Kids Kung Fu in Traditional Schools ?

[Blacktiger]

What do people on the forum think of kids programs in traditional schools.....

Do you think it turns the school into a more commercial school or McDojo?

Do you think it makes what you teach any less traditional becuase you have a kids program?

Do you think the kids create a good feed into the adult classes and the school?

Please discuss what do you think?

;)

[Oso]

I think it's hard as hell to get and keep kids from the American culture interested in a completely traditional style.

You have to do something a bit more commercial as it is a rare child that will tolerate the traditional, slow methods. You have to make it exciting and switch up a lot to keep their attention until they mature enough to really have the training as the goal.

That doesn't mean selling out and going all Little Dragon's. But, you have to cater to the average kid's attention span or they won't want to be there.

[SanHeChuan]

As long as you keep them completely separate from the adults. Make the adults the focus of the school, and maybe get a senior student to teach the kids.

At the school I'm at now there is one adult who started out there as a kid. A couple teens too, not that it was that long ago for them.

i think for the most part kids serve as nothing but a distraction to the students and instructors. There are a few exceptions.

[Blacktiger]

Yes I dont think you can go staight into traditional training with the kids but depends on age as well.

Keep the kids moving and hide martial arts in fun games they can play, work on coordination, balance some disipline etc.

Work on some basic stances and cut down forms then once they get older start to push things along.

I think its got to be fun for them at the end of the day then the interest can grow from there.

And I agree no kids with adults I think that goes without saying but round maybe 16 or so feed them into the beginners adult class....

[Shaolinlueb]

keep it fun and dont give them too much. spend a lot of times on basic skills. and then when they get mroe advanced keep developing their skills. combos and such.

you dont have to sell out.
for our beginer kids we dont even train them on forms for the first year or so jsut basic kicks, combo's, getting out of holds, holds, have bull in the ring.

play a game with them at the end of every class.

but you can still be strict and give them a good work out.

edit*
i just noticed i almost reinforced everything black tiger just said.

at first it can be hard, but it gets easier the mroe experience you have.

[Oso]

I've fed 13-15 year olds into the adult class after 2+ years. I don't really water down the kids curriculum...just allow them more time to learn. I've got a 16 and 17 year old who've been with me 4 and 2 years respectively. The 17 year old has a great amount of potential as a fighter and the 16 year old needs another year or so...he also has some issues with rapid growth...he has literally grown more than a foot in height over 4 years... I think it's messed with his joints and have encouraged his parents to take him to an ortho but they haven't.


tangent aside...I've always taught kids the same material...just spread out more and try to create games that are really adding to the skill base as well as just fun.

[BoulderDawg]

At our school we don't have a kids program. However we have a 9 year old and an 11 year old in our lower belt classes. Sometimes the 9 year old can be a distraction but most of the times not. My only objection is spending valuable sparring time with the kids. You can't learn anything.

Now on the other hand we have a 17 year high school senior who's 2nd Black and one of our best students.

[Shaolinlueb]

even though 14-17 year olds are kids, i dont consider them when im thinking of a kdis class. msot of these kids are in the adult class in our school taking it at their own pace.

when i think kids class i think 4-12/13

[Blacktiger]

even though 14-17 year olds are kids, i dont consider them when im thinking of a kdis class. msot of these kids are in the adult class in our school taking it at their own pace.

when i think kids class i think 4-12/13


Yeah I agree - we dont have any kids in our adult beginners classes yet but when they do make the move they start from scratch again in the adult beginners class.

I have heard some people say that if you have a kids component in a school its not traditional blah, blah, blah and its cashing in etc etc.

I think its good for schools to have these programs to get kids into the arts as well as preserve and build for the future.

I see some of the 7 year olds etc jumping round before my class on a Saturday morning and I think man I wish I had started at that age....:)

[Ben Gash]

I think it's one of those things that "just depends". Some of the traditional structured methods actually work better with kids than western adults, as they aren't thinking "what's the point in this?" .
Do you have to teach children differently to adults? Of course you do, but then sometimes you have to teach one group of adults differently to another, it's part of being a skilled teacher.
Sometimes having a kids programme can make the adult's class MORE traditional or hardcore, as you don't have to worry about the rent as the kids have paid it twice over.

[5Animals1Path]

I'm not too hot on the idea of a kids "program", but if it pays the bills and keeps you able to teach adults who really want to learn, it's not the largest of necessary evils.


As far as kids mixing with adults, 9 out of 10 times, I don't like it. You've gotta shorten the class time so they don't get all wacky, depending on numbers you've gotta pair one up with an adult who's basically paying to be a babysitter. All in all, not so good.

However, if you get a kid who can pay attention, you've found a fricken gold mine. There's a kid named Damien who comes for Wing Chun, and while he sometimes gets sidetracked, the majority of the time I get to test what I've learned by helping him work out his flaws with structure, form, and especially not fighting strength with strength, as he's 11, and basically has none when I muscle him. Of course, it helps that his father trains and is an old friend of my Sifu.



All in all, I think one kid with a group of adults is a great learning experience for everyone. Put two kids together, you're asking for trouble.

[Oso]

I know that our grand teacher, Shi Zheng Zhong started early...10 years old I think.

I think most of this last generation's teacher's started as kids...