In this education post, I cover martial art options for kids.
When I was younger I was trained in karate with some Brazilian Jiujitsu basics. In my early adult years, I did do some fitness kickboxing with a few private kickboxing sessions.
Note: This is a long post.
Topics
- Advantages Of Martial Arts & Self Defense
- Karate
- Taekwondo
- Judo
- Brazilian Jiujitsu
- Boxing
- Kickboxing / Muay Thai
- Wrestling
- Existence Of Other Martial Arts
- Finding A Good Fit For Child
Advantages Of Martial Arts & Self Defense
Martial arts are physical hobbies or ways of living that involve physical activity, movement, cooperation, combat and arts. Many martial arts have self defense components. The martial art may be geared towards self defense and/or the self defense skills are developed through practice and competition.
Martial arts training is great for building fitness, body control, character and discipline. It is a good alternative to team sports.
Karate
The unarmed Japanese martial art, karate use arms and legs for kicking, striking (punches, elbows, hand chops) and blocking. Different karate schools will have their own karate styles and philosophies.
Some karate schools may offer fitness classes on the side as well as judo classes, boxing classes, self-defense seminars and/or jiujitsu classes. It depends on the staff and school.
There is sparring where students fight each other in a controlled environment with the techniques learned from class.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo (TKD) is a Korean martial art that features a lot of kicking, movement and cardio. At first I thought there was no punching but there are punches.
I had a friend at the time who was in maybe in her fifties. She was fit for her age and was a second degree TKD black belt. One thing I learned from her is that you can't be stiff. Flexibility is pretty important and gets practiced a lot.
Those highly skilled in Taekwondo participate in tournaments. A few schools do some movie shoots and have stunt doubles.
Judo
The Japanese art of Judo is a very good martial art. There are no kicks or punches as judo is mostly done standing. You learn how to take people down from standing position through throws, foot sweeps, leg trips, etc. You also learn how to fall safely. Falling safely is an underrated skill I think.
There is some ground wrestling or grappling in Judo. After the opponent is taken down, there is the option for grappling.
Judo is a very good martial art to learn in my opinion. However, the risks of falling and being thrown around are high. Proper technique and respect are important for safe practice. Some areas may not have Judo schools available.
Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ)
Brazilian Jiujitsu or BJJ focuses on grappling on the floor. Judo focuses more on standing while BJJ is heavy on floor grappling.
These BJJ schools do vary in philosophy, teaching and coaches. Some schools may add wrestling, some may have Judo classes also and maybe some add in Sambo. It depends on the staff and their expertise.
As Brazilian Jiujitsu is a fairly popular martial art, there should be a BJJ school near your area. (unless you live in a remote area)
Boxing
Boxing is a striking martial art and combat sport. You learn how to punch in different ways as well learn how to defend with your arms and dodge with your head. There are no kicks, wrestling, chokes or submissions involved.
Kickboxing
Kickboxing adds kicking along with boxing. This can be practiced for general fitness or for competition.
There are many different styles of kickboxing. These include:
- Full Contact Karate
- Muay Thai
- Japanese Kickboxing
- Sanda
- Savate
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is the Art of the Eight Limbs. You have fists, elbows, knees and shins for punching, striking (kicks, elbows and knees) and clinching. There are also foot sweeps for tripping your opponent. It is a pretty extreme combat martial art.
Some serious (pro fighters) do take the visit to Thailand to learn Muay Thai.
Wrestling
Wrestling can be viewed as a martial art, combat sport or for entertainment (WWE). You grapple against an opponent to gain a position advantage. It has clinch fighting, throws, takedowns, joint locks, pins and other holds.
There are different styles of wrestling. These include freestyle, Greco-Roman, folkstyle and Mongolian Wrestling.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)
For some people, one martial art is not enough. Two or more martial arts sounds cool. The strength of one martial art covers the weakness of an another.
Having the child enrolled in more martial arts generally costs more money. There are a few martial art gyms that offer multiple martial art classes in one gym. For example, a gym may be more specialized in boxing and have a few Brazilian Jiujitsu classes on the side. A different gym may offer mainly Brazilian Jiujitsu with some Wrestling or Judo on the side. Gyms that have different martial art classes may be rare though in your area.
Some gyms offer Mixed Martial Arts classes. Mixed Martial art classes combine kickboxing or Muay Thai along with a mix of Wrestling, Judo and Brazilian Jiujitsu. Classes depend on what the teaching staff on what they know.
Existence Of Other Martial Arts
There are other martial arts out there not listed here. It could be hard to find schools or teachers that teach lesser known martial arts.
Other martial arts include:
- Eskrima
- Aikido
- Jeet Kune Do
- Hapkido
- Capoeira
- Wing Chun
Finding A Good Fit
Each martial art has their own teaching methods and philosophies. There are videos and talks about which martial art is better. It depends on the situation and scenarios.
What people want does vary. Striking martial arts like boxing, Muay Thai won't be appealing to someone who is afraid of getting their face hurt. Some people may not like wrestling as there is hugging and sweat involved. Some people may not like Brazilian Jiujitsu as it has hugging on the floor. Reasons do vary.
I am not a fan of debates of which martial art is better overall. Each martial art has its own pros and cons.
Vibe & Culture
Before entering a contract with a martial arts gym, you want to see the vibe of the gym, the students and instructors. This is the number one tip a fitness kickboxing instructor gave me. Is the gym welcoming to beginners? Does the gym want new people to beat on? Is the teaching good for both beginners and experienced people?
Some places have separate classes that separate kids and adults and some places have women's classes.
Fitness Or Sport
There are fitness versions of martial art classes. Some of these fitness classes may not be authentic or of high quality. You do learn the moves but the classes are more for conditioning, cardio and strength training. The intensity may not be super high as the classes try to attract non martial arts practitioners.
It is not a bad thing to have people in it for the fitness aspect of martial arts. Not everyone is all in on martial arts. Some have day jobs, some have other hobbies and obligations.
Multiple Martial Arts
I am not a fan of debates of which martial art is better overall. Each martial art has its own pros and cons.
For self defense, I guess ideally learning multiple martial arts is good. It depends on the martial arts you choose to learn. Something like Judo and Brazilian Jiujitsu is good. Judo is for standing and BJJ is for floor but it has no striking. Boxing and BJJ seems good too. Boxing for punching, dodging through head movement while Brazilian Jiujitsu just in case you get taking down. There are more combos out there.
Multiple arts for pro fighting? I don't know. I'm not the best person to ask about for this.
Closing Notes
That is my overview of martial arts for kids and beginners. Each martial art has its own way of moving, dodging, attacking and defending.
There are great benefits to martial arts but be aware of the risks. There are great people in martial arts but beware of some bad actors in these spaces (or in any place).