How young is TOO young?

[anewmmafan]

it is up to the 5 year old to learn karate. If you see in the first classes that hes just goofing off, or just not interested in it wait until he/she gets a little older then ask him/her if he/she wants to try out karate again.

 

with age limit, there's muay thai fighters in thailand who started training when they were 5-8, by the time they are 15 they become professional.

 

Also if you search on the internet you will find videos of kids as young as 4 years old doing amazing martial arts moves.

[Luckykboxer]

We have several 5-6 year olds at my school.

 

The key is if he is interested and if he is willing to learn to focus.

 

If he cant pay attention at all it will be rougher on everyone.

 

Also if he does be supportive, make sure he practices out of the studio, and dont pressure him to go for that next belt, let the instructors decide when he is ready.

 

I have seen too many parents that push thier young children into going for the next belt as soon as they can and it makes the child miserable, and can many times make the instructors and the parents uncomfortable as well.

 

KArate is a great sport for children though, I am always amazed at the changes i see int he kids

[Batman]

as long as the kid is mature enough to pay attention, follow orders, and want to be there then it's all good

[BJJShotoshe]

Well, I do not have a child of my own, but I have taught many young children in karate, starting at the age of four. I don't know how it is in anyone elses' Dojo, but we have this program called "Lil' Tigers". This is a program that is made for children between the ages of 4 and 6. In this program it helps them get ready for thier OFFICIAL yellow belts. Until they turn 7 they are promoted with many stripes on one belt and all of thier belts have black stripes down the middle. there are quite a few belts. If they just happen to go throught the belts quickly, it is proven that they are ready to start learning kata and some sparring. I hope this helps a bit. I know it did not directly address your question. It think your child is old enough, as long as he gets the correct type of training.

[bigpopparob2000]

I think the best thing you could do is let your child try it for a month before you shell out the dollars for a long committment. Nearly any child can be on his/her best behavior for a few classes and come off as exceptionally mature tyke. After the first handful of classes, you should know what his demeanor is going to be like in the dojo.

 

If he has the maturity, then that's wonderful. If not, then your just wasting your money and your kid's time. Not to mention the ordeal the instructor will have to endure. It only takes one bad apple to ruin the bunch. You get one kid in class who wants to goof off, and it spreads like wild fire so that all the kids want to goof off. Allowing your child to train when he isn't ready wouldn't be fair to anyone.

[torris]

My youngest is 6. She is picking it up faster than her older siblings. However, she, like her siblings, seems to slack off a bit when it comes to at home praticing. She will only practice if I practice with her. That isnt terribly a problem, but I hope somewhere, that it actually "clicks" with her.

 

At 6, she has the perfect headstart to go where ever she wants with this.

[bluetiger]

We signed my youngest son up when he was 6 (he's 7 now). He absolutely loves it, but I think a lot of that has to do with the dojo.

 

We have a program call Lil' Ninjas that is designed for 4-6 year olds. When they are 7 they join the juniors class. There are also several different programs that the kids can get involved with.

 

As long as they are interested and make a good effort, let them go for it.

[SoulAssassin]

no age is to young.. when they are young you just have to teach the right an the wrong.. i heard shaolin monks start training as young as 3yrs old

[47MartialMan]

I think 5 is a bit young to be starting in martial arts, but it does depend on the physical and mental maturity of the kid.

 

I agree.

 

But I disagree with anyone having a Black Belt under 15-17

[HongKongPhooey]

IMHO, the two best things to keep a 5 y/o interested and on the right track are 1) having a sensei who can mix the discipline and training regimen with having fun, and 2) having one or both parents standing next to the child in class wearing their Gi and going through the same training.

 

As for 5 years of age being too young, I joined with my 5 y/o son several months ago and we're having a blast! Our sensei is great - he's strict when he needs to be and just when the kids are starting to get restless with a lesson (it's an hour class), we'll do something fun like our version of "whack-a mole" to practice blocks (or duck walking back to the line after a movement, which is murder on my knees!)

 

We test for our yellow belts in about two weeks, and after practicing in our garage, he knows the kata better than most of the other kids who are 2-3 years older! Not to pat myself on the back, but I think it's like any other activity with a young child - parental involvement and positive reinforcement is the key!