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Becky Parker
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| Posted: Feb 06 2006 at 10:29am | IP Logged
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My DH and I have the struggle of keeping our kids moving (exercise, I mean) in the winter here in Michigan. My ds (12) is the one we're most concerned about - he has "lazy" tendencies. He played football last fall and really loved it. He will play again this fall, but DH would like him to get involved with martial arts during the winter / spring. Do any of you have children that take martial arts? (I know there are several different forms but I'm not going to even try to spell them!) Any words of wisdom? I'm thinking it would be great exercise and from what I hear, great discipline. I just don't know that much else about it.
Becky
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Courtney
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My kids (ds 5 and dd 8) are in a homeschool pe class that is taught at a local Karate facility by the owner of the facility. I have been so impressed! It is a very disciplined program that does teach structure and respect. I know one of the moms was concerned about eastern religions being carried into the class and that is not happening. The instructor and his wife are Christians. They do teach respect for all and for one's own body. Being that this is a homeschool PE class, they haven't done too much Karate, per se, but it has definitely sparked a strong interest in both my dc to take karate. I'll be signing them up in March.
I spoke to the instructor about previous sports/classes they had taken (such as gymnastics) and about how chaotic and loud some of those were. His opinion is that if he has to raise his voice, then he's doing something wrong and the kids aren't learning. He believes if it's loud and chaotic, then your paying for playtime. My interest in signing up my ds, especially, for it is the confidence I think he'd gain. He's small for his age and tends to be on the shy side. My neighbors son was very much the same at ds's age. He's been taking at this facility for 5 years and has become much more confident in himself (not in an arrogant way, just more sure of himself). I'm kind of rambling now! All this to say, I don't know a whole lot about Karate, but what I've seen at this facility, I really like.
One other thing this instructor believes: the instructor should be capable of doing whatever it is he asks of the child. Makes sense to me!
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Courtney in Texas
Wife to Mike since 3/94 
Mom to Candace 10/97 ,Christopher 4/00 and Connor 11/11
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Mary G
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Becky -- we don't, but my SIL has her middle son in TaeKwon Do, but more for the discipline than the exercise (altho that is certainly part of it). My nephew would have been diagnosed a "behavior problem" if he wasn't homeschooled; a good kid, just easy to anger and fuss. He's been doing TKD for a few years now and the impact has been amzing. It's is also a great form of exercise and physical control.
If we had a good studio close-by, I'd probably have mine in it too.
Does that help?
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
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Angie Mc
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Hi Becky,
I have a yellow belt in Shotokan (Japanese) karate, almost a black belt in Tang Soo Do (Korean) and an orange belt in American Kenpo. All these belts are connected to relocations. I'm currently retired taking care of baby instead . My 13yo dd is an intermediate purple belt in Kenpo (she also had other belts.) My son took it but is focusing on baseball now. Needless to say, we are fans.
Some suggestions to take or leave as you see fit...
1. Don't buy into any fear that karate is automatically anti-Christian. Many Catholics and Christians study it for the physical and mental discipline which, we believe, leads to spiritual discipline as well. Most schools focus on the physical and mental. Where there is a spiritual break, we silently say our Catholic prayers. I tell my potential instructors upfront that we are Catholic and have never had a problem.
2. Check out the school first. Talk to the instructors AND families who are involved. Each school has different expectations. Go with one that will fit the needs of your family. For example, I've been involved with family oriented schools. We wouldn't fit with a hardcore school.
3. Each form of martial arts has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, Shotokan is very traditional (translated very disciplined and slow moving as far as advancement goes) while Kenpo is very fast-paced. Some have sparring while others don't. Most start off with gentle basics. It really is about finding a fit.
4. If a school is just a "belt-machine" meaning mom and dad pay the money and junior gets the belts but may not know much, be honest about it. For some kids this is fine. But my daughter and I wanted to be REAL black belts when we received the black belt!
5. We know kids who do karate off-season. You'll want to talk to the instructor about this first so that you all can have a clear understanding about what to expect. I have always done it full-time which has the benefit of staying fresh with new material while holding onto the old.
If you have any questions, you can PM me anytime! I hope you can find a good fit for your son and family. Ooooo and consider having a parent take it with your son! Parent/child students tend to do really well and it is a great relationship builder  .
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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guitarnan
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My children are learning Okinawan-style karate (Shorin-ryu). They both love it...my son was a lot like yours, Becky, when he started. Now he's a green belt (next is brown, then black) and it seems to give him a nice sense of accomplishment.
My daughter is a lot more flighty (no doubt she'd be labeled with some hyperactivity thing if she did the government school thing...) but she knows all the katas perfectly.
Shorin-ryu is very hard to find where we are (and where we are going), but we're hoping to work things out so our son can go on to his black belt.
I'm a fan of martial arts, definitely. Shorin-ryu is self-defense oriented. They do a bit of sparring, but our sensei is very careful to point out that a practitioner of shorin-ryu must only act defensively.
I think Angie covered all the important points for selecting a dojo. We've never had a spiritual issue here at all. The kids are there to learn the martial art, not to change their faith.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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stefoodie
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hi becky, my family loves martial arts (except me, but only because i'm more a ballet-and-ice-skating type of gal) -- hubby and 9-yo earned their black belts together, and 7-yo will be testing for his in a month, and 14-yo in about a year. it's great physical exercise and for the short while (a few months) that i was doing it that was my reason. no spiritual focus at the tang soo school that our kids/hubby attend, the teachers -- a father and son team, helped out by other black belts including my hubby -- focus instead on discipline and responsibilities at home and school when they're not talking about karate.
i also wanted to mention, in case there's anyone here from Westminster, MD, there's a Catholic homeschooling Dad (last name Patalinghug) who teaches karate -- if i remember correctly, he has 6 kids, all homeschooled and all students at the school. his brother is a priest and spoke at NACHE a few years ago. several of the families that they have in the school have been converted to Catholicism. they pray the Our Father before class, which i thought was really neat.
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TxTrish
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Angie's advice is fabulous.
Our whole family does Tae Kwon Do and love it.
I think it is important to look at the instructors of the school to make sure you gel with their style.
At our school a husband/wife own it and it is very family oriented, there are plenty of other homeschoolers and it is a wonderful place to work out. Many entire families do TKD together at our school. We have 4 3 generation families.
- my oldest daughter is 14 and a black belt - here is our school website - if you go to "gallery" and look at "Snyder 2006 1" you can see a picture of her showing off her gold medal! In the first picture of gallery 1 she is the tallest girl in the last row on the left with long hair. She is also shown in the 4th and 5th picture - my 6 year old (she is a little dragon) is in the 2nd gallery by herself in a t-shirt.
Trish
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Angie Mc
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Hi Trish! Thanks for sharing your school website (I edited it using our nifty hyperlink function.) One of my schools had a three generation family! Very cool. Interestingly, the three of them started together and the youngest got to black belt first  .
Welcome and thanks for posting.
Love,
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Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
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Leonie
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Two of my sons and I do Tai Chi - a gentle form of martial arts. We all love it and I am trying to persuade another son to give it a try.
I feel that the quiet time to reflect, the movements, the discipline are actually helpful for us in our Christian walk. Really.
We were initially inspired by Taebo - Billy Blanks is a Christian martial artist and his kids workouts have helped one son overcome co-ordination difficulties.
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Leonie in Sydney
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hmbress
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Bumping to ask at what age would you start a child? I'm considering a martial art of some sort for my 5-next-month son. Thanks.
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Heather Rose (ds13, ds10)
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missionfamily
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Another nice sport to consider is fencing. My 9yo son has been participating for a little over a year and loves it. You could check to see if there is a club near you.
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Colleen
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Wendy
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I agree with Leonie about Tai Chi -- I started last year and love it!
Dh has a black belt in wushu (Chinese martial arts) and was co-instructor of a wushu school for a few years before we moved. All three of our oldest were students and miss it terribly, but dh works with them at home so they've kept their skills up.
Heather: Dh and his partner usually wouldn't take a child younger than 5 or 6 -- they have to be able to focus for more than a few minutes at a time, and tell their right from their left.
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Wendy
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KackyK
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Angie has great advice about not worrying about if it is anti-Catholic/Christian. I have 3 dc taking taekwondo and the only thing we have encountered is the "break" to sit and "meditate". The master/owner at our dojang (and his wife too who works there with them) are both Catholic. So we don't feel pressured about anything.
Heather you asked about age. I just started this past Jan. my almost 6 yrold. He had really been asking. I was waiting several months to see if the asking would die out, which it didn't, so we went with it. I have seen folks start 3yolds, but they tend to just flit around. I've seen some 4 and 5's start cry when they are spoken too...the instructors are kind, but they don't use motherese KWIM...so just being spoken directly to can upset a little one.
I'd say you should judge how much commitment your 5yold can put forth and then counter that with how ready are they for that adult interaction, which can be really energetic and overwhelming too. Does that make sense??
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KackyK
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Mary G
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missionfamily wrote:
| Another nice sport to consider is fencing. My 9yo son has been participating for a little over a year and loves it. You could check to see if there is a club near you. |
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My 9yos would love to take fencing -- is there a national group that has local classes or is it all private.... does it get expensive (after all, dh does work for the Catholic Church -- where the slogan is great after-life benefits but few monetary rewards now)
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MaryG
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missionfamily
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Mary--This is the fencing results database, and a place where you can search the clubs. We belong to this club. It is very affordable, I think, for a sport class...$44 a month for one lesson a week and you can come more if you are preparing for a tournament. There is a youth tournament about once a month and fees are about 10 - 15 per tournament. The kids love the sport and the coach is one of the best, most encouraging men I have ever seen work with kids. It is a great sport for kids who are not really team sport types but like things that are a little off the beaten path, and who like strategy as well as physical activity. It is perfect for Quinn and he looks forward to it weekly.
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Colleen
dh Greg
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: What do you think about martial arts?
