markr

Thanks for all the replies, a very mixed range of views. I have to say, it was my dad who introduced me to Karate when I was a kid and we were not allowed to grade past 1st kyu until we reached 16 and joined the senior class, I can very much see this view point and to be fair, probably lean towards that myself, young children do not have the maturity required in most cases (on the flip size, if they need to wait 6 years to grade Shodan, how many young karata-ka would we loose?) Having said that, we are in an organisation now that allows grading up to 2nd dan under 21 years so I feel if he is ready (big question!) then I should not hold him back; I agree with the car driving comment, only way for him to overcome his fear is to do more Kumite, it's a shame that Jiyu and free-sparring are not part of regular training so I will need to do this at home I think - I was worried that me being twice his size could not help but I'm thinking on my knees (and him with body armour initially) so I can't overpower him will give him a bit of confidence to work on his techniques (and I can start introducing a tap or two with my mitts Thanks for the advice, I think we will see what he is like nearer the grading; I'm a big advocate of breezing the grading through preparation rather than scraping through and not really been good enough for the belt. Mark.

Hi, My son is training for his 1st Dan at the moment which he hopes to take in February, he is working hard and has good technique in his basics and kata. However, for his black belt, he will be required to take part in kumite, this is the first time he has had to do it in a grading and it's not something that is focussed on in the dojo. His technique is okay, but he is very scared of getting hit/injured (he is 10), whenever we do either kumite or Jiyu in the dojo, as soon as he is attacked he pretty much backs off rapidly (not quite running, but he does tend to turn his back and move very quickly); this is the same when he is attacking, he will issue the attack and then retreat quickly to avoid getting hit. He is a good karate-ka, loves kata competitions (which is great for his confidence) and has brought home a number of medals, his fear of fighting though will prevent him getting his black belt which he has been working hard for all year. I'm a 2nd Dan myself and have had some 'war wounds' so I can understand his trepidation, I was just wondering if this had happened in your dojos (I can't believe he is alone in this as a young child) and how you managed to build their confidence enough to hold his own - training techniques, psychology? All suggestions welcome! Thanks Mark.