Teaching children to protect themselves.

[jmjkd]

I don't think there is any more corrupt section of the martial arts industry then teaching children under the notion of developing discipline, self control, and respect with a nickel and dime approach against the parents. Not all teachers are corrupt, but I believe at least 75% are, so it is worth mentioning.

There is no book that alerts parents to what is a good or bad martial arts school so here is a few tips .
Do the normal research, how long has the school been in business, background check on the teacher, is the school clean, are parents happy with the teacher and how they treat the kids. You should get a parents gut feeling first, now on to the children.

What your child should be learning?
Ages 5-8 first and foremost children should be learning how to have fun with others while building strength, speed, balance, coordination and over all athletic movements that will enhance the child in other sports as he or she grows.

Ages 8-15 here the child is finding his way through middle school and a pecking order will be established. Both boys and girls will be challenged both physically and emotionally by others. Here the student will need authentic confidence meaning he /she truly believes they can protect themselves while not hurting the other person.
This is a parents dream, secure that their child can defend themselves if anything ever happened. But also, comfortable that their child is no bully and has no desire to hurt others.
This can be done with a controlling sport such as grappling. Here there is no striking only techniques to smoother and control, now if your child ever had a scuffle, they would not be accused of hitting, instead they were accused of sitting on the other kid and de-escalating the fight. The violent act of hitting is removed and a more social response is instilled. Better for both child and parent.

Ages 16 to adulthood. Here the child knows and believes he can protect them selves however, not all teens and young adults play nice, especially where hitting is a daily occurrence in some families.
This would be a good time to introduce striking both offensively and defensively. Your student now should be well equipped both physically and emotionally, strong and agile with a sense of right and wrong and have the confidence and choice to respond correctly both physically and socially.

If the teacher of the school can produce this in the student body, your child is in the right hands.
Buyer beware: Children Martial Arts is a money making machine, we call them belt factories designed to produce a consistent stream of income for the teacher, stay clear of them, this will not help your wallet or your child..
I hope this helped and good luck with the kids.

 

[Palladin]

We had our younger ones in a Martial arts school in Pelham for 3-4 years. It got to the point where the older two assistant instructors (18 & 19) ended up teaching the classes....which turned into a big class of dodgeball! I WAS BURNING A COUPLE OF HUNDRED A MONTH.

A baseball parent friend had suggested Dracut Kenpo Karate and we switched our then 10, 8 & 6yos to there. My, now 14yo, son took his 'jr Black Belt' test over xmas vacation (in the dojo, black belt is an adult rank, 17yo +). Five hours and he had to compete against larger and older individuals...all of whom he was able to take down.

Lacrosse & soccer are over, we start up again at karate next week.

Ages 8-15 here the child is finding his way through middle school and a pecking order will be established. Both boys and girls will be challenged both physically and emotionally by others. Here the student will need authentic confidence meaning he /she truly believes they can protect themselves while not hurting the other person.
This is a parents dream, secure that their child can defend themselves if anything ever happened. But also, comfortable that their child is no bully and has no desire to hurt others.

Been there, done that. Once it was established my son wasn't one to push around, all was fine. But in Jr High, he dropped a couple of kids a week for the first month.

 

[RLBreton]

I will tell you that any school which touts a black belt in X# of years or months or classes, or in which testing is done every 2 months is what I grew up knowing as a "buy-a-belt" school. It is a money making machine developed to rook parents out of money and gives the participants a false sense of security. I grew up learning a very traditional Okinawan style with teaching methods which would put the Sensei in prison these days. I studied for 8 years and was an average student--and never earned a "black belt". That said, I can tell you with all certainty that when it came to stupid schoolyard fights with "black belts", it was over before it began and I was not on the losing end and the one time I LITERALLY had to defend my life and was unarmed, well--I'm still here to talk about it.

I would avoid ANY school which has a 'kids' class or child-specific curriculum unless you are looking for a daycare and not planning on teaching your children anything of real value.

 

[Da_lucche]

Just stay away from McDojos.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jmjkd]

Just stay away from McDojos.

Sent from my DROID4 using Tapatalk 2

That is the point of this thread, how can parents spot BS.

This Buy A Belt system has been going on for years. Today single parents or those working second jobs can get relief buy sending their kid to B-A- B... AKA the local McDojo. What makes it really bad is the One year contract the parent has to sign which is an automatic draw out of you bank every month whether the child shows up or not.

That's the money thing but I am mostly concern about the content taught and the value system tied to those teachings. Remember s**t rolls down hill and these so called teachers were once students and they are now passing down the same crap as their instructor did to them and now with their own school they can now get some pay back, and the rat race continues for the next generation of children.

When you look at a school for your child watch a class and see if the instructor physically works with each student. If a techniques is shown the teacher is obligated to explain:
1.How, when and why the technique is used.
2.Do the techniques to each and every student so they can feel how it is done.
3.Have each and every student do the techniques to you, and you critic the technique so the student knows it is done right.
When I teach a group class it is like each person get's a mini private lesson.

If the student does not consistently train directly with the teacher or he passes the training off to his Jr BB's how can any authentic trust ever get built.

The teacher is also responcible for sparring, and the teacher should spar with each student regularly, not put some inexperienced green belt who wants to prove he is worthy of a purple belt. That's how kids get hurt.

 

[tryit]

My instructor's kids got into trouble a lot. the younger kid would grab some (much bigger) kid around the legs and his older bro would punch them in the face. He got so many compliants that he had to stop teaching them. This was overseas. Here in the states, his kids and/or him would probably have been shot.

 

[jmjkd]

It all depends on the kid they tag teamed. Most bullies already know their victim and single them out. They are not going to go after a tough kid, one that has already earned respect in the street.
No, they will target the weak one, the one with no experience, no confidence in his/her own abilities, the one who has never been tested. And that test is not done for a belt or rank, it's for life. It's to establish who you are and what you stand for. And a bully will recognize that real fast.