I hate stories like this

[clapping_tiger]

I hate stories like thishttp://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/uk/newsid_3034000/3034513.stm because they can be taken the wrong way by the public If you don't want to click on the article, I will paste the troublesome spots here.

He was worried he might get picked on at school because he's so small. But it is more likely to be the other way round now!

Ok, so if I enroll my kid in this karate thing he will become a bully and start picking on other childeren. Or, people who take karate will beat you up.

After tough training and concentration, Zac is able to take on adults and beat them in training and competitions.

So if my kid takes karate he will be able to easily defend himself against a full grown adult. he will be safe at all times and his karate training will enable him to defeat just about anyone.

Come on... I don't care how good a kid is at karate. You don't ever want to lead them to believe they could take on an adult. If for some reason they get into a situation the best thing for a child is to run and scream and draw as much attention to them as possible. Not think they beat up a kidnapper or Molester.

I did like the 8 year olds response to why he likes Karate.

"Karate helps me be fit and gives me confidence. I was really proud when I won my black belt,"

It seems to me that this kid should have written the article. I hope it is a junior Black Belt at least, I just don't think an 8 year old can be a true Black Belt (but that has already been discussed in another thread). They did have good information about bullying and how a kid can try to avoid being bullied. but IMO the article was crap.

 

[J-kid]

Did you just get this post from bullshido?

 

[J-kid]

Also i think there where saying in the artical if he had to defend him self vs a crippy old retarded man he might win ROFL.

 

[clapping_tiger]

Unfortunately I did. I am not the biggest fan of bullshido but I do go in see what is going on. I don't care to post there. Too much bashing each other and the arguments get way out of hand, that gets old real fast.

 

[J-kid]

I injoy both web sites and if you just post real things to talk about usally you dont get into a big battle (usally)

 

[chufeng]

Also i think there where saying in the artical if he had to defend him self vs a crippy old retarded man he might win ROFL

Hey, I resemble that remark

chufeng

 

[MartialArtist]

You idiots! How dare you spread such negative bull****???!!! He's a black belt while he's only 8, that means he could kill all of us with his pinky finger.

I think it's all a race on who can produce the youngest black belt, promote him through the media, thus promoting your school. Kinda like the Clonaid people.

 

[KenpoDragon]

I completely agree with you Clapping_tiger, but then again I'm the one that started that "other" thread.

:asian:

 

[roryneil]

Well come on, the BB he is posing with has her wrist resting against her lower back. Is that supposed to be a chamber?

 

[theletch1]

So if my kid takes karate he will be able to easily defend himself against a full grown adult. he will be safe at all times and his karate training will enable him to defeat just about anyone

I started a thread that discussed this very thing not long ago. The vicarious blackbelt I believe is what I titled it. Unfortunately, for too many children that take MA the parents have a hollywood view of what their kid should be able to do with it.

 

[roryneil]

We have a good excercise we do with the kids. One adult puts on all the pads. You grab one of the kids and drag him from one end of the mat to the other. The whole time this kid can do anything he wants, kicking hitting punching, all the while yelling "Help" or "This is not my dad" or whatever. It teaches them to not meekly go along with some stranger. This is much more realistic training for children.

 

[clapping_tiger]

roryneil,
I agree, feeding young martial arts students false confidence is bad for them. Your approch is a much more realistic way to teach a child to avoid the "stranger danger" scenairo. Now I don't mean that self defense is not a factor for young children, but they need to have a realistic view on their abilities to defend themselves. There is a huge difference between defending yourself against an adult, or a bully who wants your lunch money.

 

[MartialArtist]

Originally posted by clapping_tiger
roryneil,
I agree, feeding young martial arts students false confidence is bad for them. Your approch is a much more realistic way to teach a child to avoid the "stranger danger" scenairo. Now I don't mean that self defense is not a factor for young children, but they need to have a realistic view on their abilities to defend themselves. There is a huge difference between defending yourself against an adult, or a bully who wants your lunch money.

Agreed.

Even for a teenager. Yeah, a teenager is more physically (although I have my guesses on mental development for a lot of teens) developed than adults. Teenagers are usually more aggressive, and are usually in better shape than most middle-aged men I know. However, there is still a difference between a teen and an adult. Many teens can KO a man, however, when going up against a more experienced person, with lots more training under his belt...

My son was able to bench more than I could when he was 22, but I could still beat him in arm wrestling, mercy, and those other strength/technique games. And I remember when I was younger, I was able to lift more than a lot of older guys. I had the squat record and the military press record for my HS, but when I wrestled a 40 year old coach when I was in high school, his grip literally crushed me. There's a term for it... Old man strength. Fear the old man strength!

It's not scientific, there is no scientific evidence to back the wonders of old man strength, but I'm sure a lot of you had experience with it.

 

[Withered Soul]

One of my personal feelings is that it doesn't matter what martial art you train in, it's your physical abilities that win fights, as well as your techniques.

 

[J-kid]

MAN IF HE IS A BLACK BELT NOW HE WILL BE A 80th degree black belt by the time his balls drop we are DOOMED!
RofL

 

[MartialArtist]

Originally posted by Withered Soul
One of my personal feelings is that it doesn't matter what martial art you train in, it's your physical abilities that win fights, as well as your techniques.

What about mental aspects?

I personally stand by the statement that the mental aspect of fighting is the thing that will save your life.

Mental - Knowing the environment and situation so you don't get into a fight in the first place. Works most of the time.

Perception/Reflexive Action/Awareness - What's the point if your muscle can contract at blinding speed if there's a time lapse from your CNS to your muscles? Awareness also has a lot to do with it. If I see other people around, or if I see a leather holster which was poorly concealed.

Anyway, physical abilities are no doubt important. Fighting is almost more physical than anything else. But you need to fight with your mind as well with your body. There are a lot of sayings on the unity of mind and body that I won't mention as a lot of you already know them.