Who here fights ?

Glad to see this thread back up here!

Judo should be great for children. One thing, it can help establish a sense of respect in them as many of the traditional martial arts go.

Secondly, how many times have you tripped or fell? Judo, as with Aikido and many other of the throwing or projecting martial arts helps people deal with the concept of falling (and therefore balance) much much better.

A fella I knew was in his 50's, black belt in Aikido. He was fixing shingles on his roof when he fell... thankfully he did a perfect breakfall and escaped with minor injuries (and a soiled pair of undies).

Vaughn, you might want to check out the local college for martial arts classes? Other times at gyms and such, you might be able to find someone interested in MA that can help you train. If you check out mixedmartialarts.com, you might very well find places to train at or people to train with in your area.

Good luck!
 
Here's the question, which is not related to the above: How valuable is the garden variety judo school as an introduction to MA for small children? (6-12 yrs)
Click to expand...

Anybody else gonna take a whack at my question?

I wuz kinna hopin some of the more knowledgeable here would weigh in on this...
 
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" Here's the question, which is not related to the above: How valuable is the garden variety judo school as an introduction to MA for small children? (6-12 yrs)"

Excellent. Judo was originally developed for students in Japan, incorporating techniques that are well suited for a child. I did Karate and Tae Kwan Do from 9 to 11, never really like either. The techniques and katas are too complicated for children to be truly effective. Judo is perfect, it's simple, the focus is on maintaining balance and using your opponents force against himself. When you see young kids fighting it almost always ends up in holds and postures where Judo would be effective. Your child is less likely to be injured during Judo and the focus on balance will not only help in other sports (wrestling, football especially), but would be great if he decided to move onto another art.
 
Thanks, AteaM!

Any pointers on choosing a school? My goal would be to start them on a road of fitness, both simple physical fitness and fitness for self defense.
 
I have a black belt in Shotokan. I originally started my son in Karate because of the love I have for it. I quickly learned that this very formal, disciplined art is not for kids both mentally and physically. Their minds and bodies are not capable at the age of 8-10 of learning this art. It is just too much.

My son loves Judo and is doing well. Believe it or not, all the Japanese rigid formal discipline in Shotokan is not a requirement to be a good fighter. It is good to be disciplined. But, it does not necessarily equal good fighting. I remember all the seriousness of Karate and laugh now. Yelling kiai, single punches to downed opponents, ect.. Almost all the blue belts in my BJJ class would wipe the floor up with the Karate guys.
 
Here's the question, which is not related to the above: How valuable is the garden variety judo school as an introduction to MA for small children? (6-12 yrs)
Click to expand...

Captain,

Here is my $.02. I would say that more important than the style you pick is the schools philosophy in how and what they teach the kids. Some schools use MA to teach disipline, respect, and self-confidence. Others, as Dave pointed out, only teach the art and may not be good for smaller children. I would look for a school that is not rigidly traditional and ask what their goals for the kids are. Visit at least three schools, watch a class or two, and ask lots of questions. If the instructor won't let you watch, or doesn't like you asking a bunch of questions, it's probably not the place you want to take your kids. Hope this helps.

David
 
Dave, I looked into a school for myself a few years back. The instructor seemed to have impressive credentials, but wouldn't let me watch a class. I didn't like that, so I left.

Few months later, the school folded. I think there's a connection.



Thanks for the tips, all!
 
"Any pointers on choosing a school?"

There's a really good check list about selecting a general martial arts school, but I don't know the website off hand. Hmm, Things to check for

First, make an appointment with the school during the time they have their children's class or peak hour. Make sure you see the head instructor personally. How the head instructor conducts himself is key to determining the quality of the school. Was he on time ? Courteous ? Professional ? Did he seem to be rushing you in to buy uniforms or sign some lengthy contract ? Was he genuinely interested in your child or unconcerned ?

After that, check out the facility, is it clean ? Are there many student's your childs age training ? Do they seem focused and interested or are they goofing off ? Do they have some shmoe teaching the children's class or a qualified instructor ?

Belts, trophies and other bogus stuff are just there to impress. Ignore them. You want a school where they are genuinely interested in your child and are not just putting him/her through the paces in a half assed fashion. At the end of your visist, talk to some of the other parents, find out how long they've been going there and if they have tried any other schools. Also, find out the Judo association for your state and see if they are certified. Certification isn't so important, but it's kind of like dealing with the BBB, you'll find out if they have any black marks on their record.

The flip side of no dedication from the instructors is an overbearing instructor who screams and gets mad at the kids. Your child should be having fun while he learns, any school that goes overboard with the discipline should be avoided. You should be able to determine that level for yourself just by watching.
 
cAP'N h.

Sorry, haven't had a chance to check TFL for almost a week.

My personal take on it? Should young folks take judo, garden variety? I definitely think they should learn basic falls and throws. In the old days (1960's) we took about a year to learn falling, falling , and more falling(self-falling and being thrown from every imaginable throw that the black belts could try.) We learned basic leg trips and scoops until our shins were black and blue. Then we learned counter moves...how to stop these attempted throws.

Only problem is, how do you teach a young person when and when not to use it? You can try but in the heat of the moment, I have seen some really sad accidents in all kinds of martial arts from young people. Most of the kids had to leave their chosen school because of the injuries.

If you are brought up the old way like I was...."an injury occurs from a lack of adequate practice." and being afraid of injuring someone else...because there were dire consequences for hurting someone, then you were very careful to learn the "gentle throws."

Otherwise, I brought my daughter up wrestling almost every day....since she was two....she has learned finger and wrist throws. (jiujitsu), take downs and inside hits and grabs. She is 15 years old now and has been in 4 fights that the guys were seriously trying to hurt her. Yes, more than one guy. Now she is learning JKD.
 
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