When did you start your child in TKD?

[TKDinAK]

My son will turn 4 at the end of this month, and I was thinking on getting him started in TKD. My dojang has a "Little Kickers" class that is designed for the very young kids. I have some training partners who have 3 year olds in the class, and they seem to be liking it.

Just curious as to when you started your own kids, and especially some input from those adults here who started at a very young age themselves.

Just looking for experiences and lessons learned.

Thanks!

 

[miguksaram]

Both my kids were dojang babies...since I was always teaching or training they were always there. Their formal classes began at 4 years.

 

[oftheherd1]

I would say test the waters. When a kid is ready, get them training appropriate to their age. Four years old seems very young though. That said, Koreans often start they kids very young.

 

[ATC]

Both my kids started right at 4. They are both national champs at 12 and 13 respectively.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

started my daughter at 6 years old and it was obvious straight away that it was just too young, she could do some kicks and punches but when I watched her do self defence techs and form it was obvious she was just going through the motions without a real understanding of why she was doing them. I started her again at 8 years old and it was much better, she will go for black belt next april if she stays on track. My son started at 6 and has had no problems, largely because my daughter, my wife and I all train and he would come and watch and was sitting in the dojang from a very young age and knew what it was all about. He also had the advantage that he is a natural, he could do jump spinning hook kicks fast and accurate at yellow belt after 3 months training. He puts in very little effort but natural ability has filled in the gaps, my instructor always says to me "wow, he must do so much extra work at home to have got to that level age 6", I dont have the heart to tell him that my son really does no tkd at all outside the dojang, he's too obsessed with AFL.

 

[texas_rebel_1980]

i started all of my kids this past march in taekwondo. they were 9, 7, 5, 4. all but one have had birthday's since and that would be the four year old. he turns five in a couple weeks. i was skeptical about starting the four year old. the instructor said why not give it a try and if he doesn't do it fine. well, since march he has come a thousand miles. his discipline and manners are phenomenal and he is quite the helper around the house. we just wanted him to have the discipline and structure. he is actually taking it quite seriously, probably because his siblings are. he does three strike combos, knows basic blocks and basic dojang etiquette. he has achieved his advanced white belt, a white belt with black stripe. he had to do high blocks, horse stance, back stance, front snap kick, hammer fist and i believe that's it. the instructor wants the younger kids to have that sense of achievement so they don't lose interest before they test for yellow belt. he is very proud of his accomplishments. i think it will depend on your child and circumstances. all of my kids go on beginner night and sparring night, where they spar all belts even black. they learn a lot sparring with the black belts(as do I) because they don't blast them, they use it as one on one teaching moments. i really love the dojang and most of the people there are awesome people.

 

[rlobrecht]

My son started at 8.

Our school also has a Little Ninjas class, which starts at 3 or 4 (they have to be able to participate for 30 minutes, or they don't get to stay.) Regular classes start at 6.

 

[TaekwondoDad]

We started my daughter at 3. Her instructor made her attend two classes and observed her before he would take her on as a student. I have seen some kids who start at 3-4 and do well and others who are not ready to start at 6-7-8. It really depends on the child, his/her physical and mental abilities. Strength, coordination, balance, attention span, etc.

 

[armortkd]

I started my daughter when she was 3-years old, and she went for 4 years. She did fine, but quickly picked up an interest in dancing when she was 3. I have a half-brother that started at 2 1/2-years old. It boils down to 2 things:

1. Is your child actively learning & the instructor teaching coordination drills that engage the 4 reflexes needed for a child's development?
2. Does your child enjoy it?

Studies has shown that young kids will continue in a particular sport/activity thru the teenage years and beyond if this happens:

1. The child has positive, constructive experiences.
2. The coach has great communiation skills & conveys a clear path for the student/athlete.

I was told that the Poos brothers didn't start training under their Father at an early age. It obviously worked for them. I had a TKD buddy that his Father wouldn't train until he was 14-years old and then had my stepfather train him. Don't be surprised if you have to bring your child back when they are older. Unfortunately things like divorces, puberty, social activities, dating, etc can pull at our kids. The best thing for me was having my family, friends, and great mentors in Taekwondo who motivated me and made my sacrifices seem like nothing because I was having a blast!!!

 

[DMcHenry]

I started working with my kids from when they could first walk. They were around me in class from even before that. I started them formally at 4, which can still be a bit young for most kids. From my experience as an instructor, it really depends on the child but I would think 7 is a good age to start.

I began training at 18 when I could drive to and pay for classes myself.

 

[sfs982000]

I have twin boys and started them both off for the first time when they were 4, it went well for about 5-6 months then they got bored with it so I pulled them out. They were 6 when I enrolled them again and I signed up with them hoping that it would help them stay motivated, but again after about 6-7 months they wanted to be outside playing soccer and football so I pulled them back out and I'm still studying. Recently my one son has expressed interest again in studying, I'm waiting to see how serious he is about it. If he continues to ask about it I'll enroll him again and see what happens. I'd love to see them both get back into it.

 

[wayneshin]

I would only start a 4 year old in a class designed for young children (which you seem to have covered). Don't expect him to learn the complete art. Just to develop some age appropruiate skills that will stand him in good stead as he grows. My children 18,16 and 11 all started karate at 4. They have all gone on to considerable competition success. My eldest won the WKF World Cup last year (WKF is the karate equivalent of WTF). As they have grown older, as with all of my students, they have been introducted more and more to applied karate concepts and certainly my older two have a solid understanding of the art. My youngest boy is just starting to seriously learn bunkai now.

 

[Fing Fang Foom]

Well I started "Lil Tiger" when she was about 2 and a half lol. You can read how it all turned out if you read my old posts about it:

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/sh...-of-Lil-Tiger-Part-1&highlight=fing+fang+foom

She has been away for a while (since last Sept), but she is starting up again soon

I wish you the best with whatever decision you make for your little one!