What training would be best?

[351C]

I have started to look into martial arts lessons for my 9 year old son, 11 year old daughter, and my 43 year old self. Initially I was just looking for a physical activity for my son and the more I thought about martial arts, the more I thought it was something we could enjoy together. I want to choose a style that will benefit my son the most. He has a slight handicap. He has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome which is a type of Autism but generally high achieving. He is a pretty normal boy for the most part but has slight delayed development of fine motor skills and can at times struggle with concentration. He is in a normal class room at school, gets good grades, and is well behaved. My hopes are that martial arts will help with some of his issues. He needs the exercise and its something that he can progress with at his own rate. That being said, I have narrowed my choices to Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kenpo. Hapkido and Kenpo lessons are available but limited and of coarse TKD schools seem to be on every corner. Not considering availability, would any style be more suitable to my son? Or is it a matter of just finding a good instructor? My interests are not in sport or competition but in self-defense and of coarse all the benefits that come with martial arts training. My son was not interested at first; he thought that lessons would consist of everybody beating each other up. I have been showing him video clips of lessons and now he is getting enthusiastic. I have also let them know that it’s a lot of work and that you don’t become an expert overnight. That’s about the only thing I do remember from a handful of lessons over 20 years ago! I would appreciate any input or opinions. Thanks!

 

[ajs1976]

I would suggest going to a couple of the schools and trying them out. See which ones you like the best.

 

[Freedom Mantis]

Personally i would start with Kempo or Kenpo. They seem to be very 'beginner friendly' styles and if you find yourself a good reputable teacher they will teach you exactly what you want to learn.

 

[zDom]

Definately visit some classes and see what you like best, what fits in best with your goal.

Opinions vary, so take this all in that light.

Personally, I would go with the best instructor, as style is probably less important that the quality of technique he or she is passing along.

Presuming the instructors are all of about the same quality, I would recommend taekwondo for you children.

I was taught that the joint locks in hapkido shouldn't be practiced on children until they reach age 16 as it can deform their not-yet-fully-developed bones. I would prefer to err on the side of caution on this issue.

Being a student of Korean martial arts, I have a bias toward them.

On the other hand, all things being equal, my first choice for a martial art school to put my children in, if I had a choice of everything, would be Yudo or Judo.

Yudo is Korean Judo. I would prefer it over Judo only because it requires its students to bend their knees more when throwing which is more practical for Americans as we tend to be taller.

Best of luck in finding a martial art school!

 

[matt.m]

Look at your goals, check out several different classes. What is it you want to learn? I am going to go with Scott in the fashion that Tae Kwon Do is good for kids, well kids of all ages. It is good for hand/eye coordination, learning muscle control/motor skills.

Good luck with your search and let us know how it goes.

 

[Nomad]

I would also talk openly with the perspective instructors about your son's "problem", and see if any of them have experience with similar kids, and what teaching methods they use.

 

[MJS]

Mod note:

Thread moved to General Martial Arts. I should generate more replies here.

Mike Slosek
MT Supermod

 

[Brandon Fisher]

I think the best thing you can do is choose the school by the instructors teaching ability and not the style. Especially with your son's issues. Patience has to be there for it to work for him.​

 

[w.kaer]

351C, generally I would recommend finding a school that you enjoy is more important than what style you study. I would say here the instructor that you choose to study under is more important than usual, considering your son's issues. Patience would have to be the prime consideration, especially with the fine motor skills issues. Have you looked into programs at the local YMCA?

 

[Adept]

First, go with the best instructor.

If the instructors all seem to be on a par, I would put kenpo at the top of the list. Mostly because my experience with Hapkido is limited, and TKD is more likely to concentrate on point-sparring and limited skill sets than kenpo.

This isn't to say that TKD isn't useful, or can't be geared towards SD. Simply that there are a higher proportion of TKD schools which ignore, or only pay lip service to, self defence.

 

[MRE]

As stated previously, all styles are great and a good instructor is important. I would try a couple of schools out to see if it is a setting that your children will enjoy. When I was looking for a school for my son and myself, I looked at the children in the class were his age and a little older than my son to see how they behaved during and after class. These would be his peers who would have almost as much influence in my son's enjoyment of and development in the arts.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Personally, I would go with the best instructor, as style is probably less important that the quality of technique he or she is passing along.

Presuming the instructors are all of about the same quality, I would recommend taekwondo for you children.

I was taught that the joint locks in hapkido shouldn't be practiced on children until they reach age 16 as it can deform their not-yet-fully-developed bones. I would prefer to err on the side of caution on this issue.

Being a student of Korean martial arts, I have a bias toward them.

On the other hand, all things being equal, my first choice for a martial art school to put my children in, if I had a choice of everything, would be Yudo or Judo.

Yudo is Korean Judo. I would prefer it over Judo only because it requires its students to bend their knees more when throwing which is more practical for Americans as we tend to be taller.

Best of luck in finding a martial art school!

Great points. Judo would be MY FIRST choice as well (it WAS my parent's first and only choice for their young children (I was five at the time); hence it was my first art). Also, like you, I prefer Yudo over regular Judo (studied Yudo in college), but finding a qualifed school is much harder.

Given all else, I would choose a Taekwondo style program (or other well run Karate program that emphasized character, discipline and good sportsmanship) from a reputable group. The difference in your kids will be dramatic, IMO, after only a year of training (posture, courtesy, physical prowress, etc.).

As to Aspergers - I read many, many articles about it this winter and felt like I was reading my autobiography. Undiagnosed, but much of my personal history fits it to a "T". Arts that require extensive grappling and joint manipulations such as Jiu-Jitsu may be very difficult - it took me more than a year to go up a single Kyu in Danzan-ryu Jiu-Jitsu while my more adept classmates went up two or three easily. Sports such as TKD or Judo WILL force social-interaction and help "fill in the gaps" in the socialization process. Best of luck to you and your children (original poster) and I commend you for doing this.

 

[redfang]

For self defense, I like kenpo, for children. TKD is often more sport oriented from what I've seen. And remembering back to school, it seems like it was always the kids in TKD that would tell everyone they practiced MA and so they tended to get beaten up alot. Maybe that was just where I went to school.

Seriously tho, TKD and kenpo schools often work a lot with kids. Kenpo is practical and SD oriented. I've never trained in Hapkido, but I believe there are a fair amount of joint locks and such and might not be great for a nine year old. Tho, depending on the particulars of the schools, I could be completely off base.

 

[still learning]

Hello, For Kids..."JUDO" You will find it help them with learn to fall, roll, throws and get lot's of physcial excerise too.

It also has improve school scores and attention span too! There is a private school on the Big Island that teaches one semeter to all kids because the leaders of the school found it improves the kids learning abilties, less fights, better students.

Do not underestimate the art of "JUDO"...Try this first....find a well train Sensi!

My son and daughter(her first year 14 years old) both enjoy JUDO.

I just sign up for a six week adult education class basic class. Great stuffs so far.

I have train in Shotokan Karate and going on 12 years in Kempo. The learning never stops...great work out too!!! ............Aloha

 

[Slihn]

I have started to look into martial arts lessons for my 9 year old son, 11 year old daughter, and my 43 year old self. Initially I was just looking for a physical activity for my son and the more I thought about martial arts, the more I thought it was something we could enjoy together. I want to choose a style that will benefit my son the most. He has a slight handicap. He has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome which is a type of Autism but generally high achieving. He is a pretty normal boy for the most part but has slight delayed development of fine motor skills and can at times struggle with concentration. He is in a normal class room at school, gets good grades, and is well behaved. My hopes are that martial arts will help with some of his issues. He needs the exercise and its something that he can progress with at his own rate. That being said, I have narrowed my choices to Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kenpo. Hapkido and Kenpo lessons are available but limited and of coarse TKD schools seem to be on every corner. Not considering availability, would any style be more suitable to my son? Or is it a matter of just finding a good instructor? My interests are not in sport or competition but in self-defense and of coarse all the benefits that come with martial arts training. My son was not interested at first; he thought that lessons would consist of everybody beating each other up. I have been showing him video clips of lessons and now he is getting enthusiastic. I have also let them know that it’s a lot of work and that you don’t become an expert overnight. That’s about the only thing I do remember from a handful of lessons over 20 years ago! I would appreciate any input or opinions. Thanks!

You should research Jeet Kune Do,Krav Maga, Systema, MMA or some other complete system of Martial Arts. The reason why I saw this,is because they are both very well balanced and realistic martial arts.With you children being the age they are,it would be hard to tell what range of fighting that they excel in the most,it you put them in a style the only emphasis one range of fighting then there eyes will be shut to the other aspects of fighting.There are very effective styles out there(Muay Thai,BJJ Aikido etc) but it would be better to put them in a school that adresses all the ranges of fighting.That way,they will have a solid base understanding in fighting.

-Good Training

(Personally between the three styles you narrowed it down to I would choose either Kenpo or Hapkido,the reasonfor this is because they teach more than one range of fighting.Kenpo teaches ALOT of self defense techniques,strikes and joint locks.Hapkido has the long range and spinning kicks of TKD,but it also teaches the joint locks of Aikido so there students also get training on how to deal with a striker and someone who will try and grab them.Even,so, out of just those two Arts I would pick Kenpo its a good art,with a solid base)

 

[KenpoMD]

I am personally biased in favor of kenpo, but you should definitely check out the schools first. More specifically, take your son to watch and then even participate in a few classes first. You may be surprised what ends up fitting him (and you) the best. If you just go to the first kenpo school and sign up, you may miss out on a fabulous Tae Kwon Do school that has an outstanding childrens program, and a track record for helping build self-confidence, physical fitness, and social skills in its younger students.

In the end, the training the child receives in life skills is going to be more important than what he learns about the martial arts. The kenpo school may have a street-savvy instructor who has killed lots of people in knife fights, but what good does that do your son if the instructor doesn't know how to teach children? The point being that the school and the instructor are more important than the style. If I had to pick blindly, I would pick the kenpo school, but I really wouldn't pick blindly.

Good luck!

 

[jks9199]

I have started to look into martial arts lessons for my 9 year old son, 11 year old daughter, and my 43 year old self. Initially I was just looking for a physical activity for my son and the more I thought about martial arts, the more I thought it was something we could enjoy together. I want to choose a style that will benefit my son the most. He has a slight handicap. He has been diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome which is a type of Autism but generally high achieving. He is a pretty normal boy for the most part but has slight delayed development of fine motor skills and can at times struggle with concentration. He is in a normal class room at school, gets good grades, and is well behaved. My hopes are that martial arts will help with some of his issues. He needs the exercise and its something that he can progress with at his own rate. That being said, I have narrowed my choices to Taekwondo, Hapkido, and Kenpo. Hapkido and Kenpo lessons are available but limited and of coarse TKD schools seem to be on every corner. Not considering availability, would any style be more suitable to my son? Or is it a matter of just finding a good instructor? My interests are not in sport or competition but in self-defense and of coarse all the benefits that come with martial arts training. My son was not interested at first; he thought that lessons would consist of everybody beating each other up. I have been showing him video clips of lessons and now he is getting enthusiastic. I have also let them know that it’s a lot of work and that you don’t become an expert overnight. That’s about the only thing I do remember from a handful of lessons over 20 years ago! I would appreciate any input or opinions. Thanks!

Your primary concern should be the instructors. You're looking for an activity for you and your kids to have fun and get exercise, not a way of life or way to get trophies or anything like that. So, look at the schools in your area. Try to see all of the instructors, not just the owner or his/her representative that wants to sign you up. Pick the school where you feel that the instructors will have the patience to work with your kids, and will give your son especially the support he'll need.

Maybe if you check with local Asperger's/autism support groups, they'll be able to recommend a school.

 

[351C]

Thanks to all for the replies. The three styles I choose were based on what was located within a reasonable distance from my home. I am in a suburb of Atlanta and there are a lot of different schools in the area. But with the traffic around hear I can’t justify driving an hour to the other side of town when there are 4 Taekwondo schools within 5 miles. Unfortunately I had to drop the Kenpo. I spoke to one instructor who isn’t accepting new students. There was another listed but the phone is out of service and e-mails haven’t been returned. I will be visiting a Hap Ki Do school http://www.choeshapkido.com/ tomorrow and based on my (and kids) impression, I will either choose them or a TKD school I visited yesterday. So far all the instructors I have spoke to have been great and none seemed even the least bit reluctant to work with my son. All the places seem to offer some type of trial offer so I probably shouldn’t worry about it too much. If one doesn’t work out for what ever reason, we can always try another.

 

[tradrockrat]

first question - where do you live? EDIT-- your post just answered this question

There are a few schools out there - very few unfortunately - who have developed programs to work with Autism / Aspergers and other special needs children. Try to find one. I've found that a quality instructor is far more important than the art and you need to ask some hard questions of the instructor to find out if he / she is the right one for your son. Do they have any experience with special needs? What is the class size (It should be less than 10 for your son to recieve the attention he needs to help him stay focused).

How about private lessons? Is that something you'd be interested in for your son? They would be supplimental to the actual class time, but they won't be much good if the instructor doesn' know how to develop good fine motor skills through proper activities.

Sorry to make it sound so complicated, but I'm a teacher in a non-public school devoted to working with children like your son, and I've actually gone through a lot of effort to develop a martial art program by working with our adaptive PE teachers input. It's not easy, but this isn't something you want to put all this effort into just to find that the instructor can't be bothered to actually teach in a new way in order to help one student.

The good news? Martial Arts are the single most effective thing I've found to help with the typical needs of an Asperger / Autistic student's physical issues. Congrats on taking the first steps.

 

[tradrockrat]

take the trial runs for sure and see how the instructor works with your son - good luck!