starting kids in martial arts

[duane navarro]

Hey brothers and sisters, i hope you can help me out on this one. Hopefully long story short, i have three kids 6 5 and 3 oldest is my girl then 2 boys. My wife thinks it will be a good idea to start them in martial arts which I think is great, but I recommended starting out in the garage with me teaching them kaj techniques, but my wife found a school that teaches tae kwon do ( hopefully i spelled it right no disrespect  ) that we can all go to for a family membership type fee. In no way will I give up kaj because thats where my heart is, but I have no problem with going with them and participating. Is it too soon for them to start training? My kids love it i made sure its something they WANT to do not something they have too do. I am also afraid of the Mcdojo thing. I talked with my prof. mitch and he said that If they like doing it than start stretching them now. ( you gotta like this man PAIN at an early age. ) The school is in vacaville ca. Its called vacaville ATA I believe The person last name is keegan. Does anyone know of this instructor I do not in anyway disrespect the art of tae kwon do or this persons dojo But i was just looking for info and helpful advice.   much respect and thanks.   duane navarro

[Brandi Ross]

I would speak to Prof. Powell.

I can see why your wife would want to go to TKD, but I would explore further.  ATA does tend to be more family oriented and it is a good way to spend time with the family.  Check the credentials.  See how promotions go.  Check all the details first.  Knowledge is power.

[NYKaju]

Find a Judo school. Either that or just put them in free school wrestling training until they are old enough to train with you or another local school more seriously.

[KajuJKDFighter]

This is a hard one for me because I have had many kids come from poorly taught schools and then you spend more time fixing bad habits then teaching them new techniques in the first years of training.  I'm a firm believer of if you have any chance learn right the first time.  Esther at my school takes kids at 4 if they can focus at all and we have had good luck with them.   
  I think any school you really get there and talk to will do a family membership.  The family training together is great, but try not to sacrifice your integrity to do it if at all possible.....

[grand master hemenes]

 look at it this way if you had to pick a pinto or a rolls what car would you pick  (smile).

any martial arts has its good and bad i have been in kajukenbo for over 35 years and i find
that kajukenbo has all the marital arts put into one. mr bono is right when students trian with a
someone else then come to you, you have to fix the bad habits. so you need to stay at one school and stick with that one. if you jump from one school to another, you start all over and never go anywhere.
most schools have famliy plans and if they dont beware!


                                                      prof. hemenes

                                                     kajukenbo 4 ever

[Rob Poelking]

look at it this way if you had to pick a pinto or a rolls what car would you pick  (smile).

Neither...they're not old enough to drive. ;p

My experience teaching kids is new but what I am finding is that for the younger ones, 6, 7, 8 while they are learning Kajukenbo certain things just aren't that easy for them to grasp. Now my 10 year old student is doing great and has a tiger spirit.

So my point is, Kajukenbo is a MMA. Emphasis very basic elements for the younger ones, simple punches and blocks, judo rolls & falls and take downs. As they progress and their aptitude for learning increases, increase their knowledge of the system accordingly.

[KajuJKDFighter]

Just like any students they are individuals some learn fast some not so much some understand fighting concepts others not for a while....

prof. hemenes  be sure to post your affiliations as it is a rule of the cafe....

[grand master hemenes]

prof. bono how do you do that and what is it ? ive looked at this site for a long time but i just posted something last month for the first time, so im new at it.

                                                      prof. hemenes

[KajuJKDFighter]

You got it!!

[duane navarro]

         thanks too everyone for the advice it is much appreciated. I think I should clarify that I have been teaching the kids some kaj not too much just the basics as much as they are willing to learn. 1 2 3 punch combos and low kicks and how to block punches. Thats it for now as they are still pretty young. Also respect for another person and dont attack unless you are about to be attacked. SometimesI think they learn a little better when It is not mom or dad especially since we help with everything else in thier life. Anyway THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE HELP!

[Jason1981]

  ATA does tend to be more family oriented and it is a good way to spend time with the family. 

True, but alot of ATA places are also McDojangs. There ARE some good ATA places, but from what I've read, you'll be lucky to find one.   

[souljahnyne]

no disrespect to tae kwon do practitionors our there, but i wouldn't advise that style. based on my experience sparring with some, they tend to be more on the kicks and flash department.. i could be wrong, but as i've mentioned, its just based on my experience. they also have a "+" type attack method, which is basically linear lines back and forth and side to side. in my sessions all i basically had to do was step diagonally and deck them in the face (or at times at the back of the head) or trip them followed by the adlibs.  most of them also have a sort of "tempo" or rhythym about them, and they tend to bounce a bit. going half-beat on them or making an irratic tempo of your own show disrupt them long enough for win.  tae kwon do DOES have benefits though. since it demands stamina and flexibility, your kids would be pretty flexible below the waist and in the back  . also, i have some buddies that do tae kwon do and they run laps around me any day haha. but kajukenbo is endurance, so i can outlast them any day. its really up to you, i just gave you a little insight of things to come (if your kids decide after a while to stay in it) based on my perspective. i dont really know if it helps. take care

[Patrick Campbell]

I think all of the advise given to your posted question is valid, however, I agree with James on this one,  in that Judo is a great place to start kids. It serves as a great foundation for any future development, especially in KAJU. It develops a great sense of physical awareness and what is referred to as "mat-sense." It is a great place to start a kid in my opinion.

Tae Kwon Do isn't necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. They do have great kids programs and competitions and from a stand point of childhood development I don't think that it is necessarily a bad place to start. My first black belt was in Tae Kwon Do at a young age. My first choice is Judo, though. Given the age group of the child and the given threats in their "little environments'" grappling isn't a bad place to begin. It will stay with them for life. I started training in Judo at age 10. It was my start in what has turned out to be 36 years of training so far. Diversity serves the KAJU practioner well in my opinion.

Pat

[KajuJKDFighter]

Boxing anyone?

[Patrick Campbell]

Great one! I think we might be on to something here.

Pat

Boxing anyone?