# What Martial Arts Is best for my kids



## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

Hi Guys,

I need help! I have two boy's aged 7 and 9 there both play football but im wanting to get them into Martial Arts for different reasons the main obviously for self defence but also i find martial arts helps with balance therefore aiding there football as well and general overall condition.

but my two boys are so different the oldest is very shy and wont stick up for him self but is very athletic and nimble.

the youngest is very outgoing and if I may say a bit of a bugger and will stick up for himself and his brother but he is very stocky and strong with a head on attitude a typical bull in a china shop.

so im not sure which martial art I should let them study

can anyone HELP! :sorry:


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## PrideNeverDies (Sep 28, 2008)

I would find a Brazilian jiu jitsu class or a judo class , try and get your kids a free trial lesson, and let them decide which is better

They need to enjoy it themselves

Nothing wrong with letting them do muay thai though


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## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

thanks i might take them to a Muay Thai club near me a lad called David Mcrobb instructs there and i believe he is good! but I have also looked at a Taekwondo club near me and a bloke by the of Graham Harbisher instructs there again is supposed to be very good and something to do with the British Olympic team hence my confusion.


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## PrideNeverDies (Sep 28, 2008)

Muay Thai is definitley more fun than Tae Kwando

Most instructors will let your kids have a free class , just ask around , try different disciplines , if you want them to enjoy it , let them make the decision of which one they prefer

Just don't fall for any rubbish karate crap

Go to specialists gyms if you can


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## Agentman (Jul 1, 2010)

If the objective is self defence then personally I would recommend MMA which probably has the most aspects that are practical for self defence.

There are an increasing number of MMA clubs that cater for young children although they are still relatively rare so finding one in your area may be difficult.

Additionally MMA is versitile and allows your kids to concentrate on the areas they enjoy the most, be it the striking, wrestling or submission elements.

Most traditional martial arts are dogmatic and require the people who do them to follow a rigid set of rules and requirements which can be quite difficult for young kids with short attention spans, although they do seem to enjoy the sense of achievement that comes with earning a belt. Be warned however because martial arts gradings can be very expensive and there are alot of frauds and charletans out there who call themselves martial arts teachers whilst not actually teaching anything useful and emptying your pockets at the same time.

Knowing kids they will probably find hitting things more exciting so maybe boxing, kickboxing or muay thai will be their thing. Ive not seen many kids get excited about a well applied kimura thats for sure!

Best advice: theyve got to enjoy it or they wont stick it out so ask them what they want to do and let them do it. There are martial arts that do certain things better than others but all will teach kids important lessons so long as its taught properly.

Perhaps try freestyle wrestling? Nothing better for fitness and if you tell the kids that this is how their fave WWE star started out Which is true in most cases) they will probably lap it up. In terms of both MMA and self defence I personally believe that wrestling is the cornerstone of them.


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## ROTWELLIER (Apr 17, 2010)

for self defence and over all conditioning you cant do better than wado ryu karate in my opinion


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## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

thanks guys im going to go for some free trials see what happens


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## PrideNeverDies (Sep 28, 2008)

agentman .. never mention the wwe again !


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## Agentman (Jul 1, 2010)

Forgot you had a bad experience!


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## ewrayzor (Jun 19, 2010)

Just as it should be for any kid in any sport - whatever they enjoy. My kids tried judo, loved the coach but didn't like the formal grading system and now do thai, which they love. Finding a good coach is the most important aspect to consider in my opinion.


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## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

Cheers

being a bit nosey what was the bad experience.


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## ryanjvt (May 2, 2010)

i would say if you can get your childeren strate into an MMA class, it would be the best thing because it covers all aspects of martial arts and your always doing different things. but if not i would say thai or kickboxing because every child loves to punch amd kick things and plus it will give them a massive confidence boost knowing they can deffend themselves from sum1 attacking them... i personaly wouldnt bother with taekwondo.... in my opinion its a pile of shit.... but im sure sum1 with abit more experience will cum along and give u some sound advice....


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## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

thanks I have looked at MMA but I feel you need to be proficient in at least one Martial Art before doing MMA but that is just my opinion someone with more experience may disagree and say it is best to do MMA with a clean slate and no knowledge of other Martial Arts so it doesn't cloud your judgement! hence this question thanks for your help


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## PrideNeverDies (Sep 28, 2008)

mma for kids , definitley not , they really do teach the basics ,

and they have all the muay thai , wrestling, bjj adapted specially for mma

MMA

MUAY THAI

BJJ

JUDO

Those are the 4 i would go to if i was akid , get them a free lesson at each one and see which they like


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## MgMax (Dec 26, 2009)

I would honestly avoid Tae Kwon Do, i did it for about 4-5 years when i was younger, and although i LOVED getting a new belt every couple months, the lack of contact and strictness really put me off as a child. having to learn korean terminology for gradings was a piss take as a young kid. Take your kids to a Thai boxing lesson or a brazilian jiu jitsu lesson. I think you'll find they prefer thai as every kid loves to hit pads. Just make sure your not getting ripped off on the lessons and the coach is a good guy with alot of experience


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## BRUN (Nov 4, 2009)

id go for the thai myself but im biased lol

right now id love a go at BJJ but i dont think as a kid id have enjoyed it, hitting pads they will love im sure


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## ewrayzor (Jun 19, 2010)

I too would say thai. My kids love it and there is the opportunity for them to fight competitively too, which they love.

Brun, being in st helens, you're not that far away from kaobon. Get some Luta done. In fact, I'm pretty sure that scanlon was teaching at golden glory if that;s closer?


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## BRUN (Nov 4, 2009)

golden glory is around the corner from where i live


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## PrideNeverDies (Sep 28, 2008)

nal said:


> Cheers
> 
> being a bit nosey what was the bad experience.


check a thread called "JOHN CENA" in the ufc section of this board


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## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

now I see it will have been nowt personal just roid rage with all 4 of em now once there went back stage and showed each other how much their care for one another every thing would have been fine


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## nal (Nov 10, 2010)

I think we may have cracked it I am taking them to freestyle jujitsu which sounds a bit like MMA the instructor will be cliff pollard :thumb


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