Anybody's children do martial arts?

[elliott]

Of any kind? Does anyone know anything about any different types and their approach/philosophy ? Vaguely wondering about whether it will help ds1's social credibility to feel physically confident in terms of self defence but have no personal knowledge or understanding of this area - think when I was younger my parents were a bit snobby about judo and the like....
Ds1 is small, ginger, wears glasses, is rather unworldly and innocent and is at high risk of becoming a bit of a geek - and he has to survive in a socially mixed state school. Maybe I should just hope that he turns out to be good at football

DS2 (5) does Tae Kwon Do after school and I think it's great. At his age they are learning kick and punches and how to defend themselves, but they don't do one on one fighting. They also earn badges by learning about responsibility, stranger danger, bullying, organisation etc In order to get his badge on Monday DS2 has to tidy his bedroom properly, and pack his own bag for an activity - I have to mark him on a form to say how well he did and whether he forgot things!
I think it's really boosted DS2's confidence and coordination. I wish DS1 had stuck with it, but he prefers team sports.

Both DSs (7 and 4) do karate. They get graded for a new belt at the end of term based on personal improvement, rather than fixed standards.

DS1 isn't always that enthusiastic about going, but he always enjoys it once he's there. He is a very distractible, unsporty boy with poor fine motor skills, and the karate is great for concentration, discipline and - of course- exercise. DS2 just does it because DS1 does, but looks very cute in his suit.

Sorry, meant to say that gross motor skills are supposed to help in fine motor skills as well - that's why we keep plugging away at the swimming as well.

hhhm, this is a good question... any suggestions on what kind of martial art could be appropriate for a girl??? or does that not matter??

i love the discipline and responsibility ethos in martial arts and would love dd to take something like this up... (not now obviously as she is only 10months old!)

Football actually a very good idea - if you can find the right friendly low-pressure inclusive kind of kick-about Saturday club it means he'll get the shared fun, too. I think I should be looking for one for ds (nearly 7) soon.

At the moment ds does tae kwon do, but we've reached a (not very elevated) plateau, hence why I'm thinking about football instead - as if run well he'd really benefit from its being a group thing. PS kateandf., lots of girls do tkd too.

singersgirl, we plug on with swimming for exactly the same reasons.

The other thing - I know this isn't a martial art, but it's great for confidence and strength - is rock-(ie indoor wall)climbing, which ds loves.

Thanks. Ds1 is actually very physically co-ordinated - a great climber - and I'm sure that's something dh will get into with him in time (dh is a bit of a rock climber). He's not overly interested in football (probably because dh and I aren't so we don't encourage it). I guess I just don't want him to be intimidated physically by the 'rougher' of his peer group (we are very anti hitting at home).
What are the main differences between karate and tae kwon do? I know we have local karate groups but if I want somethign different I'll have to seek it out.

Ooh can I crash? Those who's children do do something - what sort of age did they start? I know DD is too young just yet, but planning ahead. I get the feeling she will be much better suited to martial arts than ballet!

ds1 does Ju jitsu and is now 6 started when he was 4.5. Loves it, it is great discipline, excercise etc.

He wears glasses as well, and only takes them off for serious sparring.

Go for it, it has improved his belief in himself

So, does it matter which one they do? karate, tae kwon do, ju jitsu etc etc?

my nephews do something (can't remember if it is judo, karate, or tai kwan do - something with belts anyway !) with my brother (he is more into it than them !). They are 9 and 8 and have been doing it for a year or so. My brother really thinks it is good for their self control and also good exercise.

I'm not sure how to distinguish each form of martial art, but thought Tae Kwon Do was korean, Karate is japanese and kung fu (eg wing chun) is chinese .. all are forms of martial arts.

my friends dd who is 5 has been doing tae kwon do for a while now.

I have just enrolled my dd 5.6 yo and ds 3.6 yo with a Karate Instructor. As I know nothing at all about martial arts I will have to wait to Monday to see if this was wise . This is a club that has been recommended to me and they take children from 3.6 yo which is quite young I would think. Quite a few children (girls and boys) in dd's reception class are doing martial arts but as another poster said my mum would never have allowed me to do anything like that

I honestly don't know the difference (and I'm sure there's probably a huge one!) Ds does Tae Kwon Do because that happens to be what they run as an after school club. Judo's kind of throwing isn't it, whilst TKD is punching and kicking.

DS started when he went into Reception, so he was 4.3. There are a few girls doing it at his school.

I've been wondering this, so I googled and came up with \link{http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/learn/activities/feature/famf28martialarts/famf28martialarts.html\this article} which is three pages long, but easy to read and has loads of useful stuff about kids and martial arts - also describes the different styles on the 3rd page.

Also answering the how old:

"How old should my kid be?

While many martial arts schools have programs for children as young as four, for most kids it's probably best to wait until they are at least seven before buying them that first uniform. "If a younger child wants to try a martial art, fine," says author and black belt John Donohue, "but what you'll probably end up with is an expensive pair of pajamas. Their attention span simply isn't long enough. Can your child even stand on one foot? If not, he or she isn't ready.""

I did ju-jitsu as a chil from about 7 to 13, is more sef-defence based than other martial arts. It was extremely good for fitness and i still feel it gives me confidence self defence wise! i am oing to encourage my two to try it soon. They have both been doing judo at school and have really enjoyed it.

DS1 started at 5, DS2 at 4 (but only because DS1 was doing it). Don't really know the difference between the different martial arts - we kind of fell into this one through friends.

A non-competitive kickabout for soccer would be perfect for DS1, but sadly our local Saturday clubs are far too competitive (at least the dads are). Martial arts are good for children who don't 'get' team sports or who are unlikely to be picked for teams much!

My ds1 has been doing karate since last summer and loves it, he is almost 9. When he started he went with his two friends, they have now dropped out but ds is still very kean. He is waiting to be graded for his orange belt at the moment.

It can be a very expensive sport though as each grading costs us £18 and every now and again they have tournaments. The really good thing about it is the discipline the instructors excert. All the pupils have been taught that they have to respect their sensei's as well as their parents and if the kids let their bedrooms get in a mess or are naughty we have to let them know and they 'punish' the children. Nothing harsh just a few press ups or star jumps but they make them chant silly things at the same time. It may sound silly but the kids get embarassed and do their best not to upset their parents again. DS's bedroom has never been tidier {grin]