questions about karate training for children

[williamdd]

I have some questions about karate training in general. I have 2 children in karate, ages 8 and 10, whose interest seems to come and go. We have them in other sports as well, but they are not very athletically inclined; ie. not very competitive, not very motivated, not terribly gifted. We encourage them for other reasons; social, fitness, learning team dynamics.

We are in a private class in Virginia, and they have made it about half way through the belts. The classes aren't cheap, so it's a financial investment for us, but we've started to question whether or not the kids will be able to finish. The instructor has told us that the lower belts are achieved pretty consistently, one after the other, but that the upper three or four belts require more time, and the time required to achieve each belt varies more person to person.

As a parent who has never done this before, I don't understand a lot about the process. I'm trying to figure out if our kids really can finish, if they have the physical ability and maturity level to make it to brown or black belt. I want them to have a good experience, sense of accomplishment, and I'm worried about pushing them for the next couple of years (they've been taking lessons for about four years now) if it's not practical. I'm also concerned of course about the money spent (1 class per week; about $5000 per year), if they will only plateau near the top.

My question is this. Most sports and hobbies, I think you can pretty well describe what will be learned, lesson by lesson, month by month, level by level, and what will be expected in order to advance. There's certain techniques in basketball, football, baseball, etc. Certain drills you need to do, rules you have to remember, etc. If you learn a musical instrument, you need to understand certain music theory, scales, read by sight, etc. Like these other things, is kid's karate (as opposed to adult karate) a sport where the next several levels/belts can be layed out for me, lesson by lesson, belt by belt, so I can try to figure out whether or not my kids will be physically and mentally able to finish the last few belts? Or is it more of an aesthetic sort of thing, where they either get it or not (which is what I'm guessing I'd expect more from adult karate)? Are there standards for achieving the different kid's belts that are recognized by all instructors, or is it different from one instructor to the next? If we needed to switch instructors, in order to find a class that was less demanding but more feasible for our kids, do their accomplishments carry over from one instructor to the next, or would they need to start out from scratch? And, how physically fit does a child need to be in order to complete a brown or black belt?

Thanks for any help that you can offer!

[skullsplitter]

I'm also a dad of a young martial artist. The first thing that jumps out me is the $100 a week for a lesson. That seems very high.

Our school does give the black belt out to kids which I know can be a touchy subject sometimes and personally I'm still not sold on the idea even though my son did earn his.

I'd suggest that the belts not be your main focus. When my son started the black belt was probably his 3rd priority. We focused first on physical and mental conditioning, second on confidence, and then on belt progression. Maybe I'm not wording all this correctly, but we just didn't worry all that much over the black belt.

The requirements too are different from school to school and disciplne to discipline. Kids also will progress at different rates.

My boy is starting year 6 of karate and frequently talks of his future in karate. He wants to teach. He wants to master bo. He wants to learn sword. Talk to him about his other sports (baseball, football, and basketball) and he's not even sure he will play next year.

Maybe a good test for you kids is this. Give them a week or 2 away from karate. See if they miss it. If not, then maybe they are just are not into it.

[sensei8]

I have some questions about karate training in general. I have 2 children in karate, ages 8 and 10, whose interest seems to come and go. We have them in other sports as well, but they are not very athletically inclined; ie. not very competitive, not very motivated, not terribly gifted. We encourage them for other reasons; social, fitness, learning team dynamics.

Children's interests change as often as the wind. In the martial arts, one needs motivation more than being athletic inclined or competitve or being gifted. Your kids must WANT to do the martial arts. You must continue to support and encourage and believe in them everyday and in every step of the way. The martial arts isn't for everyone because it's difficult, and it's suppose to be.

We are in a private class in Virginia, and they have made it about half way through the belts. The classes aren't cheap, so it's a financial investment for us, but we've started to question whether or not the kids will be able to finish. The instructor has told us that the lower belts are achieved pretty consistently, one after the other, but that the upper three or four belts require more time, and the time required to achieve each belt varies more person to person.

Well, I've some bad news for you. Martial arts training will never end, therefore, they'll never finish. If in finishing you mean earning a black belt will be the finish line, well, the accomplishment of earning a black belt is huge in any martial artists life, but, taking the martial arts for the sake of earning belts isn't a good reason. And for that reason, if it is for that reason, then you're missing the forest because of the trees. Again, earning the belts is suppose to be difficult and it's suppose to take some time and it's not suppose to be the reason for learning the martial arts.

Imagine if your were to rush your kids through school. That would be detrimental to their educational growth. Same thing in the martial arts; nurture their martial arts growth for that will be to the betterment of them in the long run. They shouldn't be concerned with how long it'll take, only that they train hard everyday.

Keep your kids on their martial arts journey, and in the long run, you'll be glad that you did.

As a parent who has never done this before, I don't understand a lot about the process. I'm trying to figure out if our kids really can finish, if they have the physical ability and maturity level to make it to brown or black belt. I want them to have a good experience, sense of accomplishment, and I'm worried about pushing them for the next couple of years (they've been taking lessons for about four years now) if it's not practical. I'm also concerned of course about the money spent (1 class per week; about $5000 per year), if they will only plateau near the top.

The financial burden can't be overlooked because it's the reality of the many, many years of martial arts training. The economic downturn has taken its toll upon us all in one way, shape, and/or form. Imho, the martial arts is a want, and not a need. I don't need the martial arts to survive but I need food and shelter and the like. If the financial burden is to much, then stop your kids from taking the martial arts until your finances allow it. Sometimes, as parents, we have to make tough and unforseen decisions, and in that, our kids don't fully understand as to the reasons.

The process of the martial arts is akin to your kids' regular school; one grade at a time, no matter how long it takes to complete each grade. That's the martial arts, as far as the belts are concerned, in a nutshell. Knowledge is paramount in the martial arts, not the belts!!

Practical? Do you think that your kids are learning how to defend themselves? If not, then voice your concerns with their instructor. If they are, then it's worth it and it's practical. But in order to be good at anything it'll take a lot of training and a lot of time.

My question is this. Most sports and hobbies, I think you can pretty well describe what will be learned, lesson by lesson, month by month, level by level, and what will be expected in order to advance. There's certain techniques in basketball, football, baseball, etc. Certain drills you need to do, rules you have to remember, etc. If you learn a musical instrument, you need to understand certain music theory, scales, read by sight, etc. Like these other things, is kid's karate (as opposed to adult karate) a sport where the next several levels/belts can be layed out for me, lesson by lesson, belt by belt, so I can try to figure out whether or not my kids will be physically and mentally able to finish the last few belts?

Again, speak your concerns with their instructor. You keep speaking about "FINISH" as though that's the most important element of the martial arts, when it's not! Although, if black belt is 'your' goal for your kids, then your kids won't learn what's important from the martial arts, and that is, KNOWLEDGE!! Black belt isn't the end, it's only the beginning!

Or is it more of an aesthetic sort of thing, where they either get it or not (which is what I'm guessing I'd expect more from adult karate)?

Karate is karate, please forget about the adult karate and the kid karate stuff. And yes, it's an aesthetic sort of thing, where they either get it or they don't. Each martial artists reaches their AHA moment many times, over and over, while on their martial arts journey. The martial arts isn't for everyone because it's difficult across the board.

Are there standards for achieving the different kid's belts that are recognized by all instructors, or is it different from one instructor to the next?

It's not so much different from one instructor to another within the same style, but, it's different from one style to another! Instructors in the same style teach differently, yet, the instructors reach the same goals for their students within the By-Laws of the governing body. In that, not all instructors of the same style are always on the same page because not all instructors teach the same, and in that, not all instructors have interpretated the same style the same way.

Not all black belts can teach!!

If we needed to switch instructors, in order to find a class that was less demanding but more feasible for our kids, do their accomplishments carry over from one instructor to the next, or would they need to start out from scratch?

Within the same style, yes, for the most! Although, if you were to switch from one style to another, well, that's a big NO!! If you go from one Shotokan instructor to another Shotokan instructor, your rank should transfer unabridged. However, if you go from Shotokan to Tae Kwon Do or even Goju-ryu, then you're going to have to start from white belt because you'd have no prior experience with TKD or Goju-ryu.

And, how physically fit does a child need to be in order to complete a brown or black belt?

By the time a practitioner reaches brown or black belt, they should already be physically fit to compete as a brown/black belt because by the time they've earned a brown belt, they would've been in their style for several years already.

Good luck and I wish you and your kids the very best!!

[joesteph]

We are in a private class in Virginia, and they have made it about half way through the belts. . . .

I'm . . . concerned of course about the money spent (1 class per week; about $5000 per year), if they will only plateau near the top.

Why are your children taking private classes? Do you feel that this is the better way for them to achieve a higher belt than in a regular class, that in a regular class their needs won't be met?

The cost for private lessons would be anyone's concern.

My children are special needs and are the only two in their class, so their teacher is doing this ("Courage Club") because she feels it's the right thing to do. She charges no more than for regular students, and it's twice a week. They're 8, going on 9 this month, and the price has been the same for the past three years.

I suggest transfering them to a regular class, learning with fellow students their age. Sharing lessons with others can be the motivator you want, due to its social aspect.

[brickshooter]

I have some questions about karate training in general. I have 2 children in karate, ages 8 and 10, whose interest seems to come and go. We have them in other sports as well, but they are not very athletically inclined; ie. not very competitive, not very motivated, not terribly gifted. We encourage them for other reasons; social, fitness, learning team dynamics.

We are in a private class in Virginia, and they have made it about half way through the belts. The classes aren't cheap, so it's a financial investment for us, but we've started to question whether or not the kids will be able to finish. The instructor has told us that the lower belts are achieved pretty consistently, one after the other, but that the upper three or four belts require more time, and the time required to achieve each belt varies more person to person.

As a parent who has never done this before, I don't understand a lot about the process. I'm trying to figure out if our kids really can finish, if they have the physical ability and maturity level to make it to brown or black belt. I want them to have a good experience, sense of accomplishment, and I'm worried about pushing them for the next couple of years (they've been taking lessons for about four years now) if it's not practical. I'm also concerned of course about the money spent (1 class per week; about $5000 per year), if they will only plateau near the top.

My question is this. Most sports and hobbies, I think you can pretty well describe what will be learned, lesson by lesson, month by month, level by level, and what will be expected in order to advance. There's certain techniques in basketball, football, baseball, etc. Certain drills you need to do, rules you have to remember, etc. If you learn a musical instrument, you need to understand certain music theory, scales, read by sight, etc. Like these other things, is kid's karate (as opposed to adult karate) a sport where the next several levels/belts can be layed out for me, lesson by lesson, belt by belt, so I can try to figure out whether or not my kids will be physically and mentally able to finish the last few belts? Or is it more of an aesthetic sort of thing, where they either get it or not (which is what I'm guessing I'd expect more from adult karate)? Are there standards for achieving the different kid's belts that are recognized by all instructors, or is it different from one instructor to the next? If we needed to switch instructors, in order to find a class that was less demanding but more feasible for our kids, do their accomplishments carry over from one instructor to the next, or would they need to start out from scratch? And, how physically fit does a child need to be in order to complete a brown or black belt?

Thanks for any help that you can offer!

$5,000 is a bit steep for two kids.

But I think that the whole point of martial arts training is training. The theory is that one can take a kid with little physical and mental toughness and make them tougher with martial arts training. If your kids stink at physical fitness, the martial arts will make them better. And they can take that better physical fitness and apply it to other sports.

Conclusion - find a cheaper school. And allow martial arts training to make your kids stronger, develop more toughness, and give your kids more discipline.

[todome]

...Why are your children taking private classes?...

I wasn't going to bring it up but I'm glad you did. At the risk of creating thread-drift I'll back you up on that. If they're not learning to fit in to a dojo kun and aren't enjoying the taste of class spirit, they're missing out.

[Soheir]

Solid post from sensei8.

'get to the finish'?

"It is good to have an end to journey towards but , it is the journey that matters in the end."(Ursula K.) LeGuin

[bushido_man96]

I agree, and have seen in the past that many parents view black belt as the finish line in children MAs. This is disappointing, but many parents feel this way.

If you think your kids won't be interested, then dragging them along won't be good for anyone involved. So discuss with them, too, and see what they want and feel like doing.

As for a curriculum, most schools should have something that is laid out, or some idea of what they look for in advancing from one step to the next. Sit and talk with the instructor about this. If the instructor is unwilling to discuss this with you, then I'd call that a red flag, and maybe start seeking other places.

Best of luck!

[brickshooter]

I think that one of the primary reasons that children like the martial arts is that their friends are doing it too. It's recreational and social.

So putting them in private classes may take all the fun out of the martial arts, which explains why they may be losing interest in it.

Actually, as an adult I also get bored if I have to train in too small a class.

[SeishanGirl]

You might want to consider moving to a different club. The one you are currently at sounds awfully expensive - no offence intended if your Sensei uses this site - and it might do your kids some good to see themselves as part of a class, rather than a private lesson. They will make friends who may be fairly competitive, which will probably give your children some drive to try and improve. It's not all about getting the black belt, and if I were you I would just take it step by step. Karate improves many things about a person, child or adult. I started when I was nine years old, and I got my 1st Dan Black Belt four years later. Determination and hard work got me there, as well as the drive to be competitive. You will also find that moving to a group class will be much, much cheaper and possibly more effective. I hope this helped, and I hope it works out for you and your kids! Happy Training!