How young do you start training kids

[silatman]

I've noticed that there seems to be a big percentage of older people on this forum and want to take advantage.
My friends and I are at the age of having our families and are now getting quite a few around the same age. In our circle we have both girls and boys and are thinking of starting them on there journeys.
The eldest are around 8 with the youngest still in the womb and all up at the moment there are 8 with the average age of about 3.
Do you think that 3 is a good starting age as its now that they are sponges for knolledge or do you think we're pushing it.
We all want whats best for the kids obviously and if they dont want to train then no problem but in todays society I think that martial arts should be taught as a phys ed requirement at primary schools.
Whats the conscensus.

 

[Drac]

I think 5 yoa is about right..That's how old my Grandson was when he started..

 

[Makalakumu]

One good rule of thumb to remember is that the younger they are, the more parent involvement will be needed. I have an age limit in my dojang of six. These kids are capalbe of doing Tang Soo Do, but they really don't do well unless a parent is there with them, doing the art with them. The older a kid gets, the more independent they become with their martial arts training.

My teacher's teacher starts kids as young as three or four. He teaches them to stand in a line and bow. He teaches them a few punches and kicks and then the rest of the curriculum are games designed to improve coordination. All of the games have a martial theme to them and actually teach some martial arts principles...

...but that isn't the point. The point is fun. Everything should be fun and relaxed.

 

[Blindside]

If I was running my own school I probably wouldn't allow kids to start until they are 11 or so. They still have the kid-sponge ability, but also enough focus and body awareness that they can learn the more advanced parts of the art. This won't pay the bills, but I'm not really interested in a commercial school.

Lamont

 

[Gemini]

Like introducting them to anything else. As soon as they can follow direction and not pee on the floor. The younger the better. From the time he was two, my youngest used to sit at the dojang door watching his brother, wearing his old white belt. At 4 he was finally allowed in. It's never too early to get them acclimated to a certain "climate".

 

[silatman]

When we start training the kids because we are all mates who train together anyway it will be in the dojo that my mate has built at his house. We wouldnt enroll the kids until they were about 10 anyway due to the concentration span of the young ones
We had hoped to try to introduce the training as a game and when they had had enough they could play in the sand pit or kick the footy and we would then train ourselves.
We ourselves are all students of the same rank and dojo and so monetary gains or loses play no part in our decisions to train the kids.

 

[arnisador]

With my kids I've tried to keep them interested by playing with martial arts with them when young, but I don't think they're ready for real training until about 12 or so.

 

[MJS]

It all depends on the child. I've seen some 4 and 5 yo that pay good attention in the class and others its more of a fun and games time. IMO, I'd rather see people wait to enroll their child until they were 8 or 10. I feel that they'd get much more out of it.

Mike

 

[bignick]

I agree, I've worked with some kid's classes and I've seen kids as young as 4 that can handle paying attention and listening, and following directions...and I've seen teenagers that can't it varies from child to child and should be taken into consideration individually...

 

[Loki]

Five is a good time to begin. As mentioned above, till a certain age they need more games than martial arts, so they won't really be learning the style properly. Still, mixing MA and games are better than nothing at all. In krav maga kids start learning as early as four and a half, and they learn the same things the adult group learns, albeit at a slower rate. Now that I think about it, the percentage of those who take it as seriously as the older kids is extremely small (obviously), but the next group (ages 6-8) already have a much higher percentage, many of them also having started when they were five.

Conclusion: Five is good, though is also depends on what art you teach.

~ Loki

 

[ABI]

I think it depends on which martial art we're talking about. I don't recommend kids younger then 8 years to do TKD or Karate for instance. Judo is good for them. Remember kids' bones are still developing. I have a 7 years old son (that's him as my avatar) and want to wait till he's 8 or so to begin Karate. He's very interested and very eager to begin.

 

[Andrew Green]

How well can you teach the skills you have to teach within an environment of playing?

If not at all, don't teach kids... if very well then younger ones should be fine.

 

[OC Kid]

I dont take them under 6. Prefer 8 to be the youngest. Even if I do take a 6 or 7 Y.O it is with a understanding with the parent that the child may be to young and not be able learn. I tell them I am a MA instructor not a day care provider.
There are some schools that do specialize in programs for younger children ones that have the "Little Ninjas" program for example. but that is not really MA. Its more of a lifestyles/disapline training that is different than t real MA course.
IMO

 

[searcher]

I will take them once they can pay attention and are not disruptive in class. I tell parents up front that their little ones are here on a trial basis to see if they are ready or not. Age is truly not the issue, but whether or not they can take directions. The comment on parental involvement is dead on. Now if you are looking for a number around 5 or 6, but have trained them as young as 3.

 

[arnisador]

I agree that it depends on the art, and that for younger kids Judo can be a good option.

 

[TigerWoman]

Eight was a good age for my son to start TKD. But other sports from high school, skateboard, tennis and paintball also got into the mix and by then TKD seemed boring. A parent has to get real involved in order for it to go through high school. My daughter made it all the way. I've taught 4 yr. olds...but it was mostly the parents expecting great things or not bringing them back. They advance very slowly because of the motor functions that they don't have or simple things like knowing right from left. Also the concentration isn't there. They like games more. So eight is good for TKD but parent involvement a must. TW

 

[rutherford]

My oldest is 4, and she's a rough and tumble. We playfight a lot, and I'm doing my best to show her (and learn myself, on someone so small) how different principles of taijutsu work.

We don't talk about it, and I don't know how much she's picking up. But, I'm waiting patiently for questions. I think she has the personality for it.

The youngest, probably won't ever study a martial art. But who knows?

In both cases I'll let them decide when they're ready and how much interest they have. I have a pretty strong disagreement with the idea that children do, or even should, develop at similar paces. They are beautiful, unique snowflakes and will be ready for fight club when they're ready.

 

[Rick Wade]

I study American Kenpo. My daughter is 4 and she already knows star blocks and she is working on short form 1. My other daughter is 3 and she is working on star blocks. But I wouldn't teach anyone else’s kids before 8. Now is that fair probably not but I have a lot more control over my own kids than I do students at that age. I just hope that doesn’t reverse later in life. (LOL I hope) My son is 6 months old and I have my wife working on a proper punch with him with I am deployed overseas. Do you think I am obsessed with Kenpo.

V/R

Rick English

 

[Rick Wade]

Would it be wrong to interview the kid to try and see if he or she truly wants to take Karate?

V/R

Rick

 

[searcher]

Would it be wrong to interview the kid to try and see if he or she truly wants to take Karate?

V/R

Rick

That is actually a fabulous idea. That is very similar to what I do with young prospective students. I "trial" them for a short time to see if they are going to be able to make it in class.