son and martial arts muai thai

[Harveyboy]

can anyone who has had their children do martial arts  give me a idea of what age they will let them begin tks 

Edited November 27, 2020 by Harveyboy
forgot something

[nikmar]

I once asked at a gym when my son was a toddler and they said , I think, 10. not sure but they didnt recommend really young kids.

 

I started my 13 yr old in muay Thai classes about 18 months ago in order to give him some excercise and even a few skills. it was a good age to start as he enjoys it and is toning up a bit.

 

for what it's worth, the class he goes to do give classes to kids around 5- I ve seen them - but its not serious and it's basically giving the kids a sense of balance and movement. Shorter lessons as well. 

[Harveyboy]

5 minutes ago, nikmar said:

I once asked at a gym when my son was a toddler and they said , I think, 10. not sure but they didnt recommend really young kids.

 

I started my 13 yr old in muay Thai classes about 18 months ago in order to give him some excercise and even a few skills. it was a good age to start as he enjoys it and is toning up a bit.

 

for what it's worth, the class he goes to do give classes to kids around 5- I ve seen them - but its not serious and it's basically giving the kids a sense of balance and movement. Shorter lessons as well. 

thanks mate ..i was actually looking for that  keep fit learn how to look after them selves and get them off the bloomin ipad..my one son is at football academy..  not interested in martial arts but id like to start and plan something for my other son a little later tks again

[nikmar]

You're very welcome.

My kid tried football academy but didnt really enjoy it. He loves the boxing as it's a one on one thing. They push him pretty hard so it's good in the sense that he 's learnt how to give a bit more. 

 

My one concern is that he now knows how to proper kick someone and as he's tall, he could really kick a classmates head clean off.

[Harveyboy]

9 minutes ago, nikmar said:

You're very welcome.

My kid tried football academy but didnt really enjoy it. He loves the boxing as it's a one on one thing. They push him pretty hard so it's good in the sense that he 's learnt how to give a bit more. 

 

My one concern is that he now knows how to proper kick someone and as he's tall, he could really kick a classmates head clean off.

but good to know that if he needs to defend himself he can.. all down to discipline ..and control..will make others think twice before picking on him  eh kids can be cruel..ok mate hope he continues do and enjoy it tks

[Pedrogaz]

About 75 yo sounds right to me. There's enough violence to be had in Thailand already.

[scorecard]

18 hours ago, nikmar said:

You're very welcome.

My kid tried football academy but didnt really enjoy it. He loves the boxing as it's a one on one thing. They push him pretty hard so it's good in the sense that he 's learnt how to give a bit more. 

 

My one concern is that he now knows how to proper kick someone and as he's tall, he could really kick a classmates head clean off.

How sweet.

[Bob12345]

I have been looking at this also and found muay thai can be started at age 6 and i found a taekwondo gym where kids can start at age 4.

 

My kids will turn 4 in a month so i am planning to send them to taekwondo so they can try it out. A friend has her kid there also (he is now 6) and has found a good way to burn off energy. The place i looked at is small but offers unlimited classes per month for a fixed fee which sounds interesting.

 

As someone else already mentioned, at that age it will be mostly playing, balance, and movement patterns. No sparring, clinching, or kicking wooden boards.

[Lacessit]

About 12 is a good age. I'd recommend it as teaching self-discipline as well as the physical fitness side.

My son never had much interest in sport, until he came across my old Judo uniform in a trunk. Hooked after his first lesson, he is now a Third Dan in  muay thai. It changed him from an insecure child to someone with self-confidence.

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, Harveyboy said:

can anyone who has had their children do martial arts  give me a idea of what age they will let them begin tks 

Enroll him as soon as he shows an interest.

His physical status and personal ability will dictate at what level and speed he can develop

[Beachdude]

 My son is nine and in his 4 th year in Kung <deleted>. He started out when it was offered as an extra in his school. There are many young children involved and the master is very calm and understanding with them.At this stage it’s mainly about agility, balancing, mental,and physical discipline. 
not much rough stuff. 
Much depends on the teacher since , as we all know who have had kids in sports , there are a lot of nutters  out there who yell and scream at young kids and turn them off. 
I did  some MMA until my back gave out so know a little about it but would not involve my son in anything like the brutal Muay Thai. A friend of mine with a black belt in judo says that Kung <deleted> is the best for young kids and can be followed profitably for a very long time.

So my answer is that kids can be started at a very young age but much depends on the particular discipline and the individual teacher. 

[polpott]

My son started Taekwondo at the age of 5. Now 8 and loves it. Difference between Taekwondo and Muay Thai is that Taekwondo is formally taught as a form of self defence which is drilled into the students. Not so much with Muay Thai. 

[TKDfella]

(I have no experience in Muay Thai) A lot depends on the child and build. However, having taught all ages, children from about 4 years old is a good start. The main idea is to keep that natural flexibility that most children have. Having flexibility one can then build gradually on the muscle/strength ratio to grow with the flexibility. This is especially true true of today's Tae Kwon Do (TKD) and similar martial arts (Choi Kwang Do etc.) as they are incorporating more acrobatics for high kicks, jump twist/spinning kicks and the like for demos. Without the flexibility speed and agility can be very limited. Very young children need to be taught in a children's class which allows them to engage with other children and also helps to keep their concentration.

When considering TKD please be reminded that there are 3 main types, <deleted>, ITF and MDK (ITF is outlawed in S.Korea but flourishes in other countries, particularly the US.) <deleted> and ITF patterns are different and have different aims. For example, the first three patterns of <deleted> use an ordinary 'walking stance' that is intended to prepare the student for a 'natural' combat posture and competition while the first of the ITF patterns don't have that natural stance. However, ITF patterns can be more demanding in later patterns. MDK has a mixture of <deleted> patterns (which includes the older patterns) and the patterns of  Korean Tang Soo Do (Soo Bak Do). The latter was much influenced by Karate.

Always check out a couple schools first as instructors have different methods. Take myself for example; (my students taught all 3 styles, <deleted>, ITF & MDK) I tend to teach the full classical technique of a move in the lower grades so that the shorter techniques, as used in competition/combat, are no problem. Another instructor might prefer the reverse. A good 'warm up' and 'warm down' are essential and each should be no less than 10 minutes but with young children it is often a good idea for these to be more 'game-like'. In short, a child's first instructor is very important so it is worth the time to choose one suitable for any given child, always assuming a choice is available.

[fabruer]

I started martial arts at age 8: ITF Tae Kwon Do.

Age 14 I switched to Muay Thai. Competed in both arts.

 

Can recommend Mantis Martial Arts which is a Bangkok based, Internationally certified Kids Martial Arts Club:

 

https://mantisbkk.com/

 

https://m.facebook.com/Mantisbkk/

 

They do regular outdoor camps as well, from what I see parents and kids feedback seems to be great on those.

 

 

Edited November 28, 2020 by fabruer

[connda]

Training can start at any age.  Full contact needs to wait.  Brain damage is just a fact of life in martial arts.  Protecting a child during formative years is important.  Just my humble opinion.
You may want to introduce grappling skills as opposed to striking skill earlier which allows your child to develop a board mix-martial arts base.  Wean into the striking later.  Had I to do it over again I would have developed boxing skills and Brazilian Jujutsu at a much younger age as opposed to karate/kung-<deleted> and aikido route that I ended up following when I was young.  Perfect 20/20 hindsight..  One set are effective fighting techniques; the other not so much. 

[pizzachang]

Training children may fall into 2 categories, in my experience. One is the natural physical ability and the other is the focus ability or attention span. Generally, children do better in groups. Some,  display natural physical ability at an early age but around 8 to 10 for boys and 6 to 10 for girls, I would say a rational decision could be made for training. Prior to those ages, probably less likely that natural ability is pronounced enough to be noticed as 'better than average'. Focus is much more apparent. The younger the child(in general) the shorter the span, but some stand out. Much of the "martial art" training for really young kids seems to be in general physical movements and games oriented toward the skills that will be needed. I've taught Olympic style fencing for many years and I prefer 9 years for boys and 8 for girls as the basic starting ages. There are exceptions of course but coaches quickly notice this and should "advise" parents. There is a difference in "old school" and "new school" techniques, partly because many parents consider old school rigor as cruel; the new style is more of a way of pleasing parents, combined with keeping the attention of distracted young people. There is no evidence to prove that very young children can't be forced to learn, but parents ultimately decide how much is good. Just my opinion. 

[Harveyboy]

thanks to all some good feedback  a lot of comments on issues of contact which i agree must wait till much later  its to learn him more of bonding .. mateship and self discipline i was thinking of  hid brother is at football academy ...great to see kids out doing something rather than i phone or tv ..thanks again ...  

[Baerboxer]

On 11/28/2020 at 10:39 AM, polpott said:

My son started Taekwondo at the age of 5. Now 8 and loves it. Difference between Taekwondo and Muay Thai is that Taekwondo is formally taught as a form of self defence which is drilled into the students. Not so much with Muay Thai. 

 

That's very different to the UK then. Taekwodo has gone almost totally sports sparring/competition in the UK with far too little emphasis on the self defence and art side.

 

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend anyone younger than 10/11 starting any martial art personally. At some clubs in the UK parents used it just like a creche so they could go shopping! If you are happy, then fair enough. But the instructor must know what he/she is doing both with the martial art and understanding how children's muscles and bones develop. 

 

 

[polpott]

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

That's very different to the UK then. Taekwodo has gone almost totally sports sparring/competition in the UK with far too little emphasis on the self defence and art side.

 

Having said that, I wouldn't recommend anyone younger than 10/11 starting any martial art personally. At some clubs in the UK parents used it just like a creche so they could go shopping! If you are happy, then fair enough. But the instructor must know what he/she is doing both with the martial art and understanding how children's muscles and bones develop. 

 

 

My son does it at school. A professional instructor is brought in and all in the class are of the same age group.