I created an account to ask this question. My daughter is 7 and wants to take both Karate and Tae Kwon Do. Me and my wife are thinking she coukd do Karate and Mondays and TKD on Fridays. But, I heard from some people that Tae Kwon Do and Karate are very similar, so would she get confused if she did both at the same time? Or are they different enough?Can she do both at the same time, or should she dedicate to one till she is a black belt and try the other one later?
Can my daughter take Karate and Taekwondo at the same time?
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Flying Crane
Sr. Grandmaster
focus on one. she can explore the other later, but as a beginner it is just too much and not realistic.
understand: there are good reasons to train multiple systems, including simple interest. however, it is absolutely NOT necessary. One system, well understood, is plenty. For most people, more than one is too much. Working on one is hard work enough for a lifetime.
understand: there are good reasons to train multiple systems, including simple interest. however, it is absolutely NOT necessary. One system, well understood, is plenty. For most people, more than one is too much. Working on one is hard work enough for a lifetime.
Amen!
Flying Crane said all that needs to be said
Yep!!!
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
Agreed.
My daughter started out with TKD went to multiple classes a week and then started to not want to go and eventually decided she did not like it and took some time off. She eventually (6 months later) wanted to give something else a try and it was down to Judo or Aikido and she went with Aikido and it has been almost 2 years and she still loves it.
My only additional, useful advice is, don't sign a year long contract if you can avoid it. Kids change their minds and you could be stuck with paying for classes she does not go to or she is completely miserable at
7 is young, let her figure it out by doing, she'll figure it out
drop bear
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Which is the advantage of giving a kid multiple interests. It gives them more exposure to choose what they want to do.
This is a bit against what's being said, but at 7 there's nothing wrong with introducing her to multiple arts and seeing if she likes one/likes the instructor & classmates (which shell honestly care more about) better. However, I'd suggest dropping whichever one is less liked relatively quickly (about 6 months), not because there's any issue with it, especially at 7, but because there's no real point in pursuing two separate arts long-term as a kid, so it's cheaper and easier for the kid to have her choose early rather than later.
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
Yes...and no.... I did not do both at the same time (TKD and Aikido) and I would not recommend it at such a young age as it applies to MA
However she was in Gymnastics, Piano, TKD and swimming that is multiple interests in my opinion, I do not feel that Karate and TKD would be considered multiple interests, they are similar interests.
But to each his own, my only additional recommendation to this entire conversation is be careful with the contracts
At her age, if you're mostly just looking for an exercise-related activity for her, it could work out. But if the hope is that she'll gain skill and continue, choose one. They're too similar but still enough different that they'd interfere with one another. Better to choose, say, Karate (striking) and Judo (wrestling), or some other pairing of arts that work primarily in separate spheres.
Overall agree, esp. for this age--but as you progress, getting out of your shell and interacting with others in other arts, and adding in some things gained from cross-training, is important. (I know you wouldn't disagree.) At this age one art is likely best.
Seven years old is young to start a martial art. At that age, the art itself may be less important than the teacher. I would recommend that you try a bunch of different teachers and watch for the one that you think is giving the most developmentally appropriate instruction. Also, ask your daughter's opinion, what classes were the most enjoyable for her? I see kids all of the time who have tried martial arts and have quit after a few months and now are not interested in trying it again. If she has a good experience in the class, even if she wants to try something else, like tennis or dancing, she may be interested in martial arts in the future.
If she wants to study two styles, that's fine, but one class a week for each isn't going to cut it. If you can commit to taking her to 2-3 classes per week for each, go for it. Otherwise, just stick to one. Though I do think it would be better to study styles with less overlap.
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I've posted most of this elsewhere, so my two cents:
I started judo and TKD at the same time, when I was 11. There was no overlap or interference at all, and both teachers encouraged my participation in the other.
Three years later, still going at it, I was exposed to kyokushin karate in boarding school, and it was all that was available to me, besides boxing, wrestling and fencing. So I did kyokushin at boarding school, and TKD and Judo when I was home-luckily, this was long ago enough that the TKD forms were variants of the same kata I did in kyokushin-so it took adjusting and remembering where I was as far as hand placement sometimes, but I did okay with both, with the consent of both teachers-earning dan grades in both-until I had to decide to give one up. I also wrestled and boxed for a time, though I didn't stick with fencing......
Short answer-especially for a kid-dissimilar forms like a grappling form and a striking form aren't going to cause much interference with each other at all. Striking forms of something as similar as TKD and karate can be might be confusing-.
There is a lady in Albuquerque who holds ranks similar to mine, and her program consists of Okinawan karate and TKD, and her kids' program works well, but I think she's rather anomalous in that regard.....
I started judo and TKD at the same time, when I was 11. There was no overlap or interference at all, and both teachers encouraged my participation in the other.
Three years later, still going at it, I was exposed to kyokushin karate in boarding school, and it was all that was available to me, besides boxing, wrestling and fencing. So I did kyokushin at boarding school, and TKD and Judo when I was home-luckily, this was long ago enough that the TKD forms were variants of the same kata I did in kyokushin-so it took adjusting and remembering where I was as far as hand placement sometimes, but I did okay with both, with the consent of both teachers-earning dan grades in both-until I had to decide to give one up. I also wrestled and boxed for a time, though I didn't stick with fencing......
Short answer-especially for a kid-dissimilar forms like a grappling form and a striking form aren't going to cause much interference with each other at all. Striking forms of something as similar as TKD and karate can be might be confusing-.
There is a lady in Albuquerque who holds ranks similar to mine, and her program consists of Okinawan karate and TKD, and her kids' program works well, but I think she's rather anomalous in that regard.....
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oftheherd1
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All the answers here are good. But I think, considering your daughter's age, this one deserves more attention that only one post would seem to give it.
Oh, hell no. One art will suffer in favor of the other, and... just no.
Pick one. There is always time for the other.
Most kids are over scheduled. No need to add by picking two similar differences to deal with (and yes, 2-3 classes each week on one art to get something out of it.)
You are thinking of something like having her play the flute on Tuesdays, clarinet on Thursdays...many musicians pick up a second or third instrument over time, but in the beginning they stick with one until they somewhat mastered the basics. Unless it's like flute and drums....
Also, I do agree with the importance of the teacher (and the rest of the students) is almost more important right now than the particular style. (it also depends on the child of course)
In my (limited) experience with girls, I think they depend a good bit on a good, friendly instructor to get them out of their shell.
Most kids are over scheduled. No need to add by picking two similar differences to deal with (and yes, 2-3 classes each week on one art to get something out of it.)
You are thinking of something like having her play the flute on Tuesdays, clarinet on Thursdays...many musicians pick up a second or third instrument over time, but in the beginning they stick with one until they somewhat mastered the basics. Unless it's like flute and drums....
Also, I do agree with the importance of the teacher (and the rest of the students) is almost more important right now than the particular style. (it also depends on the child of course)
In my (limited) experience with girls, I think they depend a good bit on a good, friendly instructor to get them out of their shell.
wingchun100
Senior Master
Not a lot of kids stick to an art for long, unless they get really fired up about it. Pick one, and my guess is within a year or so you may find yourself taking her to the other.
Reedone816
Blue Belt
All the advice here are sound, but for such a young kid, it is best to look at the way your kid training, is it fully supervised? look at training method, is it save? Fun? Do they have kid class/curriculum?
And look at the contract, the length, the agreement, the penalty...
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And look at the contract, the length, the agreement, the penalty...
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skribs
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The problem is that they're similar...but different. I think having knowledge of one would help with the other later on, but doing both you're going to be constantly corrected on little things that are different between the two (for example, a front kick in karate usually aims to strike with the heel, while in TKD you use the ball of the foot). Not to mention differences in sparring rules, required gear, and testing requirements.
I would say try them both; or try one and then the other and see which she likes better (or, try one, and if it isn't abhorrent just stick with that).
I would say try them both; or try one and then the other and see which she likes better (or, try one, and if it isn't abhorrent just stick with that).
