| Let's clear things up to start. Martial arts are great for | | | | achievements. It's when the child is not mentally ready |
| kids. Period. Now for most folks this may be enough. | | | | for the commitment involved that the training becomes |
| Great, sign my child up now. But hold on a minute. I can | | | | a burden and not fun anymore. The age of the child |
| understand enrolling a teenager or tweens for personal | | | | plays a major role in this aspect of the equation. When |
| development and self defense, but what about a | | | | you are looking at enrolling a child who is age under |
| younger child? | | | | age seven into a martial arts program, do not expect |
| As a martial arts school owner and a long practitioner | | | | the young one to come away from their first year |
| of martial arts, I have seen a lot of eager children and | | | | (yes that's right year) doing much more than some |
| glowing parents enter a training center on their first | | | | basic kicking and punching. Why? Unless the he or she |
| day. The mood is infectious. The kids and parents | | | | is a wunderkind, the mental and physical limitations will |
| usually leave with a thrilled feeling and drive to return | | | | hinder the child's ability to explore the intricacies of |
| the next day. Fast forward a two or three months, a | | | | martial arts. |
| few weeks or even a few days and there is a | | | | This does not mean that for the classes for children |
| different picture. The child may not want to come any | | | | under seven are useless. They will learn to hone their |
| more and/or may not want to cooperate in class and | | | | balance, increase coordination and let the kids have |
| the parent will question the benefits of a martial arts | | | | lots of fun. However, don't expect too much too |
| program. This is how it appears to happen: The child | | | | quickly. Now for kids under four, please just set |
| will fall out of the "fascination phase" of the martial arts | | | | structured play dates with other kids their age. They |
| experience. This fascination phase is when a | | | | will get the same result as the classes without |
| youngster has a misconceived ideal of what martial | | | | spending the money. But if you insist, it's your choice. |
| arts training is supposed to be like. This usually happens | | | | So how young is too young to train? From my |
| from a film or television depiction. After some real | | | | observations, anywhere below seven you're just |
| world training, the idea of watching becomes more | | | | providing good exercise to kids. Once again, the choice |
| pleasurable than participating. Parental support plays a | | | | of training is yours. The training should be age |
| critical part if the child stays with or leaves the training | | | | appropriate. It should be interesting. Most of all, the |
| (but that's another article). | | | | training must be fun. Without these things, I don't care |
| Now if the child is mentally developed enough, then he | | | | what art or style it is, I don't care what age you are, I |
| or she may come to the realization that continued | | | | don't care if you are student or an observer, the |
| training will lead to bigger things and great | | | | training will be all for nothing. |