Martial Arts for 10 years old boy
- Thread starter Criss
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ballen0351
Sr. Grandmaster
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Its better to look for a good school near you rather then pick a style and then find a bad school teaching that style.
sfs982000
Master Black Belt
Depending on what schools/styles are in your area, I'd check them all out. Most reputable schools will normally offer a trial period for your son. I'd take advantage of that and them have him let you know what school he enjoyed most.
Yep. Visit some classes and check out the character and attitude of the instructor as well as his qualifications. Does he interact well and have a good rapport with kids? Is he a good role model? Is there an attitude of respect and order in the class? Is actual learning taking place? And, especially for a ten year-old, check to see that the kids are enjoying the class.
IMO these are the kinds of questions you need to be asking, and you'll only find out the answers by going to see for yourself.
Xue Sheng
All weight is underside
It would all depend on the personality of the boy.
If he does not like to hit or would not hit then a striking art is out and you may want to look to things like Jujutsu, BJJ, Aikido, Judo
If he does not like wrestling then BJJ, Judo, Aikido might not be a good choice
If he likes to hit then Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, etc.
After that, as already stated you need to find a good school. He may want or like TKD but if the school is just basically a glorified Daycare then it is not worth going. You need to find a good school
If he does not like to hit or would not hit then a striking art is out and you may want to look to things like Jujutsu, BJJ, Aikido, Judo
If he does not like wrestling then BJJ, Judo, Aikido might not be a good choice
If he likes to hit then Wing Chun, Tae Kwon Do, Karate, etc.
After that, as already stated you need to find a good school. He may want or like TKD but if the school is just basically a glorified Daycare then it is not worth going. You need to find a good school
Bingo.
A good teacher makes all the difference. I wouldn't sweat the style so much. Find somebody who loves his art and treats his students right.
And a style the boy enjoys doing and will persevere at. No point if he hates it, right?
Steve
Mostly Harmless
I recommend grappling. Seriously. If you can't get him into wrestling through the school, a good judo program will likely be inexpensive, provide a competitive outlet if he's interested in that, and also teach him some solid skills.
I would second the grappling recommendation, it has a great fitness component and kids are toughened both mentally and physically. Great things to have for a boy.
Hey, when I was a kid I also loved grappling. I also liked hitting things with sticks. Now I do Ving Tsun and Escrima ...less grappling, but only because I have back problems.
My son, on the other hand, doesn't care for what I like. He wants to do TKD. It's not my thing, but he loves it, and his instructor is terrific. So I support his choice of art 100%. It's not about the dad, it's about the kid!
chinto
Senior Master
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I AGREE! go look at the schools locally. I would encourage you to go with something else then say Olympic TKD, or something that is designed strictly sport. look for something that teaches both the self defense use and any sport use as well if you want to see him compete. But please make sure they teach both if you can.
rlobrecht
Brown Belt
This is the key, something the kids likes, chained with a good instructor.
Mark Lynn
Master Black Belt
As an instructor who teaches kids here is my .02 cents
1) Decide what your goals are for the child, what areas do you want to see improvement in the child. Are you looking for character development, leadership training, competition, self defense skills, or is it another activity to fill in the gap between football and baseball season.
2) Decide how much you are willing to pay for class, how many times a week you want to go and watch him attend class, how far are you willing to travel, etc. etc.
3)Talk with the child and see if they are interested in the martial arts and if so what do they enjoy or like, what do they hope to learn, what are their goals etc. etc.
After all of this then whittle down the options and check out the schools that semi meet this criteria based on the above steps.
Now start looking into styles/schools and check out the instructors first and the school culture and see if they meet your expectations and then have the child attend a few classes to see if they like it. Also go see an advanced class with kids/teens that are closer to your sons age and also an older class as well. This helps you to see what your son might look like in a few years, how are their attitudes, how is their skill, is the curriculum more difficult for the older students etc. etc.
Don't get sucked into training extra with the Pan American Champion, or the school that is the top competition school in the state etc. etc. especially if you don't want to travel around on the weekends due to your boy competing, I mean what good is it if that is not your desire nor your goal. Likewise tournament competition teams, demo teams or additional weapons training can all be add ons designed to help take your money from you but if that is not your goal or desire for your son than I wouldn't put a high emphasis on visiting schools that are heavily in that culture.
To be honest I would worry less about the style or type of MA and more about the school, culture, and the instructor. I know one instructor who always was referred to as being "great with kids" but at the same time some quality is lacking because he is "great with kids" and this carries over into the older students as well. Likewise I remember one instructor teaching knife defense to 5 and 6 year olds. Let the buyer beware.
Look at the big picture here, the style you settle on will probably won't be the last and only style you son learns (assuming he stays in the MAs), it is more than likely a foundation from which he will build on, so the teacher and school is the most important thing not the "style" of MA.
I hope this helps
Mark
1) Decide what your goals are for the child, what areas do you want to see improvement in the child. Are you looking for character development, leadership training, competition, self defense skills, or is it another activity to fill in the gap between football and baseball season.
2) Decide how much you are willing to pay for class, how many times a week you want to go and watch him attend class, how far are you willing to travel, etc. etc.
3)Talk with the child and see if they are interested in the martial arts and if so what do they enjoy or like, what do they hope to learn, what are their goals etc. etc.
After all of this then whittle down the options and check out the schools that semi meet this criteria based on the above steps.
Now start looking into styles/schools and check out the instructors first and the school culture and see if they meet your expectations and then have the child attend a few classes to see if they like it. Also go see an advanced class with kids/teens that are closer to your sons age and also an older class as well. This helps you to see what your son might look like in a few years, how are their attitudes, how is their skill, is the curriculum more difficult for the older students etc. etc.
Don't get sucked into training extra with the Pan American Champion, or the school that is the top competition school in the state etc. etc. especially if you don't want to travel around on the weekends due to your boy competing, I mean what good is it if that is not your desire nor your goal. Likewise tournament competition teams, demo teams or additional weapons training can all be add ons designed to help take your money from you but if that is not your goal or desire for your son than I wouldn't put a high emphasis on visiting schools that are heavily in that culture.
To be honest I would worry less about the style or type of MA and more about the school, culture, and the instructor. I know one instructor who always was referred to as being "great with kids" but at the same time some quality is lacking because he is "great with kids" and this carries over into the older students as well. Likewise I remember one instructor teaching knife defense to 5 and 6 year olds. Let the buyer beware.
Look at the big picture here, the style you settle on will probably won't be the last and only style you son learns (assuming he stays in the MAs), it is more than likely a foundation from which he will build on, so the teacher and school is the most important thing not the "style" of MA.
I hope this helps
Mark
