What Age is the Best Age?

[Nexus]

What age is the best age to start a child off in the internal martial arts. Lets say you don't have time to train them personally so you would need to be handing them over to lets say a 'taijiquan' instructor. This is theoretical of course, but I would like to know peoples opinions.

What are your reasons for saying the age you provide?

What are the advantages/disadvantages to starting at that age.

In my opinion the age to start a child in taijiquan for instance would be 10 years old. That is usually before the body starts moving in a hard fashion, and yet they are old enough to begin grasping some of its concepts?!

This of course contradicts the traditional masters who would start their children off at age 5 or many alive who began at age 5.

Ideas?

- Nexus

Freedom is what you do with what is done to you. - Sartres

[Rory]

well i would say about 10 thats about the age they can begin to seriously grasp many of the concepts.

[baji-fist]

I would have to agree that a child should begin to study the internal arts at the age of ten. Although in our lineage, Grandmaster Liu Yun Qiao began his training at a young age. I think the reason why this was possible was because he lived during a different era and belong to a different culture. During those days, there was no such thing as child-abuse. Teachers had to be strict with their young disciples, and at times beating children in order to grab their attention. Actually, you will still find this type of teaching in Asia. I don't agree with these techniques and would never use it with kids, but it did work. At a young age it is very hard to grab the attention of kids.

From my experience, the internal styles is best taught at the age of 9 or 10. Any younger, I believe other kung fu forms such as Tan Tui would be easy enough for a child to grasp. Although it may not be labeled as an "internal martial art" it does give a child the proper foundation for future training.

You must eat bitter before you can taste sweet.

[EARTH DRAGON]

first I would advise not teaching them your self even if you have time.... i,e they will not listen or pay attention to you as they would an instructor, they will respond more to an athurity figure other than yourself, you love them unconditionally and will let them slide or slack at things.I beleive helping them practice is good but teaching is another story.
If you plan on staring kung fu then 5 is perfect any age before kindergarden their life has little routine. If you plan on doing internal or tai chi let them decide for themselves we know the benifiets but they wont care! to a youngster slow moving anything is boring. Just as mother telling you to practice your piano... you want to play drums, its loud, fun and fast. like kung fu
Do as you wish, however I am suggesting this out of teaching experience.

http://www.kungfuUSA.net

[unclaimed effort]

I agree that 10 would be a good starting age for the internal martial arts.

[shaolinboxer]

The class structure would have to be different then the classic "I do the form and you try to copy it" format. Teaching to ten year old requires some creativity and personality to keep them interested. Especially for internal arts, which lack the larger, more dynamic/acrobatic techniques kids tend to like.