Find a Martial Art for Your Kids

There are a million martial arts schools competing for your business these days. It's difficult for a parent to know which martial art and which martial art school suits their children needs best. This article will try to help parents make an informed decision. No martial art is best for every child but the martial arts in general definitely have benefits that apply to all children.

Steps

  1. Finding a good martial arts teacher for your children is ninety percent of the battle. Unfortunately only certain schools lay out formal qualification guidelines for their teachers. There are schools that have no guidelines and yet very good teachers. What's a parent to do?
  2. Get to know a couple of the mainstream Martial arts (judo, Karate, taekwondo and kickboxing, say) and learn what they have to offer and if each is right for your child. Sit through a few classes. Judo for example involves throws, locks and being pinned on the ground, so if your child is claustrophobic it wouldn't be a good idea. That said , judo improves physical strength and confidence, so it depends on the child.
  3. You will need to spend a little time doing research. Fortunately the internet makes this a lot easier. Make a list of the schools in your town and start checking the websites for the schools. What you should look for is a school that has a formal education program for its teachers. Some karate schools for example have teaching ranks such as "juin-shidoin" and "shidoin" in addition to black belt degree ranking. The whole point of these teaching ranks is to formalize the process of passing on the martial art to the student. It's a recognition that teaching aspects such as self discipline and self control are just as important as teaching a child how to spar.
  4. If a school does not have formal teaching ranks, but appears interesting to you, then pay them a visit. Talk to the head instructor. You can learn a lot from sitting in on a couple of classes. Does the instructor control the class well ?, Does the instructor keep his students attention for the entire class ?, Are the students enjoying themselves ? A good instructor will engage his students and make them want to return. A good instructor will demonstrate that they truly care about the advancement of their students in more ways than just the martial arts.
  5. Once you are happy with the instructor, take a look at the facility your child will be training in. A good martial arts training hall should be spotlessly clean. If you see students cleaning the hall before and after the lesson, you know this is a school that cares about the development of the whole person. Cleaning is not menial forced labour, it shows the students care about their teacher and want to preserve their art. This is also a point in the favour of small schools that may not have formalized teaching ranks.
  6. Take a look at the costs you will have to incur if your children are members of the club. There are great martial arts schools that operate clearly as profit making businesses, but there are also wonderful not-for-profit schools that depend on the involvement of the students for survival. Cost alone does not define a great school but it obviously affects the parent. If you want to have your child picked up from school by the martial arts club, taught martial arts everyday and given time to finish homework, this is available but of course the cost will be relatively high. Conversely you might opt for the not-for-profit school which is the least expensive, but you must bear in mind that you or your child may need to volunteer time and effort to assure the clubs continued survival.
  7. Lastly, check to see that the martial arts club you choose has a record in your community. For example, the club gets together to do a push-up-a-thon to provide funds for a guide dog for the blind, or the club has trophy or a contest named in honour of a past student or instructor that passed away. This is evidence that the club and its leader, care about the students and the community they live in.

Tips

  • Many traditional martial arts schools tend to emphasize discipline & respect for parents and teachers interleaved in the physical training. This may help with troubled youth and early development of children.
  • You may want to teach your children the history behind the martial art, so you might want to do a basic research on it. Remembering the history and the martial art is practised is important to some clubs.

Warnings

  • Make sure the club you choose has adequate liability insurance and has plans in place should your child require medical attention.
  • Some local community centers require martial arts instructors to have police checks and basic first aid training. Check with your local Parks and Recreation department if this is important

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