Does it annoy you when people tell you karate is for kids?

[sensei8]

The situation is much akin to an unemployed dropout telling an honour student that studying and going to school is for nerds. What is the merit in listening to people who are not in the least informed enough, let alone qualified to discuss karate? Karate is not any more or less of a children's thing than hockey or baseball or cricket.

People who have this concept of karate or martial arts in general have only the most superficial familiarity with the subject and their shallow opinion is only a reflection of the flawed image propagated by popular culture and the entertainment media. They just repeat what they heard or interpret what they saw in a strip-mall dojo when they happened to walk by during the little dragons class.

This is just one of many arguments for keeping karate a personal secret.

Solid post!!

[armanox]

It does annoy me, but then again a lot of things annoy me.

I once had a student (I at one point taught Sunday School for 6th graders) tell me I was too old for karate. I think their head started spinning when I looked at them and said I was the youngest person in the karate school.

[Kai-M]

Like bushido_man96, I’ve never had this said to me as such (“Karate is for kids”).

But the variation I do hear quite a lot, is from parents, or other adults who say, “oh I’m too old to do something like karate”. That just makes me feel sad, especially when they are younger than me!

I’ve also found that it’s almost impossible to persuade them otherwise. Because the idea (or fear) is so deeply fixed in their head and heart, there’s no way you can overcome it with logical reasoning.

But I still often try because I feel that if someone says this, maybe there’s a part of them which secretly does want to be persuaded otherwise, and that’s why they’re saying it - so it’s always worth a try . . .

[sensei8]

Kids are just one demographics of Karate students!! If Karate was just for kids, as some have suggested, then there'd only be kids in Karate dojo's world wide.

To me, their statement fails to incite, therefore, it's a failed statement!!

Imho!!

[Montana]

Simply, no it doesn't annoy me if people think it's just for kids. Honestly, I don't think that in 40 years since I started, that comment has never been made to me that I remember..but then, I'm old too...memory isn't what it used to be.

[JR 137]

Karate is for kids. It's for adults too.

"I never make the mistake of arguing with people for whose opinions I have no respect."

- Edward Gibbon

I don't bother telling people I don't know very well and/or don't have any reason to seriously discuss anything with. I've heard it said several times, along with comments about how karate and other MA don't really work. Those comments are one in the same as far as I'm concerned. I don't bother getting involved in the conversation.

I told a good friend about me restarting karate, and she had this odd look. Her boyfriend's uncle runs a local McDojo where all they do is kata (no bunkai) and non-contact point fighting. I showed her a Kyokushin tournament video and explained that's how we spar, just not bare knuckle, and that's world-class level competition, whereas we're regular guys. Then the conversation was worthwhile.

[Spartacus Maximus]

People will invariably base their opinion about something on what they have seen or heard most often. If the only aspect of karate they have ever been exposed to is a children's activity, then they think that is karate and all there is to it. The general public has no reason to consider anything else, unless of course they become interested in learning martial arts themselves.

If I were to say that I am an archaeologist, how many people would imagine that I spend my time running around in far away lands looking for golden relics and lost arks like Indiana Jones?

There's no reason to be bothered by people who are only improperly informed on something they have nothing to say about.

[Hawkmoon]

Bet those that say that stuff spend most of their spare time in front of a TV or computer screen.

*cough*

Now THAT'S FUNNY!!

Sadly that is so true!

For me what makes it worse is when someone mentions your past time/hobby/sport whatever you refer to your art as and that third person in that chat looks to you with a wry smile and makes that remark.

I feel bad for my friend who mentioned it because they are happy, maybe proud for me and maybe a little envious of what I do!

I shouldn't do this, but just sometimes a response is needed, sometimes I open Youtube do a search and watch that face turn white! and the smile return, a few seconds later with more nervousness than they wanted to show this time around!

The video called "Elite Kyokushinkai Karate Fighters" on Youtube for example!!

LOL!

[sensei8]

People will invariably base their opinion about something on what they have seen or heard most often. If the only aspect of karate they have ever been exposed to is a children's activity, then they think that is karate and all there is to it. The general public has no reason to consider anything else, unless of course they become interested in learning martial arts themselves.

If I were to say that I am an archaeologist, how many people would imagine that I spend my time running around in far away lands looking for golden relics and lost arks like Indiana Jones?

There's no reason to be bothered by people who are only improperly informed on something they have nothing to say about.

Solid post!!

To the bold type above...

If that's true, and that's why they think that, then I wonder just what do they think about of the ADULT THAT'S TEACHING THE KIDS?!?!?!

[JR 137]

I was reminded of this thread on my way home from the dojo this morning. I pass by 3 MA schools on my way. All 3 advertise to kids. Pretty much every MA school I see ads for is targeting kids. The only MA ads I see targeting adults are for Cardio Kickboxing.

BJJ and MMA ads are pretty much exclusively adult targeted.

Im beginning to think that the stigma has a lot to do with the advertising. Perhaps the ads are catering to the stigma, or they're creating it, or reinforcing it.

I can only speak of my area. No idea what goes on anywhere I haven't been. I have yet to see ads featuring adults sparring or anything else in non-MMA and BJJ ads.