What is best martial arts for kids 5-7 years old?
Goals:
- healthy
- confident
- bully proof
Thanks
Best Martial Arts for Kids
hentabara on 08/02/2023 - 11:52
Poll Options
- 80BJJ
- 18Karate
- 43Taekwondo
- 9MuayThai
- 8MMA
- 11Boxing
- 7Ninjutsu
- 78Doesnt matter
- 12Others, please comment.
Comments
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Doesn’t really matter. It’s all about if the instructor is good with kids.
Eagle Fang
Ha. That show just got silly in the end. Loved it.
I loved the last season. It was getting so ridiculous but the show knew it and played on it, particularly Chozen’s character
Master Ken's Ameri-Do-Te!
Hokuto Shinken （Fist of the North Star）
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Omae wa mou
Shindeiru
"Other": CAFBWAB
That's "Crafty Attack From Behind With A Brick"
BJJ for sure:
- Family friendly.
- As a kid wrestling is fun.
- Tires them out.
- Its effective self defence.
- Safer than striking someone standing on concrete . It's all good to stand up to bullies but if your kid kills one there will be issues.Whats the difference between bjj and jujitsu? Only bbj seems popular
There is traditional Japanese jiu-jitsu, but most of the time when people say jiu-jitsu they are talking about Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Yes, why is that though i wonder?
Is bjj a more effective version hence more popular?
On the other hand, why japanese jiujutsu not popular for general population?Yes BJJ is more effective, and far more popular. To the point that you can safely assume anyone talking about Jiu-Jitsu is talking about BJJ.
Unless they said Japanese/Traditional Jiu-Jitsu of course.
@trapper: Curious what makes bjj more effective va the Traditional one? Effective in what way exactly?
I have a centre nearby but i believe doing japanese one, not bjj. Wondering if better to travel a bit for bjj instead
@OzFrugie: More effective as a fighting style.
A person trained in BJJ is going to have no problem at all handling a person trained in Japanese Jiu-Jitsu.
https://heavybjj.com/bjj-vs-japanese-jiu-jitsu-differences-a…
Judo. Learning to break-fall has been one of the best things I learned when I was young.
Really loved my time at judo - the only issue I had was that learning to do a forward roll meant I could never master a cartwheel at school.
The action of moving into a cartwheel was the same as the one that triggered my muscle memory to automatically roll. The kids at gymnastics class found it highly amusing.
The laugh was on them in the end - I never hurt myself when hitting the ground, unlike many of them.
Krav Maga, most practical
Look for a BJJ / muay thai gym that does a general self-defence course for kids. They'll learn how to do the hands up / shouting "back off" thing, protect their heads, move sideways to get away from charges, and then as a last resort to competently deliver a range of basic strikes (hook, jab, upper cut). Then they'll endlessly drill on those: hands up, back off!, look for an out / head block / moving out of the way, delivering those one or two blows that end a lot of fights until it's instinctive and actually effective (rather than "I can totally do it at half speed when you tell me what to do").
Stick around for more than a couple of semesters and you'll move to kicking and grappling (mostly guarding against / getting out of grapples).
"Discipline" has always struck me as a bizarre thing to look for from self-defence training. They usually mean "respecting mah authoritah" / "bow for no reason all the time" / "do what you're told". Chances are if your kids are being bullied they're already nice respectful kids who follow the rules and do the right thing. Build their general fitness, confidence and skill instead.
"Discipline" has always struck me as a bizarre thing to look for from self-defence training. They usually mean "respecting mah authoritah" / "bow for no reason all the time" / "do what you're told"
You obviously went to the wrong type of martial arts school - when I was involved in judo it was all about 'self-discipline' and 'self-control', not just doing what you are told.
Slap fighting
waste of money
I have a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. It's an excellent sport but a long way from your most efficient route to competent defense. Ju Jitsu, Boxing, or Kick Boxing will get you there much faster. But do note that in the case of boxing or kick boxing, there's a lot of bullshit classes around where it's more about the fitness than proper technique and sparring.
Adding to your last sentence, there are a lot of bullshit classes around where it's more about paying the fees than fitness, proper techniques, and sparring.
Teach him to shoot and give him a gun.
Tai Chi, grasshopper.
bully proof
So you want your kids to be the bully….
Bikie, I mean biking with a mop strapped to it.
Or HEMA
Both my children did Judo for while and it's been great,
- it's rarely about being the aggressor during a match
- you 'win' by staying balanced and put your opponent on their backs
- there's no striking involved of any kind
- there's no twisting of arms or legs and risk of related injuries
Vibe of the dojo and the teacher are easily the most important part. A great teacher of a less popular martial art is ten times better than an average teacher of a trendy one. Your parental gut will work fine on this one. Also your kid may love or hate the classes, another useful signpost.
running
Tai Chi
My boy started karate with us just before he was 5.
So he's been going over 6 years and has maxed out at brown belt, he cannot attempt black belt yet.
It is not a traditional Okinawan style, it is newer, tournament based.
He started coming to Muaythai with me as well from about 9 years of age.
He is quite big by primary school standards and does not feel threatened by what others can try, coz that's all it will be, a try.Oh and I forgot to mention, Taekwondo seems to be quite a popular choice, have you seen how they train?
I did Taekwondo for years until I switched over to Karate.
I wouldn't suggest TKD to anyone, unless its the only martial art for miles.
Whatever they are interested and engaged in. At that age if they aren't interested then they won't want to do it.
Not that my internet c0ck size matters but… Experiences include: boxing state title, numerous street fights and never been taken to the ground, hitting someone who slapped a woman in an elevator so hard he had a seizure, my younger brother is 1.95m tall and we fought a lot growing up, also defeated a national kickboxing title holder in an exhibition match in a South East Asian country.
Recommendation is boxing.
Why?
Kids who get each other on the ground can't really cause any harm anyway.
Boxing will teach your child to protect his or her head.
A good coach will give your child sparring opportunities and encourage body shots - these are a great way to hit someone then deny doing it.
Boxing will teach your child to stay relaxed when in a conflict and manage distance.bag work is probably fine but boxing sparring is extremely bad for a child's developing brain.
Wrestling is great for kids like you said someone on the ground cannot do much harm with their fists.I mean, everything is an anecdote but.. I know a few young teenagers who come from a boxing family and both lads are well spoken, polite and succeeding on the academic front in a competitive public school.
Like I said, a good coach encourages body shots and also…makes the kids wear headguards…uses drills and bag work to teach, and doesn't just let the kids brawl, instead using the sparring as a tool to teach them to manage stress.
I can't really speak to wrestling because, trained a little wrestling and grappling with a friend who is a keen practitioner… But it's just kinda sweaty and gross.
defeated a national kickboxing title holder in an exhibition match
HUH?
There's no winner/loser.He was blown away by the fact he couldn't keep up, very apologetic for under-estimating me and asked me to train with him for the week after… ,🤷♂️
dim mak
I vote Muay Thai because kicking palm tree trunks rocks.
Wasn't it banana tree?
Kendo - way of the sword
Bjj
Hapkido!!!! My niece used to do this so I senty daughter for a trial - she loved it and so did I so I signed up.
It's self defense focused and not really for competing.
It's a great mix of discipline, culture, concepts, strikes, kicks, grabs, throws, weapons etc etc
wrestling but make sure you ease them into it otherwise they'll hate it for life.
Anyone claiming martial arts prevents bullying doesn't understand how and why it happens.
If you are in school, you are relying on genetic/natural strength and size which martial arts won't assist with unless martial arts is a huge part of their daily life and they are highly skilled, in reality kids belts are handed out like candy and mean very little.
Most kids who do martial arts are over confident in their ability to react or win in a fight. This has huge downsides when they get older and people start to do real damage. The key is to either be highly skilled or not over confident but kids are naturally over confident.
The real skills for dealing with bullies are not taught in martial arts or the classroom, they are taught by the parents. If actual fights are what you want them to learn then they should learn MMA.
I agree with most of this (except the over confidence part, as there are shy martial arts kids and over confident untrained kids).
Anyone claiming martial arts prevents bullying doesn't understand how and why it happens.
Yep, bullying isn't just a one-on-one fight either. Even if the kid gets stronger than 2 boys at his year level, 3 can beat him up.
(using boys as an example because bullying among girls is different and I don't really understand it properly)
The real skills for dealing with bullies are not taught in martial arts or the classroom, they are taught by the parents
Any experience / examples you could share?
Basically it comes down to learning what kind of bully it is and making the right choice from there.
99% of issues can be resolved by talking to the school but saying the right words to explain how serious the incident was to scare the school into taking action.
The skill the child has to learn however is feeling comfortable reporting the issues and how to best handle the situation while its happening.
bully proof
I don't know if this will work or not and I'm not an expert in the field. But I've read a lot of relevant books on child development and neurology and given it a lot of though.
I think for boys, start them at school 1 year later (eg 6 years old vs 5 years old).
- They'll be one of the bigger kids in the class which reduces the effectiveness of physical bullying.
- With a more developed nervous system, they'll have better coordination (sports, P.E class, etc), and potentially better social / language skills which could also help prevent them from becoming the target of bullies.
- In the early years, there's a big difference between a 5 year old and a 6 year old. In terms of getting into the work force, etc — there's not much difference between a 21 and 22 year old, or 28 and 29 year old.
This won't make them "bully proof", a lot of it will be determined by how you raise them at home, particularly in their formative years.
I mean.. why not start them 2 years later? You can double the effectiveness! /s
Putting your child 1 year behind just so they can perform better due to standing around doing nothing for a year is a waste of your childs time as they will be 1 year behind for their entire life.
Or…
spend time with your kids and play backyard cricket, soccer, football etc so they develop good hand-eye coordination
communicate with your kids often and model good communication behaviours
develop trust and open communication with your kid so they know that it is fine to report physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse
enrol them in brazilian jiu-jitsu and/or boxing, so they can handle themselves in any one on one situations quickly
Or…
Or… how about and…
We got our son involved in BJJ when he was being bullied.
It's made a huge difference to his self confidence.
My 11yo loves BJJ. He only started in August last year, but is progressing extremely well. I'm seriously considering starting classes myself even (my goal for this year). Most BJJ and other martial arts gyms have free trial lessons so we made avail of that and let him go to a few different ones in the area and he finally settled on this particular gym he's going to right now.
I don't know a lot about BJJ but I love it that it's not just about wrestling or fighting, it's also a mindset. His instructors often talk about discipline, commitment, problem solving and staying calm under pressure.
Highly recommend it.
I'm seriously considering starting classes myself even
Do it. It's a lot of fun, and what a great thing to share with your son.
If you want bully proof then send them to athletics to practise sprint and endurance running.
It's not the fighting technique that helps but more the confidence that is built up during training. Confidence itself is a great deterrent to a physical fight and if it comes down to it you're still better off than not knowing anything at all.
Kyokushin Karate should build their toughness while avoiding too much brain damage.
Osu!
I legit read "Best Marital Aid for Kids"
Time to clean my glasses.
To answer your question, probably BJJ or wrestling. Won't make them a killer, but will make them grow up to be jacked.
To answer my question… probably take a romantic holiday together? Lots of babies born in November, so now is the right time with Valentine's Day right around the corner.
I could answer so many ways. But as I matured, I realised BJJ or even wrestling was key. Many fights will end-up (with at least one) on the ground. And I have ZERO interest in fighting. So the ability to control & limit damage was KEY. Tread water, so to speak, until the cavalry arrive, the attacker gets bored/embarrassed/tired
I'd say a better teacher/coach + passion will make someone a better student, not the style.
But having said that, after being exposed to a couple of martial arts styles such as Judo, Karate, Muay Thai, I would vote for TKD for young kids (despite haven't done TKD before).Reason:
. Great agility and flexibility.
. Building quick, strong and accurate legs.
. Safer sparring with full body vest and head guard on.
. Great disciplines.
. Belt colours can motivate kids to keep trying to be better.
. Good posture and less likely to stunt growth.As the kids get older, they can then transit to Muay Thai, Boxing or BJJ. I would never recommend anyone to do Aikido or Wing Chun though.
Boxing with a few BJJ lessons thrown in.
I had friends that did BJJ as a teenager so guess what we did when we got drunk.The past 20 or so years has shown that styles which include some moderate to hard contact sparring against resisting opponents are styles that have techniques which generalise better in self-defence situations. It is because the techniques are pressure tested against resisting opponents.
To answer your question:-
healthy, confident - any martial art that teaches coordination and develops strength and cardiovascular fitness will be fine
bully proof - a kid doesn't need to do martial arts to be bully proof. Being outgoing, confident, somewhat sporty, while having a good friendship network is usually enough to prevent any insidious bullying
If you want your kid to learn how to defend themselves, then particularly for a female child, my strong recommendation is BJJ as their first martial art.
BJJ is also the only martial art where someone who is significantly smaller and weaker than their opponent, will still have a great chance against someone much bigger and stronger than them.
I love BJJ, despite having a significant preference for 'stand up' styles of martial arts.
It is a fascinating mix of strength and strategy. It can be described as chess with your body.
However, BJJ takes some time to develop skills and I think the earlier that a person starts, the better.
Once the kid gets older, at about 12-13yo, I'd also include either boxing or muay thai. My preference is boxing because it is easier to learn than muay thai.
After someone has had about 2-3 years' experience in bjj and boxing each, then they're basically a human weapon, if they are dedicated to training.
I wouldn't expect someone with that level of training to have any difficulties in a 1 v 1 situation against an unarmed opponent.
^ SOLID post.
Their life will change forever, with the discipline, fitness & confidence that comes with it. And with proper training also comes humility. Constantly being reminded that anyone can be beaten.
There’s almighty odds that they’ll never need to use the self-defence aspect, once they reach that level. The appearance & vibe a bully gets from someone trained is enough to stop cast-majority of situations getting to the contact stage. Cause doubt, buy-time, and find options to avoid it starting. And if it’s that ugly 1%, you’ll have excellent chances of tying-up, and controlling the situation, limit/stop damage.
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Ours is 50/fortnight per kid, same as swimming lessons.