Have Your Placed Your Child in Martial Arts??

I would not put an violent aggressive child in martial arts what happens when he snaps and uses what he has learned on an innocent classmate that happened to look at him wrong.

I'd start be seeking a psychologist, getting a diagnosis, starting therapy and then add martial arts if the therapit feels like it would benefit him.

Our son did this a few years back. For tae kwon do, it was $400 for the equipment, plus class fees. Of course, our son completely lost interest about a month after we could return the equipment for a refund. We lost a lot of money with that class!

My big advice is to look for the equipment on Craigslist and save yourself a lot of money. Our son was really gung-ho about the class at the beginning but lost interest over time.

If this is your aggressive child, I would talk to your child's therapist or other doctor who is managing that issue before starting (or get him the medical help, if you haven't already). Our son has ADHD and we were told karate could be a good thing for him. We found it didn't further his aggression, however it also didn't prove to offer any benefits as far as him mastering self-control or focusing.

I put my kids in Tae Kwon Do and then joined the classes about 2 weeks later at age 42. I loved it and I was the oldest student in the school. My daughter became a State champion in 1999 and in 2001 and has more first place tropheys than I have tropheys. However I was the only one who became a black belt.
Martial Arts teaches self defence, self confidence, self control and self esteem. These skills will take them far in life. Starting something new is not as scary, everything from a new class at school to a job interview is much less intimating.
My one caution is be careful of 'black belt mills'. Make sure if you sign your child up for classes the school teaches a varitey of displines and more than basics. They need to learn the forms, breaking and sparring but also street fighting, nun chucks, staff and other weapons. The more well rounded the program the better it will be for the student. 'Black belt mills' teach only basics and a student can go from white belt to black belt in 18 months. The school I went to had a miminum of 3 yrs to get from white to black. They simply taught more and you learned to be comfortable no matter what situation you came across.
If you look into situations of school shootings and even Flight 93 on 9-11 the person who took down the attacker was usually a martial artist with street fighting training. They had learned how to think on their feet and diffuse a deadly situation.
Hopefully none of us will ever be in a situation like that but this past weekend there was a mass shooting in Norway, Texas and Florida. We never know when we get on a plane, go to a park or even sitting at home watching TV if we are truly safe. Learning how to defend ourselves and family is to me priceless.

My daughter and I are both training in Karate. We started when she was five and now she is 9. I am now testing for my Black Belt in August and she will be a Red Belt. She is on track to be Black Belt by age 11. I consider martial arts to be a lifelong activity. I am 50 and have no intention of stopping my training after obtaining 1st degree black belt.

I have spent a total of eight years training in Karate/Tae Kwon Do and I also taught a kid's class for two years. I have seen amazing results for people of all ages, all levels of physical ability, and all personalities. Marial arts, taught by competent instructors, does teach focus, discipline, self-confidence, along with physical strength and flexibility. The parent needs to be committed, also. We typically each attend two classes per week.

Any martial arts school should allow you to observe classes before committing. You should feel comfortable with the instructors and how they interact with the children. In any class there should be serious work time, and some fun. The instructor should be able to keep a class of kids focused without using any physical force or intimidation. Sparring should be about learning proper technique, not hitting hard. They should stress that none of what they learn is to be used on siblings or classmates, but only in class and for self-defense.

Most school will allow a trial period, so that you can decide if it is right for your child. Cost will vary by school. Be sure to ask what is included/not included. Some schools wrap everything up in a monthly fee, others have separate charges for each belt test, for example. Tournaments should be optional.

I was in martial arts since the age of 6. We studied traditional KoreanTae Kwon Do and some jujitsu, and a black belt by the age of 9. We practiced almost 4 times a week and twice a week after regular class for private class with the adults and other black belts (we were still green belts, but we were good and dedicated). and were very competitive, even flying to a different state to compete (and win) in a National Jr Olympic competitions in which we had to prequalify for an invitation to even attend by winning in other state tournaments..

So, the cost will vary on how deep into it you want to go. Most schools offer first timer deals, a reduced first month and free uniform. They usually provide pads for sparring, unless you are a competitor you will need to have your own. Belt tests cost money as well. It really depends on how much time you want to invest in it.

As for the 'black belt mills" comment, this is so true. Our school we had to work our butts off to make it. I recently investigated a few schools around us and their quality was horrible. Their upper belts looked more like beginners and there was very little discipline or care of the quality of the student's progress and instruction, even the instructors were sloppy. Definitely look around!

Hey mama!
How old is your child? When my son was 11 he was very over weight and pre diabetic and needed to lose weight. I signed him up for takwon do. Im in texas so I don't know about prices there, but its pretty exspensive. All worth it! He lost about 40 pds and the best part, he was taught respect. Give it a shot, I wish I couls still afford to send him!

Do a trial class or two before signing up ... my son was not ready and we were out the registration fee and one month's of classes ... about 200 bucks ... he was not successful we tried a few classes and left 15-20 min in each time. If they will not allow you to partake w/out paying full fees for one or two classes I would move on unless you KNOW your child is ready and will enjoy it.

Check out your local dojos. For me, it was important to have real traditional martial art taught, not modernized combat and NOT for trophies/competition. My children started out at ages 4 and 6 (it will be 3yrs in Oct) in a mixed traditional Japanese martial art - generically called Ninjutsu. It's been great for them. They learn balance, respect, control, self defense, confidence. It teaches their body to move correctly. We are lucky to have a very high student to teacher ratio - about 10-15 kids with the main Sensei and 3-5 other instructors as well. It's a real family. I don't remember how much the intro fees was - but it was for 6 week trial and included the uniform. Now we pay $115 each mo. for 2 classes each week.

I am not sure of the cost in your areas. My friend is an instructor and where he teaches the main goals are: learn respect, discipline (training to act in accordance with rules), control over ones body, builds self confidence... in the way future they will be taught self defense but for now it is the above.

Must places will let you do a trial, a week or so of classes to see if it is a good fit for you/child. I would check out the places in your area try one or two and see what you/child thinks.

My son started taekwondo in the 2nd grade.
We moved, took a year off, then found another place and he took it up again in the 4th grade.
He loves it and he's a 2nd Don Blackbelt now (he's 12 going into 7th grade this fall).
He goes to an after school program (Middle school bus takes him there) and he goes Mon - Thur.
Weapons class we go to once a week during the school year (that's 7:30pm for 1 hour) and it's included in the after school price.
He goes to their summer day camp when school's out of session.
Sparring starts at blue belt level and you will buy sparring gear (helmet, arm and leg pads, chest guard, mouth guard (and an athletic cup for a boy).
At his TKD school, weapons training starts at red belt level - staff, nunchucks and kendo stick (it's a bamboo sword).
At 2nd Don level he was allowed to get a training katana (it's blunted) and he's good with it.
Rates will vary depending where you live.
We've paid between $65 - $85 a week.
Once you get to the black belt levels, the belt testing starts getting more expensive ($400-$500), but the higher they go - the more time it takes to go higher - so the cost gets spread out over a longer time.
To get to 3rd Don level it takes 2 years, 4th Don level takes 3 years, etc.
My son likes it a lot.
It keeps him active (and off the couch) and he has a lot of friends there of all ages.
I think it helps to keep his weight down and he's very confident about being able to handle himself if anyone tries to pick on him.
He's very disciplined and he thinks before he gets mad - which I think helps a lot once the guys are teens and in high school.
There are a lot of girls in his class who are very good and can kick serious butt if they need to.

My 7 year old daughter is in a Mixed Martial Arts program. This is a combination of Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu and Thai kickboxing. She has been doing it for 2 years. She likes a lot is remarkably good at it.

We had two primary goals. First, we wanted her doing a regular fitness program that would be easy to carry into adult hood. Second, we wanted her to learn a martial art that would provide her with practical self-defense skills. Jui-Jitsu is a wrestling martial art, and since so many conflicts involve fighting on the ground, this is a great skill to know. It also has the benefit of relying on leverage so that a smaller opponent has a shot against a bigger person. Additionally, the Muay Thai part means she will learn how to throw a punch.

I feel very good about the skills she is learning, her fitness level (she is strong!!), and I like to see her confident in using her body. Not to mention the general benefits to her self extreme for learning something.

Her school costs about $110 a month with unlimited classes (mixed age children's classes are offered6 days per week). You don't pay for tests.

Whatever kind of program you investigate, consider the school and it's mission and how serious they are about the practice and teaching of the martial art.. We liked her gym because it really is all about the training and not just a kids activity. Many of the places we visted that offered karate or some variation of that were really all about making it exciting for the kids and getting you to sign up for after school care and camps. They also charge a lot for the tests, so you end up buying your belts instead of earning them. Clearly these were commercial enterprises targeting families. The place we picked is run by serious athletes who really want to teach and not just get bodies in the door.

Its been very good for my son's confidence (he's 11 now). He's actually had to confront a bully on the playground that he felt unable to approach before TKD. One blow and the dude was down. Never had another problem. He's been in 5 years, a high level black belt now and still enjoys it. It's about $90 per month with about $100 to test each time (about 4 times a year).

My child is very mature and serious. He takes the discipline very seriously however, younger, more immature kids dont' get as much out of it. It's been great for us though....

I decided to respond here after someone from this thread posted on your other thread. We had considered martial arts for Andy to deal with his aggression issues. The theory being learning discipline to control movement would help him control his temper. Although we haven't done that yet his psychiatrist felt it would help him.

Yes it is only for self defense but it also teaches you discipline.

It depends on where you are and what type of school you are in.

My daughter started martial arts training in Tang Soo Do when she was around 7. We left that school when she was pretty high up on the belt ladder because we felt like she was not getting the training she needed and we were paying for. Basically, if you paid your monthly fees around $150, your child went up a belt level. That didn't cut it for us. e wanted to make sure she EARNED her belt.

So, we switched to a private martial arts school and she was privately taught around $200/month and achieved her black belt in 2006. This was a huge acomplishment because her guru could care less if a bill was paid... he only promoted her and all of his students if they truly earned it.

She thrived at this school and it has helped her SO much with everyday adversity and mentally adjusting to the changes in life from friends, socially, etc. We are very proud of her and she is very proud of her black belt.

I believe if you get in the right program, you are doing a great service for your child's growth. HOWEVER, the children must learn when to use it physically and when to use it mentally. Martial Arts is not for everyone and meant to be used for self defense... NOT meant to be used to bully others with aggression.

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Have you researched local MA schools in your area? Depending on the style, intensity, and location, costs could vary greatly. Even from one city to the next, here, costs are vastly different. As far as results, that woul d depend on your individual child.