The advantages and disadvantages of...

[Master of Blades]

Starting younger or older. Does anyone think it is more advantagious to start younger then older? For me I feel you are at more of an advantage when your older mainly because your discipline is much better and your bones are fully structured etc. I AM however glad I started at 13 :asian:

 

[James Kovacich]

I think younger is better. When your older is when your understanding gets better but your body does react as well as it does as when you are younger. This based on both of them as being a beginner.

A beginner is a beginner, know matter how you look at it. A 25 beginner "on average" is starting at the same level as a 10 year old beginner. The only differance is the level of progression.

A 25 year old by the time he is 30 years old might be a black belt but with only 5 years under his belt. Thats not to much.

A 10 year old beginner, by the time he's 30 years old, should be a black belt with 20 years of experience.

The key word is experience. The younger you are, the more time you have to "experience" and grow as a martial atist.

 

[DAC..florida]

I also believe its better to start young, how many kids do you see watching wrestling or M.A.'s movies and then trying to act them out, I feel if a child is going to do M.A.'s they should learn it in a dojo and not from the T.V. Most children our going to do some form of M.A.'s wether thier taught or not.

 

[James Kovacich]

Originally posted by DAC..florida
I also believe its better to start young, how many kids do you see watching wrestling or M.A.'s movies and then trying to act them out, I feel if a child is going to do M.A.'s they should learn it in a dojo and not from the T.V. Most children our going to do some form of M.A.'s wether thier taught or not.

And because of that Judo is an excellent choice for your kid, if you were to choose only one art.

If your kid gets into a fight and if he's a striker, he may really hurt somebody. But kids are natural wrestlers and Judo training will keap your kid in charge and fairly safe.

 

[DAC..florida]

Excellent point couldnt of suggested a better style for a younger child!

 

[MartialArtist]

I started I was 6, and I don't regret taking it.

I agree that kids are natural wrestlers and will bring the other guy to the ground and roll around a bit, so judo is an excellent choice. Judo also teaches how to fall and from my experience with kids, they fall all the time. I remember playing basketball when I was way younger, and I jumped and some guy tripped me in the air. Instinctively, I did a falling technique and ended up without a stratch. Before falling was instinctive, I sprained my wrist from a similiar situation.

 

[Johnathan Napalm]

You can't really train to hit hard until your bones have matured.

When some 20 year olds claims he has 15 years of MA experience, I smile and congrat him. Out of the 15, may be 5 are meaningful.

 

[Jill666]

I have known a couple of fairly mature MA's as teens, but they have been the exception. However, I do have to say one boy (aged 14) had me thinking he was 16-17. Very mature, respectful, and physically strong. It wasn't until the subject of school came up that I found his age.

He is a 1st kyu, and told me he will test for his BB when he turns 16 (he already was asked to test, and requested to wait). He does not want to be a junior black belt, but perfers to work his skills and become an adult black belt.

 

[Johnathan Napalm]

He is indeed a very exceptional kid. How many would choose to defer testing for higher ranks?

 

[James Kovacich]

Originally posted by Johnathan Napalm
You can't really train to hit hard until your bones have matured.

When some 20 year olds claims he has 15 years of MA experience, I smile and congrat him. Out of the 15, may be 5 are meaningful.

You have a point about how much of it was actually meaningful. I started in my first class when I was 13 and at that age, I definately was not mature.

But lets balance it out a bit. How much differance would there be between a 20 year old that started at 5 and a 20 year old that started at 15?

You stated that "maybe" 5 years were meaningful. So at what point did the second 20 year old catch up?

I don't think he would, maybe in another 10 years he might be barely catching up. But then again, he might be even farther behind because the first 20 year old now has the experience combined with the maturity.

Its true below 10 years old. A kids head is not there no matter what color belt he wheres. But between 10 and 15, kids start to mature and it shows in ther training.

But really you can throw out everything I just said if the school in in question is a "crappy school" thats just after the money and does not produce fighters that can fight.

My point really being that training does add up, some more for others and some less for others, but no matter what, it was better than not training at all.

 

[yilisifu]

Starting off young is good insofar as developing good coordination goes.

But older students, having sown most of their wild oats, train because they've considered it carefully and made a serious decision. With them, it's usually not just a fad...so they approach it more seriously.

The important thing is to start!

 

[karatekid1975]

Hey, Blades. I didn't start till I was 24, but I guess that was a good age for me. I started out not being flexible at all. Now I can do a split (at 28) You young person you hehehehehe. My age don't stop me though I feel old at work, but when I do MA, I feel as young as I want to be. I did a 540 the other day ..... wooohoooo ..... FINALLY!

 

[RCastillo]

When I was 21. Now that I've looked back, I appreciate/value it more at the age of 47.:asian:

 

[MartialArtist]

I agree that you can't practice full contact, but you can still do a lot of training.

So you're saying Tyson learning boxing in his early preteens, or someone who grew up with it useless? I don't think so. Of course, one year of training when you're 24 is better than one year of training when you're 6, but training and learning is progressive, and the earlier, the better. I also wrestled at a young age and almost anyone can wrestle when they're around 6 or 7. That's the age to start wrestling.

 

[cali_tkdbruin]

Originally posted by yilisifu
Starting off young is good insofar as developing good coordination goes.

But older students, having sown most of their wild oats, train because they've considered it carefully and made a serious decision. With them, it's usually not just a fad...so they approach it more seriously.

The important thing is to start!

Yup, I vote that it's a good idea to start kids in the MAs when they're younger. It gets them into shape and teaches them good discipline. That said, I think too that most older students approach their training with much more discipline, dedication and maturity.

I might add that a danger of starting MA training at a young age is that a youngster may get burned out on the MAs and just quit. I've seen some kids who do stick with it and advance to BLACK quit shortly thereafter. But, in any event, the MAs are still a good choice for the younger students. The positives outweigh the negatives... :asian:

 

[brianhunter]

My daughter started when she was four...the class wasnt too complicated just basic motor skills, now she is 6 and in the regular kids class.
I try not to stress her out, I caught myself being to strict about it so I had to take a step back. Now we both just have fun about it!
but she is enjoying it, she loves her teacher she is great!
So hopefully we will continue our journey together!

 

[Chronuss]

I started in the Arts when I was around seven then I stopped because I broke both of my wrists and did not get back into it. I truly started training when I was about fourteen or fifteen. Lord, do I wish I would have started younger and stuck with it.

 

[MinnieMin]

Originally posted by RCastillo
When I was 21. Now that I've looked back, I appreciate/value it more at the age of 47.:asian:

I started Kenpo at age of 47, and I'm 48 now. I injured my little finger in last November and it still bothers me - I can't hold my fist tight :waah: Do I wish if I start it 30 years ago? :shrug:

 

[FUZZYJ692000]

I started Martial Arts when I was a freshman in college. Do I wish that I had started off when I was younger? Yes, but I was also more serious in things that I set out to do than most kids. From just watching kids in our kids class, I would have to say that it really depends on the student. Some of the kids are exceptionally gifted and disciplined and work really hard. You have other students that aren't as naturally athletic but really put their hearts into it and try to do their best and it really shows that they've been practicing. Then you have the OTHER group. :erg: . This is the group that makes you never want to have kids. They are the ones that you have to keep a constant eye on, they want to goof off and be obnoxious and you are always having them do push-ups or jumping jacks or standing in a horse stance for periods of time...or whatever just to reenforce your authority. Some of these students after being there for a while start to straighten up and take things seriously, but those who don't I think need to be pulled out until they are marture enough to take on such responsibilities. :asian: