paisley

That is really a good point Big Game about attention spans. My son can concentrate but at 4 there is a limit! I think your method of training is the best for a 4 year old. However, since I don't know MA and my husband has no time to train him although he is a black belt in judo, getting a teacher is our best route IF my son feels comfortable in the environment. I was planning on entering him in judo, but like your class he must be 6 to enter, but I have lots of other choices here that accept 4 year olds so I will be looking into them now. I plan on letting him do a trial lesson and observe first to see how he fits in to determine if it is age appropriate. By the way, here in Japan many dojos require the members to clean the dojo on their hands and knees. Do they do that where you are from?

Actually, no I have not observed both classes. I observed the Tenshinkan class and was impressed with how well disciplined the smallest of children were and how tough they were. The sensei did not seem mean at all yet he got these results and kancho was so humble I had NO idea he was KANCHO until I got home and read some information on his dojo. This impressed me because I did not want an arrogant style of MA for my son. However, that was just one meeting so I can not base my whole opinion on my first impression. Anyway, as nice as the class was, I still had to wonder if it was too much for my four year old at this time. He has just turned four so he is still babyish in that he likes to be near me, and I admit he is not perfectly polished in self discipline yet. I thought MA might help him in this area but I don't want to plunge too deep too fast either. Then I observed another karate class. However, it seemed too lax to me. The children did not even properly bow to the sensei (they bowed but only very casually) and they did not leave the dojo as properly as the Tenshinkan children did. It was a gentle, friendly class which is nice but it was teaching karate wrong in my eyes because they were starting sloppily which can lead to a life long approach to karate as well as other things. I think a children's class can be gentle and kind without being sloppy. I mean, children don't begin piano lesson by being allowed to slouch and rest their wrist on the piano. They are asked to sit up properly. If they start out with slouching, that habit will be hard to break later on and it will also impair their ability to play. The teacher can still give them candy and pat their heads and talk sweetly to them but the basics can not be ignored. I think the same goes for MA especially here in Japan where bowing, showing respect to elders, and exiting a room are very important to show proper respect. Anyway, I hope to observe the judo class next week. There are 5 other classes in my neighborhood I can observe as well so I have a lot to choice from which is why I wanted others opinions since I am not into MA myself.

Kyle, your answer sold me. I am not into MA myself but I do know my son enough to know "rolling around on the floor and wrestling" is just up his alley. I think we will give judo a try. If he then gets serious about MA, I might move him on to another form of MA when he is older. Thank you and I thank everyone else for their useful input as well.

I am looking for a good MA for a 4 year old boy. My friend has suggested judo. What do you think of judo as compared to other forms of Japanese MA (I live in Japan) for 4 year olds? Do you feel judo has any self defense value other than being just a sport? Also, what do you think of Tenshinkan Karate? I am very happy to say Japan's best dojo is in my town and the world chief and creator of Tenshinkan karate runs that dojo. However, the classes are very high level and so professional. The tiny little children are so self disciplined and tough. I wonder if this is too much for a 4 year old?

Thank you for the advise and encouragement. Fortunately in my area, I will have no problem finding a class for my son. I live in a small town in Japan and in my town I have a choice of 8 dojos that I know of in my area not counting dojos outside of my area and in neighboring towns. I don't mind if my son gets tired of MA. However, when he hits Jr. High school he will have no choice as to whether he wants to do it or not because it is mandatory for boys in my town to study judo. As for kinderkarate, we don't have anything like that here. In some dojos, 4 year olds start out with adults and other dojos they have kids classes but the kid classes are real MA classes. They are just sparring with others their own size and age.

Oh, sorry, I thought I was in the Japanese MA section. I must have hit the wrong button. I will repost. Thank you.

I suppose this is this best place for me to post since I live in Japan. I am considering entering my 4 year old son in MA. I was wondering what your opinions are of entering him in judo vs another form of Japanese MA, but not kendo, it is too expensive my friends tell me. Also, do you find judo is a valid form of self-defense or is it just a sport?

I have a very active son who is well coordinated for his age and I am considering entering him in MA. My son is physically tough, he can get hurt without making a big deal out of it or crying, but he is still babyish too in that he does not want to be separated from me. Therefore, I was just wanting the opinion of people based on your personal experience or observations as to whether 4 is a good age to start or not. I would appreciate any thoughts. Thank you.