Jenny

We are thinking of signing Josh up for some form of martial arts. Karate, Tae Kwan Doe, something like that.

What is the difference and which would be best for him? He's 5 1/2.

Thanks in advance.

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raimin

tae kwan do is flashy and dynamic and easy to learn, than karate and kung fu...and if he likes the power rangers and jackie chan stuff...it's more freeflowing than karate and kung fu, and currently the most popular for kids

If he is more laid back kinda kid, judo or akido can be more for them

Jenny

He's big into like the jackie chan type stuff (he has watched the Jackie Chan cartoon some. lol). He goes around doing karate chops and yelling, "Hiiii-ya!" or whatever. haha It's cute.

attgig

tae kwon do focus's power in the legs (cuz well, legs are usually more powerful).

I think kung fu gets more flashy than tae kwon do as they learn more.

the forms that they do in taekwon do are very straightforward, and the training they get is very....practical.
kung fu gets into the crazy flying with arms wailing all around. it looks cooler, but less practical imo.

then again, i may be totally wrong about all of this.

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Leon

Well, if he just want to kill people efficiently and effectively, he can try Israeli Krav Maga.

Jenny

hahaha Hopefully he doesn't want to kill ANYONE! Efficiently and effectively or not! haha

bachviet

How about Aikido or Hapkido? I love the forms (not flashy but deadly).

RoniMan

no one does tai chi?

sigh....am i the only one?

there's also jeet kune do
hapkido
tung su do
aikido
judo
ju jitsu
wu shu
ooh, if he wants to be special he can try capoeira! that's the form eddie does on tekken (if you play that game)

not to confuse you or anthing, but there are tons of forms out there. basically what are you looking for for josh?

if he's into it bc his friends are doing it, than whatever his friends are doing will prob work. if you're looking for something that'll teach him discipline, and give him a work out...again, almost any of these will do.

here's a site that breaks down 8 different (more popular) forms. (yay! tai chi is in there) let me know if you need anymore info

Jenny

Thanks guys.

Roniman, that site is great. Basically, at 5 1/2, we really want Josh to get some exercise, start meeting new people (remember, we just moved, so he doesn't know anyone), and give him something he will enjoy. He loves to play karate chop, etc. So nothing fancy, nothing too strenuous, not really serious or anything at this point. Just for fun. (Of course, if it turns out he likes it a lot and is good at it, then it could turn serious, but at 5 1/2, it is just for fun. )

brainsmile

mostly the difference is the origin and the style of attack/defense.

ray

Tai Chi

revil

Personally, I would go with Judo at that age (not that i'm biased or anything... ). Since he's so young, I would worry about his well being and his urge to hit things. In judo there is no hitting, just throws and pins (and when you get higher up, joint locks and more). So that may not interest him since there are no famed "judo chops." And the main reason I say judo is that one of the main principles is "mutual benefit and welfare," meaning you aren't learning judo to hurt people.

Later on when he is more mature and not have the urge to hit things, he could start learning Jujitsu which is really good for self defense and is really simular to Judo.

Another plus is that I've noticed, at least in my area, is that Judo is much cheaper than many other martial arts. For instance, the places I've been to in the portland area charges about $10 to $20 a month for Judo. I haven't really seen any other martial arts for that cheap.

Also, don't let him do tournaments, kids don't have enough control at that age and their bones can easily break. and in tournaments, kids are worried about defeating their opponent, not their welfare. Usually me and a couple of my friends bet on how long until a kid starts to cry in a tournament.

One last thing, Judo is an Olympic sport! Your kid can become an Olympian!

brainsmile

no judo chop??? but but but.... it seems so effective in the movie...


Next absurd statement will be something like no Vulcan nerve pinch

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raimin

I'm all for jujitsu..I've been doing bbj and small circle jujitsu for 4 years now...

Also just started taekwando a few months ago, for fun...

btw...taekwondo is also a olympic sport :wink:

revil

Since when? I thought Judo was the only martial arts in the olympics.

RoniMan

oh come on! no one saw best of the best 4!?

[me ducks]

attgig

that's the best movie ever!

and...you know what jenny? at this age...yeah, who really cares..
sign him up for the most convenient place...the place that's closest to you and the cheapest...
as long as there's some other youngun's in any of those places...it should do.

Jenny

hehe ok, cool. I think I will. The Tae Kwon Do (spelling??) place kind of near us isn't too bad. So I'll check out a few more places, but may decide to do that.

Thanks all.

Chinpoko_Mon

Tae Kwon Do focuses too much on legs.
Karate mainly on strikes.

Personally, I think that Kung-fu/Wu-shu gives a better overall workout. And it's a lot more fun to have a little more variety in your workout. With Wu-shu however, he can eventually choose a discipline he would like focus on. Swords, staff, etc etc.

In any case, I do kinda agree that any of the martial arts as long as you've kinda scoped out the place and maybe go for a visit once or twice to meet with the Si-fu/Sensei/etc etc. At least get a feel for what kind of person he is, just want to be sure that's he's really sincere about teaching. That is MOST important overall.

coleslaw

At that young of an age, I would agree that having Josh participate in the most convenient program to you would be best - as long as this program teaches more of the self-defense techniques and that violence is never an answer. It's not a good idea to let kids think that beating up people is fun. You don't want to get a call from school saying that Josh beat the crap out of some kid because he cut in line for the water fountain.

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Jenny

haha very true, Slaw.

and yeah, Chinpoko (long time no see, btw), we'll go check the places out first.

brainsmile

paging DF Jr

xsiled2

no kidding...

and all this talk of martial arts made me hungery for some chinese....

bachviet

I think Wu-Shu would be good for him also. Both Jet Li and Donnie Yen started out with Wu-Shu in China at young ages.

revil

Jet li has some interesting stories of his wu-shu upbringing on his website. really interesting stuff.

Kevster

I would like to reiterate what Revil has posted earlier on Judo. If Josh wants to learn something, Judo is a very good martial art to learn. Everyone's Judo is different and is tailored to their particular body type. In Judo he will learn balance, control, leverage and confidence (especially around people bigger then he is).

For practical matters it is quite good for self-defense. If anyone has ever been a typical fight (not a hollywood fight!), you know that it devolves into a close-quarters melee in about 2 seconds. Judo and Jujitsu are excellent martial arts for this and can allow someone defending themselves the option of metering out how much damage they want to do to someone with some slight adjustments. You have many options available that range from simply embarrassing someone (so they get the picture real quick) to putting them in the hospital for an extended period of time or the morgue. It all depends on the situation. This is taught rigorously and vehemently in Judo and in the case of your son he would not be taught these techniques until he is mature enough and ready for them.

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Apex

Go watch the classes in all of the studios in your area. The most important thing is a good teacher, regardless of the art. I used to teach Shotokan, once apon a past. Imagine getting a horrible teacher like me.

Kevster

One of the interesting things about Judo is after Shodan (1st black) you learn kicks and punches that are straight from Shotokan Karate.

baggio248

I did BJJ for a while too. It was alot of fun and you learn alot. I went to a Gracie Adademy and they train you to no end. Once you go to the ground, it's all fun and games.