple of lessons and started whinging about them. (To be fair his swimming instructor did nearly drown him, but that's another story!) He has very low levels of concentration, doesn't listen very well, is a terribly bad loser, cries easily, and can't stop talking or fidgeting. His headteacher thinks he has symptoms of mild autism. In other words, you would not think that something as disciplined, structured and controlled as karate would suit him at all. And I was also a bit worried that he might get carried away and start fighting his little brother or people at school. But he wanted to try it, so I did it anyway...

Well. At first I was cringing with embarrassment at his behaviour, to be honest. Four months later, he is no longer a bad loser - in fact, he applauds when other people win and smiles happily when he loses. He still has times when his concentration wavers in lessons, but it is noticeably better than it was. He almost always puts his hand up before talking in class now (instead of shouting out). He doesn't whinge or burst into tears as much as he used to. He has never said he wants to stop doing karate. He's excited about going to his first grading in February. And he appears to be getting kudos from the other boys at school for doing something so cool. And it is made very, very clear that karate should never be used outside the dojo unless in genuine self-defence, and that everyone should be very careful not to hurt each other in lessons. He hasn't used it on anyone at all. He has play-fights with his two-year-old brother and is incredibly gentle with him - it's lovely.

My son's karate teacher takes children from the age of 4 - I think that's the youngest they can start anywhere from what I've seen. They play a lot of games in the beginner classes, so it's a lot more fun than an adult class - they don't have a chance to get bored. I'm really pleased I put my son in for this - I think it's one of my better decisions as a Mum!

Good luck!
xxx

WinkyWinkola · 15/01/2011 22:52

My ds does karate once a week. He's done it for 7 months now. He's five and a half. He likes it a lot.

My dd will start when she's four. Not because I want them to be karate maestros but I think the way it's taught in their classes is lots of fun. But they learn a lot too in a short space of time.

Try it for your ds. You/he can change your minds about it. But I think a focused activity for an hour a week is a good idea. It's not that big a deal.

Original poster

fluffyanimal · 17/01/2011 13:11

Thanks everyone for the input. After all that, we asked ds if he would like to do it, and he said no, he'd rather have swimming lessons!

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peanutbutterkid · 17/01/2011 13:14

I have a very boisterious DS and Judo was a bit of a disaster for him. It's a great local club (DD still goes) but DS, in spite of his aggression and bluster, is a big wimp and total crybaby -- used to howl whenever he got pinned.

Swimming much better for DS :).

But I don't think you'll know unless you try with your DS. Since swimming is a more important lifeskill I would prioritise it over martial arts.

coolascucumber · 17/01/2011 13:20

DS1 did judo for a couple of years until he broke his arm quite badly in a competition. After that I didn't say he couldn't go back but I made excuses up for not going back until he stopped asking. (He does lots of other sports too)

smashingtime · 17/01/2011 20:55

I also have a hectic 6 yr old who started Karate about 6 months ago. There was a lower age limit of 5 - I think younger children would really struggle with the listening and concentration unless quite mature for their age.

Ds does enjoy it - not mad on it but is doing well. It helps with his concentration and it is doing him the world of good to have to listen to instructions and follow others. Fortunately, he doesn't try and do it outside the class.

Would definitely recommend Karate - have no exp of any of the others.

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