michelle_gonzales74 said:
first of all i want to thank all of you for welcoming me into your forum!! I have a myspace account and tryed the forums there and with the exception of a few really helpful people i got nothing. the groups I asked got no response besides a bunch of kids screwing around. i got alot of people bashing eachother. that is not what i was looking for.
what finally got me to allow my son to join was my brother. my brother is at camp pendleton (proud sister of a marine sgt.!!) he takes muay tai and jujitsu. when my sons wrestling coach recommended san shou i right away called my brother. he is the one that got me to the point where i am now. he expained that the MA i was looking into was very similar to wrestling. he should already be comfortable on the mat enough by now that it wont be so awkward for him. he also said that with kungfu it is alot of self defense and as he put it "practical kickboxing". and if he didnt like it or i felt uncomfortable with it i can always take him out but that for me to try it out. so we went to the class to check it out. i sat in on a beginners and an intermidiate class. i really liked what i saw. the teacher is cool and the kids were comfortable around him but yet very respectful. he is strict but not harsh if that makes any sense...i go and sit in on the class when hes there now too. he gives me thumbs up when the teacher isnt looking.
as for me, i wont be joining anytime soon.... not that i wouldnt want to, just i have some injuries that i am still recovering from that wont allow me to... but who knows in the future...
anyways, is there any advise or suggestions from anyone about kids and MA?? anything i should or shouldnt do?? anything i can do to give him an advantage in his learning? i really hope that this will turn out to be a life long thing for him....
Hi Michelle, welcome to MT.
I am one of many practitioners of Chinese Martial arts here on the forum. I'll give you some thoughts, and like the others said, feel free to ask.
I haven't studied San Shou, but what I understand of it, is that it is a type of competitive full contact kickboxing that also allows for some takedowns and grappling work. It's roots are in the traditional Chinese arts, but it is perhaps a bit of a more "modern" art, as far as it being somewhat geared toward competition. I expect it has a lot of practical stuff that would also be useful outside the competition ring, in a real self-defense situation.
If the school also teaches a traditional Chinese art, I (and probably the others here) would be interested in knowning exactly what system that is. There are many many many (literally, probably hundreds or more) different styles of Chinese martial arts. Some are very similar to each other, others are quite different. There is no standard answer or description that would apply equally to all Chinese martial arts across the board. These arts all have their own strengths and weaknesses, but when done well they can all be tremendously effective.
For now, I would say just attend the classes with your son, and watch how they operate. If you are comfortable with the situation, and your son enjoys it, you are probably in a good place. If not, go elsewhere. Don't get too attached to a particular art. Rather, the right instructor is much more important. If he is someone you trust, and he relates well to your son and the other students, and has a lot to teach, he is the right one. If he makes you or your son uneasy in any way, including over finances, get out.
If you do look at the other schools in you area, I suspect Aikido might not be the best choice for your son, as he is quite young. Aikido has a certain subtlty about it that I think can be very difficult for adults to grasp, and it might just be a bit too frustrating for a child his age. I am sure the aikidoists here can comment more fully on this.
OK, I just checked your profile, I see they teach Shuai jiao. This is a traditional Chinese wrestling. I have not studied it, and have seen very little of it, but it is a grappling art with some similiarities to Japanese Judo and Jujitsu. It focuses on throws and takedowns, and grappling work on the ground, as well as joint manipulations to control an opponent. If you son likes the wrestling he has done, this might be a good choice for him.
