What age do you think is a good one to start kung fu?

[salty-J]

I have put my little boy in a karate class, he is going to be 4 next month, he's only been to 5 classes so far, but is enjoying it a lot, and I am enjoying it too, and a bit jealous (I can't afford classes for the both of us :( )
I was thinking get him started and if he wants to later, encourage a transition to a kung fu school (there's a seemingly pretty good one nearby).....but what do you kung fu masters think is a good age to start for a child?

[SPJ]

no serious stuff till 8 - 10 years old.

[salty-J]

oh yeah no, he's not gonna be stopping and starting anywhere anytime soon, he's only barely started, and the school seems great, especially for little ones, but yeah, I was thinking to get the most out of the practice, probably should wait until a bit older to start with the kung fu...like SPJ suggested, that's maybe what I was thinking but looking for some others opinions. Thanks! :D

[Lee Chiang Po]

At 4 years I think it might be wasted money. He cannot understand the concepts of any fighting style let alone the moral and ethical aspects of same. Wait until he is 8 or 10 years old before starting him and then go with what you are really wanting.
I was taught by my dad and older brothers. It was a family affair. I was allowed to watch and join into the physical exercising, but not the actual gung fu training. When I turned 10 years old I was allowed to join into the actual training. And then I was given my place and I had to train seperately from them. They still all watched me and helped me with technique though.

[salty-J]

:) that's very cool. :cool:
the main benefit of the classes he's in now (besides being "cute") are they are in a group, practicing being "good listeners" following instructions, learning about showing respect, patience, etc. in a martial arts context, hopefully developing a love for the martial arts and having fun in that environment.....plus I get to say stuff like eating his broccoli will make his kung fu better (which I figure is not altogether untrue) :p
but 8 years sounds like the general right age, thanks for your input!

[TenTigers]

at a young age, those are great attributes. As far as combative technique, I believe it is better to teach throwing to youngsters. It "toughens" them a bit-they get used to falling and landing safely(without whining)-which stays with you for life, and at young ages, you don't want them kicking other children in the face,(and the lawsuits that follow) but throwing them down, is a fight ender.
I am re-vamping my kids program to be more line drills-like wu-shu atheletes train, and seut-gohk=throwing. When they get a bit older, then I introduce san-sao sparring.

When they throw each other in class-they giggle alot. It's play. When children kick and punch each other, it's more emotionally stressfull, as it's more akin to fighting.

[MasterKiller]

Honestly, you are just paying for a babysitter.

Save your cash and put the kid in his school wrestling program when he's old enough . He'll learn all that same stuff, but actually get some skill out of it, which will also carry over into other martial arts when he gets old enough to get serious about it.

[Ben Gash]

Depends. When people ask me about very young kids I always advise that they do Judo. However, my Sifu very successfully teaches young kids and gets good results. I think I'd struggle to teach Kung Fu to under 8s though.

[TenTigers]

depends on the child. There are young tens and old six's.
I just got in a six yr-old who is extremely focused and attentive. He picks things up immediately. Now, I know his balance and coordination is that of a six yr-old, but he will grow into it.
He's only been in class for a week and a half, and he can punch (jik kuen, ping choy,been choy, gwa/cup), kick (ding geurk, sow tek), front and back breakfalls, and "follow" me through Tan-Tui line one. Yesterday, he practiced his first Tiger's Mouth and leg sweep takedown( a variation on diagonal striking) with pretty good success.

[jdhowland]

I have put my little boy in a karate class, he is going to be 4 next month,...
I was thinking get him started and if he wants to later, encourage a transition to a kung fu school...


One advantage of a karate school is that the modern method of group instruction was specifically designed for school children by "Anko" Itosu in the early 20th century. In other words karate instructors expect and know how to manage uniform training as a group in a very systematic way.

As commercial schools developed, younger children were often included in special classes. Most young children have not had a lot of exposure to the mystique of martial arts; it becomes something common and boring or painful to them if they do not learn to like the discipline. I recall my sifu's young son complaining: "I didn't want to join. I wanted to play baseball!" Most will not become serious students, but it pays the bills in many dojo.

Some gung fu schools also have group instruction. Some allow children to train. But the "pink belt," "little dragon," "little warrior" classes that are the moneymaking-babysitting venues in many schools are less common. Some traditional martial arts teachers do not want to teach children discipline, etiquette or good sportsmanship, feeling that children should learn those values at home.

When considering what course your son should take, learn as much as you can about the attitudes and capabilities of the instructors. It may be more important than what "style" he learns. Then consider what you want him to learn: social skills? self-defense? exercise for fitness? competitive sports?

I generally turn down parents who ask about tuituion for their young kids and direct them to a local Tang Soo Do school because what I teach is not appropriate for little ones. But then, I don't have a commercial business to pay for. Nine years of age is my lower limit because a child's attention span and personal interests have usually matured enough by then. I do try to encourage parents to learn and teach their kids at home.

And then, every once in a while I get blown away by seeing a four-year-old with amazing aptitude for the arts.

Good luck.

jd

[Crushing Step]

I've had decent experience teaching my kids basics and forms from age 8. At 10 I start them on more practical stuff like boxing style punches on focus mitts. They do very well and I'm glad, I would hate to see a kid who "needs" to use self defense skills resort to using classical stances straight out of the boxing sets!

[salty-J]

One advantage of a karate school is that the modern method of group instruction was specifically designed for school children by "Anko" Itosu in the early 20th century. In other words karate instructors expect and know how to manage uniform training as a group in a very systematic way.

As commercial schools developed, younger children were often included in special classes. Most young children have not had a lot of exposure to the mystique of martial arts; it becomes something common and boring or painful to them if they do not learn to like the discipline. I recall my sifu's young son complaining: "I didn't want to join. I wanted to play baseball!" Most will not become serious students, but it pays the bills in many dojo.

Some gung fu schools also have group instruction. Some allow children to train. But the "pink belt," "little dragon," "little warrior" classes that are the moneymaking-babysitting venues in many schools are less common. Some traditional martial arts teachers do not want to teach children discipline, etiquette or good sportsmanship, feeling that children should learn those values at home.

When considering what course your son should take, learn as much as you can about the attitudes and capabilities of the instructors. It may be more important than what "style" he learns. Then consider what you want him to learn: social skills? self-defense? exercise for fitness? competitive sports?

I generally turn down parents who ask about tuituion for their young kids and direct them to a local Tang Soo Do school because what I teach is not appropriate for little ones. But then, I don't have a commercial business to pay for. Nine years of age is my lower limit because a child's attention span and personal interests have usually matured enough by then. I do try to encourage parents to learn and teach their kids at home.

And then, every once in a while I get blown away by seeing a four-year-old with amazing aptitude for the arts.

Good luck.

jd
hey thanks for the detailed comment, I appreciate it! I think the school I have found will be good, and not a waste of money from what I've seen so far. I've made it to all the classes. I only took kung fu for a couple months once and swear I felt like 2 inches taller, so I'm sure the martial arts path I am steering him down will be very beneficial. Thanks everyone! :D

[Shaolin]

I start kids at age 5 and up and have been quite successful with them. It depends on the school and their program. The first thing I'd look at is does the instructor/s have children of their own. I've noticed over the years the majority of parent/instructors are more successful with their youth program then instructors without kids. I think they forget that teaching an adult is not the same as teaching a child. Instructors without kids have a tendency to focus too much on the fighting arts and not on what the child needs to develop into a better person; which is the whole idea of training in the arts; self-improvement (physically, mentally and emotionally). A children's program should include a variety of drills and calisthenics, martial application and partner practice, but what's more important, is does it build your child’s self-esteem and confidence, increase discipline, and create a strong work ethic. It is possible to teach to the young, but you need to take your child to martial arts teacher not just an instructor. The teacher will give 100% of their efforts to helping improve the students. The instructor just shows them techniques in exchange for money.

[David Jamieson]

prior to cell division is fine.

put some ears buds on your two veg and start with an audio book of art of war.

:D

[Lucas]

prior to cell division is fine.

put some ears buds on your two veg and start with an audio book of art of war.

:D

so then iron crotch is REALLY early training then?

;)

[SPJ]

if you are a boy and try to lift something heavy or strain too much.

there could be herniation of the testicles etc.

one of a few things I heard that not to train too hard for kung fu when you are young.

--

also you may not grow too tall etc. wonder why Jackie Chan (Kung Fu opera) and Jet Li (wushu champ at 13) are not tall

people lifting heavy stuff in the olympics are kind of short athletes, too.

--



:eek:

[Crushing Step]

What are your opinions then on heavy bag training? I'm sure young bones wouldn't react well until a certain age. I have my opinion, but am looking for something possibly back with fact.

[David Jamieson]

What are your opinions then on heavy bag training? I'm sure young bones wouldn't react well until a certain age. I have my opinion, but am looking for something possibly back with fact.

fact: bone is not fully developed until the age of 18-20 in humans.

It is the way that skeletons are aged in archaeology. Prior to bones being fully fused and the skull no longer having a soft spot the skeletons can be aged accurately to early teens and pre-adult.

impact and force that is delivered steadily to developing bones can deform them over time. (children who ride horses all the time, like daily, invariably wind up bow legged)

however, there are age appropriate equivalents in all sports and martial activities.

for most young children, martial arts is about listening, learning to work in a group and by themselves and so on.

For adults it can be about self defense, fight training in a sportive capacity, esoteric ritualistic rumination with the body and so on.

giving adult lessons to young kids is indicative of not knowing how to teach and not understanding the progressive learning model that must be applied to long term martial arts training.

:)

[Crushing Step]

Outstanding response, thank you!

I do know as a 14 year old starting TKD, I had an issue hitting heavy bags. It hurt and I was afraid to go full power. I didn't come back to heavy bag training until I was 19 or 20, and was able to build up slowly to full power with no problem.

So would you say that a younger individual training on a heavy bag could damage their hand structure permanently, or just be more susceptable to injury?

[David Jamieson]

Outstanding response, thank you!

I do know as a 14 year old starting TKD, I had an issue hitting heavy bags. It hurt and I was afraid to go full power. I didn't come back to heavy bag training until I was 19 or 20, and was able to build up slowly to full power with no problem.

So would you say that a younger individual training on a heavy bag could damage their hand structure permanently, or just be more susceptable to injury?

continuous force delivery is not good for a young person.

a great number of bones are in the hands and repetitive stress upon soft bone can deform it and can lead to problems when it does ossify to a great extent later on.

the hand bones can be developed later when they harden.

striking and force drills are not really encouraged except on very pillowy type shields and such for kids where force is not being returned to them.

with a heavy bag, everytime you hit it, force comes back into you. for an adult, that will increase density in soft tissue and cause microfracturing in bones which will in turn make the bones harder in the long run (a by-product of iron skills as well)

for kids, not a great idea. eye / hand co-ordination can be trained without force feedback.

a soft hanging bag can serve this purpose.

force conditioning children is really not a good idea.

[PlumDragon]

however, there are age appropriate equivalents in all sports and martial activities.This is right on. Regardless of activity (whether it be sports, martial arts, gymnastics, chess, fishing, etc etc), there is always a proportionate level that is suitable for children--finding that level is the job of the teacher...

My child is 1.5 years old, and while he is still a *long* ways away from serious training, he absolutely loves holding a pair of sticks and flailing them around. So right now, his training consists of doing whatever he wishes with a pair of foam sticks...hes building very very basic muscular coordination and he will be way ahead of the power curve by the time he is 10 or 12.