Extracurriculars

[Thirteen]

We are considering a martial art for DS5 as his initial foray into after school activities.

I was an overscheduled kid, and I really wanted to avoid that for my children.

Have you practiced a martial art, and what one would recommend for little people?
We have one in mind, but I'd like to get opinions here.


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[scrub-jay]

Extracurriculars

*edited* We are partial to aikido for its emphasis on subduing someone, not on aggression. DH trained for years, so we're biased for sure. We had one bad experience with a dojo (apathetic Sensei) but we're looking for a different one, until then DH is working with our DD. 😊

[rufflesanddots]

I did taekwondo for 5 years--got my first degree black belt.

My brother was the first one in my family to start training. My parents picked it for him because it wasn't a team sport and he could progress at his own pace. Our instructor also was willing to work with him/my parents on accommodating his disabilities while still expecting a whole lot from him.

I joined a year or so later. Then my parents. For years our weeknights and weekends were TKD. We went to tournaments all the time and made some really close friends at our studio. I loved it!

What I think it helped me with most was learning respect, perseverance, and quiet confidence. I also learned how to talk to adults without being intimidated (I outranked many of them!).

I quit in middle school after our instructor branched out into a new style due to some drama (ATA to WTF, I think, if it matters). Got involved with field hockey and other stuff, but I really remember my martial arts time very fondly. Highly recommend!

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[spotty_dog]

My kids do Uechi Ryu karate. I chose it because I wanted a dojo with a legitimate tie to a traditional martial art, the whole lineage of "my sensei's sensei back to the beginning" thing, mostly just because I think that's a cool source of culture and history. I also chose it because another kid's mom recommended the sensei heartily as a good provider of character training. (There are very few choices in my area, anyway.) It turns out as a bonus that Uechi Ryu is fundamenally a defensive style. It is built around the premise of being able to move out of the way of a strike, and to produce a counterstrike that uses the enemy's force against them. The practice is mostly about performing a few traditional kata and sparring sequences, and the sensei also incorporates lots of self-defense (eg. "Avoid dangerous places, which is anywhere that your parents don't know where you are") and character formation (eg. "traits of a black belt include perseverence and gratitude"). The junior black belts who come through this dojo are really wonderful, polite, generous young people and I'm excited for my kids to join their ranks. They talk a LOT about the history of the style, and DS especially enjoys memorizing everything from what crop the founder's parents grew on Okinawa, to what the name of his sensei's dog is, LOL.

The American who brought Uechi Ryu (one of three closely related Okinawan karate styles) to the US actually lives in a little town called Mount Dora, and as a result there is a higher density of teachers in this relatively rare style near there. (He originally brought the style to Boston, and the highest density is there. By contrast, ours is the only teacher in our state.) Just so ya know.

We started DS at 6 with once weekly classes. DD was eager to get started, so I think we started her at 5 in the pre-karate program, which introduced some moves but centered on a lot of fun and a little self-control. It has been an amazing experience for them both, and I am not sure DD would have nearly the self confidence she has if she hadn't been through it. I've seen wonderful development from some impulsive kids too.

[Thirteen]

Today DS5 is going to observe/possibly participate (should he want to) in a kung fu class. It's Wah Lum (Northern Mantis) style with Tam Tui (leg movements) blended in. The class is 3-7 yrs, then they get bumped up into 8-12 yr old kids class. Sparring is optional, but not required.

I am hoping this might be a good fit for us -- he can do 1-3 45 min practices a week, depending on our schedule/price options.


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[Thirteen]

DS1 is now working on jiu jitsu forms at home with DH. It’s all based on play, and he loves the one on one time with his dad.

I like not driving far far away in traffic.


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