Facts about Martial Arts for Kids – Part 1

Facts about Martial Arts for Kids - Part 1

There are many myths about martial arts training, and the general public accepts some as fact. In the following article, I have outlined general guidelines, and precautions, for parents who are considering enrolling their child, or children, into martial arts.

Below, I have listed some common issues and questions that parents often ask about martial arts for their children. Also, you will be much more informed about the benefits of martial arts, the structure with a martial arts school, and know what to realistically expect.

What should I be looking for in a martial arts school?
Safety comes as a first priority for parents who seek
martial arts instruction for their children. Here are a number of key factors to consider:

Is safety equipment used when children are performing
exercises and drills that require contact? This is
especially important when children are sparring in martial arts. In many martial arts schools, sparring equipment is required, or the child cannot spar. The number of injuries resulting from sparring in Karate, Kung Fu, and Tae Kwon Do is surprisingly low in comparison to many league sports.

Never the less, I once had a father pull his son out of our martial arts school because he found a karate studio that would let his son “fight” without protective equipment. In our school, it is mandatory to wear martial arts equipment for the safety of the students. Sparring equipment has come a long way, so why not use it?

The flooring surface should match the martial art. If take downs, sweeps, and throws are required, there should be some kind of matted floor available. Many of the state-of-the-art martial arts schools have a floor surface specifically designed for martial arts. It makes no sense to have anyone throw a classmate on a hard floor, with the type of flooring available, as this can result in long-term injuries.

Can parents watch Karate classes?

Let’s put it this way, if you cannot watch your child
practice karate, or any other martial art, you should find another school. I can appreciate the fact that some martial arts instructors don’t want to deal with interfering parents. This is the reason for rules and signs.

Remember the “hockey dad” incident? There are a few people who, through their own conduct, create rules for the rest of us. However, you are the parent and are entitled to see your child train in karate or any martial arts class.

Fire exits, fire extinguishers, and someone who monitors visitors, as they enter a karate studio full of children, should be standard features. We have three fire exits and one main entrance, in our studio, but only one door is used for an entrance. Kids understand security because they see the same precautions in elementary school.

Also, watch out for poles in the middle of the room. Adults will spot them, but an excited child in a karate class may forget and end up crashing into one. Make sure that you feel secure about the studio, surroundings, rules, and the staff before you make a decision to have your child take martial arts classes.

© Copyright 2005 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Watch the video related to Martial Arts

Help answer the question about Martial Arts

What martial arts have a guard like brazilian jiujitsu?
I know that ryukyu kempo has like a boxing guard. Wing Chun can break the bjj guard. What other martial arts have a guard that can beat BJJ ?
The BJJ is be gay and get on top of men that's what it is.
My family told me not to hang around gay people from brazil.

About Author


Paul Jerard is the director of Yoga teacher training at Aura in RI. He’s a master instructor of martial arts and Yoga. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness. He wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students wanting to be a Yoga teacher.
http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org

18 Responses to “Facts about Martial Arts for Kids – Part 1”

  1. deansusky says:

    Great actor great painting great music ,,lovely for real

  2. Exelgen says:

    amazing work, i would think it’s a photo!

  3. Jon says:

    I agree with everyone saying it is up to the individual to have confidence in themselves, but they also MUST have confidence in their art too. If someone is very confident in their physical capabilities but not in the techniques they are using then their fight confidence will surely suffer. If you just want to know how to fight and stay composed and cerebral I would recommend a mix of Muay Thai kickboxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu. Muay Thai is a devastating stand up style, and it does not take a long time to develop good street effective fundamentals. Like all martial arts the complex techniques, and understanding of actually fighting takes a lot more time. If you learn bjj as well, you will have the confidence to handle yourself on the ground if the fight ends up there.

  4. abbiedarlin1 says:

    Well I can tell you first off a few things from experience and one is that weight is harder to keep off as you get older. Secondly, sometimes people lose their competitive desire and so they quit or retire earlier than otherwise. For you it is partly because of your club closing so the fact that you are now starting to want to go back should in itself tell you that you have not lost your desire completely.

    I would start off gradually and not throw anything faster or harder than half to three fourths speed and power for the first two weeks. That way you will avoid potential injuries to start with. Secondly, I would challenge myself to get back into shape and be better than I was before and to build myself into shape. It did not take just a month to get out of shape and put that weight on and I suspect that it will take more than a month to get back into shape and get the weight off. Third, I would do some cross-training picking something non-martial arts related like swimming, biking, rollerblading to do occasionally and substitute occasionally for part of my work outs. As for diet plans there is certainly enough information out there but if you are interested in competing again try to pick one that builds and adds muscle some as opposed to just losing weight. A modified Atkins diet for instance would be my recommendation since it has so much protein. I competed for many years and learning how to deal with some of the ups and downs that come with that or some of the outside factors that can affect that are something in itself that competitors have to learn how to deal with. Good luck.

  5. Collin S says:

    I believe that he did many years of Shotokan Karate, and in one of the episodes threw in Sambo. If you're considering taking martial arts be sure to find an art that best fits you.
    Finding what you like best may take a lot of research. It depends if you like to throw punches, kicks, or grapple. Find what you like best, and what you think you would be able to accelerate in.
    The most effective martial arts used by covert ops, special forces, CIA, etc. include, but aren't limited to: Krav Maga, Wing Chun, and Kajukenbo.

    Remember, you won't like a martial art unless it's something that interest you. Whether you want to do something flashy, or learn something more practical is up to you!

    Good luck on your journey.

  6. happyanimeproduction says:

    AMAZINGGG

  7. RichelleSan says:

    wow, amazing. Deep is my favorite actor too.
    (Brasil)

  8. Jon says:

    Gracie Jiu-Jitsu has a lot of control holds that I use in my day job. Most of the holds are within policy so I use that to my advantage. Below is a paste from the Gracie Academy in Torrance Ca.

    Why LEOs Need GCMLE
    According to the F.B.I., in 2007 there were 59,201 sworn law enforcement officers assaulted in the line of duty. Over 80% of these assaults (47,495) were committed by unarmed perpetrators who only used their hands and/or feet to attack the officer. It is most important to consider the two biggest reasons why law enforcement officers did not shoot these perpetrators before their unarmed assaults were carried out:

    Unjustified – Unless someone’s life is at risk, the officer is not justified in using deadly force.
    Unable – Most physical assaults on officers take place so abruptly that the officer does not have the time or distance necessary to draw his or her firearm or less-lethal weapons, safely.
    Since it is so common that officers are assaulted in situations where they are unjustified or unable to use their weapons in their defense, it is imperative that they be empowered with a very effective, court-defensible system of self-defense that will ensure their safety in the worst case scenarios that they are so likely to encounter. GCMLE is the solution.

    Reduced Liability
    It is a fact that any law enforcement officer who is not confident in their ability to control a suspect with their hands is more prone to resort to their weapons, prematurely, and all it takes is one excessive force incident to dramatically alter the stability of a police department and its relationship with the community they serve. Since the GCMLE course is based on controlled pain compliance techniques rather than uncontrollable strikes, the physical damage to the suspect is kept to an absolute minimum. Lawsuits and charges of police brutality decrease significantly when GCMLE is used.

    Note: If an instructor of the agency or organization holds a valid certification in the GCMLE and a police brutality case arises involving the usage of the techniques, Rorion Gracie will be willing to testify on behalf of the department.

  9. Stephanie says:

    It depends upon the age of your children. If they are mature enough to handle the discipline of a martial arts school then yes it could benefit them. Children who are meek and timid will gain a whole lot of confidence in themselves. Young children that tend to bully others tend to have a great deal of discipline while in class but have not the maturity to transfer those lessons into the school yard… end up showing off and may still bully smaller children. If the Martial arts school is reputable, gets wind of their behavior… they may take appropriate measures to stop it… if bullying continues they will dismiss him/her from their training.

    My son was small and picked on in school, so learning a martial art has tremendously helped his self confidence. Though he wasn't mature enough to start taking his training seriously until he was about 12 years old. My Girl have matured at a much younger age and though they are only 4 and 6 I feel they should be able to train by the time they reach 10 years old.

  10. kgaara134 says:

    Amazing painting, and love your song also.

  11. ravensfanandrea19962 says:

    AMAZING!! love it!
    its like u took a picture@@

  12. bluevoltagex@sbcglobal.net says:

    as many different types as you can,starting with a stand up style.or a style that is well rounded.heres a bit of info.
    A good well rounded style would be freestyle Karate.You will learn stand up,ground,grappling and weapons.What a lot of people don't understand is that freestyle Karate is about practical street defence not who can kick the highest or punch a pad the hardest.It's definitely not a sport martial art like TKD or BJJ.The motto of my style is the best of everything in progression.Basically that means we don't care where the technique comes from we improve it and integrate it into our style while still maintaining tradition as do most freestyle Karate's.
    The hardest thing is finding a good experienced instructor.I would recommend Bushi Kai or Zen Do Kai, but if your not in Australia or New Zealand you may have some difficulty finding some one who teaches these styles.These styles also usually have separate classes available to everyone in Muay Thai and BJJ/Submission/Shoot wrestling.If you can't find one of these i would suggest Kempo or Enshin or another freestyle Karate.
    http://www.zendokai.com.au/countries2/USA/index.htm

  13. chainsawXmassacre says:

    you, sir, are freakishly talented. congratulations. :D

  14. Brian says:

    No TKD is NOT an art of redirection, or of opposing energies. Most of the Okinawan or Japanese styles are good examples of this. Aikido, Kenpo, Judo,even Isshinryu (to some degree) are the types of styles you are thinking of.

    I have studied the martial science & martial arts for 28 years and have tried to learn as much as i can about every style I come across. Having fought, taught, and studied since i was 5 gives me a blessed insight on the inner workings of them and the concepts behind their development. I have also been given the honor of being named as a certified martial arts/science historian.

  15. PivotStorm says:

    fantastic!

  16. jerseygurl422 says:

    there all the best if your tall muay tai is for you, if your athletic choose karate or take won do , if your not strong and have very little striking skill choose aikido.wing Chung and jiu jitsu is for every one.

    choosing the best type of martial art is like choose your dream car some might choose fast one ,some big ,on looks it depends on the person just like martial arts that why there is so much argument which one is the best a short person might argue that bjj is better than muay tai because he can kick as good as the tall people in muay tai and a tall person will get grappled easy in bjj because hes got alot of limbs and bones sticking out . no one can tell you the best martial art they would just tell what there good at.

    NOTE if your talking about Brazilian ju jitsu it would be the perfect martial art for some one your height .it doesn't have nothing to do with how strong you are I'm 5"11 and I submit people 6-7 feet tall I'm there all so girls in my class that can beat me. if i were you i would choose japanese ju -jitsu NOT brazlian ju jitsu there not the same jjj has strikes and kicks with a little bit of subbmission fighing, bjj is just submission fighting but more in depeth

  17. zackoman123 says:

    amazing, how is that possible!? !?

  18. booniedog85 says:

    Try German school of swordsmanship. I got a link here below

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