Recommendations... and why?

[JP3]

OK, here's the situation.

You've got a close friend who has young kids. You and he live in a generally suburban area just outside a large urban area so you have access to lots of things within reasonable driving distance and both you and he make enough cash to live reasonably well.

The friend dops by or calls you one day about his 8 year old, and ask you, "I've been thinking about putting the kiddo in some kind of martial arts and I don't know diddly about any of that except for movies. What do you recommend I try?"

What do you say? One rule, since I'm going for style descriptions and recommendations for kids, so skip over the initial obvious response of "Just go around where you live and check out various dojos to see what interests the child" type of response. Or the other types of "personal good fit" responses. I already get that, that bit is common sense. Assume that everyone gets along with everyone and all the schools would be an equally positive experience.

But... recommending martial arts styles for children to begin with? That's my question.

 

[yak sao]

I think I would recommend some sort of grappling art.
For the record, I don't study grappling.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Depends on what the kid wants. Self-defense, sport, etc.

Personally, I help teach kids Isshin Ryu karate, and I think it's great. But we're not about sporting events and trophies. Nothing wrong with that if that's what the kid wants.

I'd tell parents to watch out signing long term contracts if Junior is going to get tired of it and quit.

 

[Andrew Green]

I'd recommend a instructor, not a style.

 

[Danny T]

My first question is what is your interest in the martial arts for your child? Do you have a goal in mind for training or is this something that your child has shown an interest in?

 

[kuniggety]

Personally, I recommend grappling because that's what I do and so it's something that I can do with my kids.

Kids can be fickle. I would avoid long contracts starting off, find a good family friendly atmosphere, and just have fun with it. I really don't think which art you're doing is actually that important.

Maybe they'll be a prodigy but at that age they'll just be working on gross motor skills and discipline which you can get from a lot of martial arts styles: karate, TKD, wrestling, judo, BJJ, kempo, external kung fu styles, etc.

 

[Steve]

Depends on the kid, but BJJ or judo. They learn actual skills they can apply, and don't take a lot of blows to the head. And both offer a sound, safe competitive outlet for kids who crave that.

 

[oftheherd1]

Another vote for a grappling art. Difficult to find, but I would go further and recommend Hapkido, my art. No or few competitions, but practical skills.

 

[KenpoMaster805]

well ask your kids 1st what kind of Martial arts he want 2nd you have to find a school that is good for your child and make sure the instructors are good too at teaching their Martial Arts stuff 3rd ask what kind of Martial arts they teaching and isit effcetive for my kid 4th ask how much is the cost because some Martial arts school cost a lot so ya but i recommend american kenpo karate its effective

 

[Tez3]

Does the child actually want to do martial arts or does the father think the child should do it? Makes a huge difference between a willing student and an unwilling one. There's no style or instructor can force a child to enjoy training and to get anything out of it. Oh I've heard stories about children whose parents have put them in and some 'brilliant' instructor has turned it all around etc etc but really put yourself into an 8 year olds shoes and think about being forced to go into a martial arts class when you'd much rather be doing something like swimming, ball games, athletics etc.
If the child really wants to do martial arts then find the instructor that clicks with them, the class the child says 'wow' at and that you can afford to pay for a long time! In the UK you'd check to see if the instructors had their DBS ( a police check), first aid certifications and the club had child protection policies in place.

 

[Buka]

I'm taking this as a hypothetical.

All other things being equal, I'd recommend BJJ. My reasoning, I think if the child gets into a fight in school, he'll be in far less trouble than he would be if he strikes the other child. Kids can get proficient fairly quickly, at least in the world of kids. If junior jump back kicks the bully in the face - could be trouble.

And as far as I remember, BJJ doesn't teach chokes to kids.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I'm taking this as a hypothetical.

All other things being equal, I'd recommend BJJ. My reasoning, I think if the child gets into a fight in school, he'll be in far less trouble than he would be if he strikes the other child. Kids can get proficient fairly quickly, at least in the world of kids. If junior jump back kicks the bully in the face - could be trouble.

And as far as I remember, BJJ doesn't teach chokes to kids.

My thoughts on this, and they are just opinions, mind you, are these.

First, we're assuming the kid wants to train martial arts.

Second, we're assuming the kid specifically wants self-defense and not sport or fitness, etc.

Third, with regard to bullies in schools...

It was always my observation that bullies work in packs. Bullies like to have their crew with them when they do their thing; they don't bully on their lonesome. Bullies are also quite often big kids compared to the others their own age. Every kid who ever bullied me was well above average in height and weight. Often a big fat kid whom even the jocks gave space to, even if the bully didn't go after them.

I don't know if grappling a school bully when they are surrounded by their howling hyenas is that great of an idea. You take the kid down (assuming you can, because he's often much larger), you submit him, and then what? You think his minions are going to let this happen without jumping in?

Personally, I recall the lessons of my father. Granted this was a different time. A bully hits you, you go grab the biggest board or stick or brick you can find and you walk up to him and lay him out flat. Busted nose, missing teeth, the whole nine yards. And you go nuts on him and make them peel you off him. Make it clear you're a dangerous SOB and have no problems crossing the line if pushed. Yes, you get suspended from school. But you also earn a safe space for yourself and all your friends; the bully will choose greener pastures and make all kinds of excuses to his pals to never bother you again.

You only have to do it once, typically. My parents moved around a lot when I was a kid, so I got to do it multiple times. The few times I decided I didn't want to fight, I got pushed into fighting anyway, after some agonizing weeks of bullying.

I think karate, TKD, etc, are fine for school kids. Yes, it can run contrary to school rules. Oh well. One of the kids in our dojo told us that his school teaches that if a bully attacks you, you should roll into a fetal position and call for a teacher. Really.

Once upon a time, I was riding my bicycle in the street in a small town, population about 400. Everybody knew everybody. I was in 5th or 6th grade of elementary school. A high school senior was hanging out with his friends at the grocery store and he threw a dirt clod at me while I was riding away. I mean he threw a fastball and it exploded in the middle of my back. Hurt like the bejabbers.

I turned around and rode back to his group. Got off my bike. They were all laughing their guts out. I walked up to the guy who threw the dirtclod and I punched him dead square in the face. I mean I had to jump two feet in the air to even REACH his face.

He looked very shocked. The laughter stopped. Then he proceeded to whup my ***. Bad.

When he stopped hitting me and I slowly got up and got back on my bike, I said to him, "You ever do that again and I'll punch you again."

He never did it again. He avoided me when he saw me. So did his friends. And all it cost me was a whuppin', and the willingness to fight back.

My 2 cents. I'd never grapple to submit a bully. I'd kick him in the slats, drop him to his knees, and then knock out his front teeth and black both his eyes. Even if I had to do it with a rock.

 

[Charlemagne]

And as far as I remember, BJJ doesn't teach chokes to kids.

Depends on the school/organization.

I would recommend BJJ as well. No impact to the head, and they will acquire skills worth learning. In addition, even if they never compete formally, they will be rolling on a regular basis which will teach them to both win and lose with class.

 

[jobo]

as has been said, a lot depends on why they want to learn and what catches their interest rather than their being a one size fits all answer.
8 year olds natural fight like mmaer, wrestle you oppoinent to the ground and then punch him when he is pinned. They don't usually have the co ordination to make punches and kicks meaningful at that age.

so if you want your 8 yo old to be able to fight other 8 year olds then wrestling makes sense. But if they have a size disadvantage they will probably still lose and a striking art may serve them better

developing them physically and mentally is very important at that age and arts that teach them balance speed d and co ordination is preferable to them wralling about on the floor for becoming a more rounded human being. They may not always want to fight like an 8 year old

 

[Flatfish]

I would simply say take the kid to a couple of trial classes and see what clicks. If they are excited about it they might stick with it.....for at least 6 weeks

 

[Tez3]

I'm actually with Bill on thumping bullies, I did when I was a kid. However these days bullying has advanced now and the physical bullying has turned onto cyber bullying, something much harder to cope with because it can be anonymous so you don't know who to attack. We have a young Guide who at the moment is off school because she has made herself quite sick over cyber bullying at school which seems not to be actually able to do much 'it's out of school hours/it's on social media and they aren't allowed their phones on in school so it can't be a school problem. Martial arts isn't going to help here I'm afraid, trust me if it did I'd teach the lass so much!
The other problem is teaching girls is different from teaching boys, it should not be so but it is because of how they are brought up so something else to consider when taking your child to martial arts, their gender.

 

[WaterGal]

It depends on what their interests are, their personality, what's available, how qualified the different local instructors are, the culture & environment of their schools, etc. I don't think hypotheticals this general are very useful.

 

[jks9199]

I can't give the type of answer you want. It depends on what the parents want, and what the kid wants. Even then -- it depends on the schools available, and the atmosphere they have for kids. I would suggest offering to visit several schools in the area with your friend; observe the youth classes, see whose teaching, and help him evaluate them. Then, with the list narrowed down, do it with the kids in question along, too.

 

[EMT]

Muay Thai :-D I'm just kidding. Muay Thai is a great martial art and I love it but it may not suitable for such a young kid. I would recommend a semi-contact karate or semi contact kickboxing if he wants to learn a stand-up striking

 

[oftheherd1]

I'm actually with Bill on thumping bullies, I did when I was a kid. However these days bullying has advanced now and the physical bullying has turned onto cyber bullying, something much harder to cope with because it can be anonymous so you don't know who to attack. We have a young Guide who at the moment is off school because she has made herself quite sick over cyber bullying at school which seems not to be actually able to do much 'it's out of school hours/it's on social media and they aren't allowed their phones on in school so it can't be a school problem. Martial arts isn't going to help here I'm afraid, trust me if it did I'd teach the lass so much!
The other problem is teaching girls is different from teaching boys, it should not be so but it is because of how they are brought up so something else to consider when taking your child to martial arts, their gender.

In general, so am I. The problem is that it seems schools will try anything to weasel out of it being any problem of their own. And if something does happen on school grounds and the can't deny responsibility, they will suspend one or both, with no investigation as to first wrong. I constantly ask my grandson if he is being bullied. I think he would tell me. It is about time to start asking my granddaughters. I will admit I am not sure what I would do. Involve my daughter and her husband first. Also be ready to take on the school or school system, knowing that would be near impossible.