Is Karate or Gymnastic Better??

I'd go and see both and maybe try a class and see which you like better. I was a gymnast. My brother did martial arts. I personally preferred gymnastics. You really don't know until you try it - every kid is different!

Neither is better, it is simply about what you would prefer.

Both my son and daughter are in gymnastics. Contrary to what one poster said, the gymnasts at our gym are very mature and disciplined. They have to be because of the risk involved with gymnastics. It is very easy to get injured in gymnastics; especially when you are on apparatus like beam and bars. Our coaches don't put up with any messing around for safety reasons. Starting gymnastics at an older age is not impossible, but it will probably be more difficult. If you aren't very flexible or strong to start with it takes a long time to gain that flexibility and strength that gymnasts need to have. (You have to be able to hold your own body weight with your arms.)

No one in our family has ever done martial arts, but I have several friends who have kids who do. Some of my friends started doing martial arts as adults. Depending on your age, martial arts may be easier to get started in than gymnastics. You will build strength and flexibility, but in a different way than you would in gymnastics. I think martial arts would be easier on your body (lower impact).

I don't know what it costs to take martial arts classes or participate in competitions. Gymnastics can be pretty expensive. I pay over $200 a month for my two kids, plus a gym membership. We haven't started competition yet, but that involves travel expenses, entry fees, and competition wear. It also means more time at the gym and more money for classes. It is also a big time commitment. When my daughter moves up to competition it will be 4-6 hours a week at the gym, not counting all day competitions.

Take a look at both and see which one looks like the best fit for you and your family. See if you can try a class or at least observe one.

No matter what you choose you will learn discipline, gain confidence, and be healthier.

As an ex-gymnast, I would say gymnastics. However you will only know by trying them both out. You need to do a sport that you like. It's great that you're going to do a sport!

I personally would choose karate. A few years ago, I took a kickboxing class (many of the same moves as karate), and I loved it. My son just started karate, and when I watch while he's taking his class, I'm so jealous that I'm not in there. I think I'm going to sign up soon too.

I'm not quite sure about your question about your mom chosen karate. Are you a teen trying to decide what to do?

My daughter, now 21, chose martial arts. I thought it should be her choice as to what she wanted to do. She also tried gymnastics.

After 6+ years of extensive training which is very physical and mental, she achieved her black belt.

This is training you have that you never forget in the event you are in a situation where you need to defend yourself.

I'm very proud of her hard work and I'd spend all of that money again because it was worth it.

My dd is a higher level gymnast and there are many transferable skills because it does help balance and flexibility. She has also done cheerleading, and she's on an acro-dance team. She usually picks up any sport quickly because of her flexibility. She just started snowboarding and was on the harder slopes the second day.
I don't know much about karate, but it does sound quite different.
Gymnastics really gets all of your body in shape...lots of conditioning and muscle building.
On the downside, it can take quite a few years to get really good at it. The skills needed at each level are hard to learn and require many hours of practice

These are tough to compare as they are totally different disciplines. Ones a sport, the other a form of self defense.

Also I'm sure how important flexibility is as a measure of the quality of an activity.

I would just focus on whichever you find the most interesting and easiest to enjoy. That's the one you're going to stick with longer and truly enjoy.

Boy or girl?

Boys might like Karate better because there are more boys in their class and they're getting to fight a little and not get in trouble for it. I know many kids who thrive in karate. They learn to discipline their bodies and manage it very well and that carries over into their life forever. I know adults, both men and women, who still go to competitions and earn more awards.

Girls might like gymnastics better because they get to wear leos and do the uneven parallel bars, the tumble trak, the beams, and work on the springboard floors on all sorts of new stuff.

Boys can also enjoy gymnastics but in all honesty once they find the family jewels get hurt on the bars or beam they're not going to be too interested in those areas anymore. They might want to go straight tumbling instead.

We have about 1/2 boys in our gymnastics and more than that in our tumbling classes. Overall our big kids, the teachers and helpers, and exhibition tumbling team kids are about half boys. They can do multiple flips with turns and twists and go and go and go. ALL the little kids look up to them and want to be like them when they get bigger. Every time our team goes to the local elementary schools and does an exhibition we get so many kids coming in to enroll.

Tumbling is only tumble trak and floor. Gymnastics is usually uneven parallel bars, various height beams, floor, and they might have more equipment such as rings and pommel horses, and more. It depends on the owners choices.

Tumbling and gymnastics are natural sports the kids can learn. They start rolling over and flipping almost as soon as they can walk. Plus they can imagine themselves in the Olympics, as a cheerleader when they grow up, and they can get college scholarships on gymnastics and tumbling.

Gymnastics is actually pretty hard on your body. Karate would be my choice.

Our son has done Tae Kwon Do for almost six years and he completed the first level of black belt last year. He has learned self-control, discipline, to work hard for goals, respect, and confidence. Those character abilities are much more important than his ability to fight, I think. When he started, the instructor told us that martial arts helps mostly with self-defense by giving a person the self-confidence so that possible bullies or trouble-makers don't target her in the first place. As B says below, the point is not to be able to beat up other people; it's developing the skills so you don't get into conflicts in the first place. I have to say that as a parent, I have loved him doing martial arts for that reason.

About the boy thing, I assume your mom means that she wants you to be busy with an extra-curricular activity so you have something to focus on besides crushes--teens do sometimes need that. Generally there are more boys in martial arts and more girls in gymnastics in our part of the country (the South); I don't know about your area. You might want to consider that in terms of the social group you find most comfortable. Being in a mostly-boy activity isn't necessarily a problem, however. From what I've seen with my son, the kids in his class see each other as fellow students rather than potential girl-friend/boy-friend; sometimes college-aged kids who are dating each other will take classes together, but I think for most students, the classes are a place where learning the skills is the focus, not crushes or looking for a date. That environment could be a really nice break for you from school or friends, where the focus more often is on social stuff.

Martial arts, as well as developing strength and endurance, ALSO makes a person more flexible. The students do a lot of stretching exercises and several people in his advanced class can do splits. So I'd say that both gymnastics and martial arts develop strength, stamina, and flexibility. Your decision should be based on which one you enjoy doing the most. For example, when our son started Tae Kwon Do, we also started his younger sister in it too. She did it for a couple years, but eventually lost interest and has chosen to concentrate on dance, which she loves. Maybe your mom could let you try both of them for a month and see which you prefer? Good luck with the decision.

Karate. Chance of head and spinal injury is way way lower.

The better one is the one in which you're most interested. If you find you don't like the one you chose you can stop with that one and try the other. Or you can take an introductory class.of both before deciding.

I suggest neither class will cause you to not be interested in boys. I do suggest that interest in things other than just boys will make you a more balanced and interesting person. As you get.older stable and responsible boys will prefer dating you than a girl with no interests or special abilities.

You may meet boys in either class. You would then have an interest on common making socializing easier.

I have to agree with B's response.
Both of my kids have done martial arts. Both are black belts (one achieved 2nd Dan, and the other wants to go back and get hers as well). All of their classes were fairly evenly distributed males and females. Some classes my daughter was the only female, some classes my son was one of only 2 males in the class that day.

I rarely (if ever) witnessed or even heard about any drama with the students, and we were participants at the studio for nearly 10 years total. But with gymnastics (which my daughter tried as well, for a few months) there was drama. And I know there is drama with cheerleading and dance, as well, routinely.
Perhaps it is because in martial arts there is no competing for a spot on a squad or in a performance really. Certainly there are demo teams that you can try out for, etc. But day to day, in classes and at tournaments, you compete mostly against yourself, mentally, and if you are improving your skills. So there isn't a lot of room for drama?