Babysitter?

[ginosifu]

Kids should learn what is most natural for them first - grappling.
Striking comes after.

Very true, grappling is natural for kids and fun. Sometimes 8-12 year old girls don't like grappling but for the most part kids can learn a good wrestling skill and have fun too.

Striking / Sparring is a bit hard for kids until they get a bit older. They do not have good control of there limbs and also their emotions. Sometimes they fight angry cause they were whacked in the nose. They may even just bust out crying cause they got kicked in the stomach.

As kids gain control of their bodies (I can tell when), we start basic sparring. As they get skilled (which may be a few years) we move into San Shou. YES, I said San Shou for kids. All my kids already know Shuai Chiao, so why not let them go at it? They have fun in a controlled environment.

ginosifu

[wenshu]

I still don't like to teach kids.

i got you beat. i dont like to teach anyone.

I don't like to teach and I despise children.

Disgusting creatures.

[TenTigers]

teaching how to fall is paramount. I tell all my students, "This is the most important thing you will ever learn. You may never get into a fight, but you are always going to fall."
Teaching a child how to do a simple takedown like osoto gari is a fight ender when they are little. How many times have you seen a child crying, "He pushed me down!"
Dropping a bully on his back and knocking the wind out of him is all they really need.
That and how to take control on the ground, will hold them for awhile. Sparring, as you said, comes when they can mentally and physically handle it.
I have a four yr old child that is coordinated enough to learn punches and kicks, but nowhere near ready to engage in sparring. Heck, he can do a spin back kick,
but..he falls down afterward half the time! Cute.
Then again,, I just had an intro with this four yr old-sharp. Physically athletic, no, I mean really athletic, and he's hungry-and polite and good-natured. If he signs up, he may be one of those little champions you see on youtube.
I hope I don't lose him to soccer league...

[SPJ]

at this point of their life

they only know about play or fun or game

here is a game

kid A holding mat on hand or big matt in the front

kid B punch left and right and then front kick

kid A move back a bit

kid B kick left front and land, move up and right side kick'

Kid A move back a step, move to the side a bit

--

change roles

next game

---

[GeneChing]

...then there's no hope for the future of the martial arts.

[Jimbo]

I must also agree that grappling like judo or BJJ is better for kids starting out. My first exposure to MA was judo and some wrestling, and it helped me lay a good foundation for later training. It's completely interactive (all application/no air work) and you experience feedback quickly w/out worrying about getting slugged. It's a hard workout that allows them a good tussle and builds up their strength.

[Yum Cha]

...then there's no hope for the future of the martial arts.

I've always wondered if you can make a martial artist. I think not. There are people who will do it like athletics, for awhile, until something more attractive comes along, and there are 'lifers' who just keep doing it forever. I think its an obsessive compulsive type of disorder. Maybe like golf.

Just like there are people who can't get Nan Kune coordination for the life of them, and others that are pure naturals. Some people are just drawn to it.

The kids that are destined to be martial artists can't be stopped, any more than you or I could have been. They'll find their teachers.

Judo is great for kids, I agree.

[ShaolinDan]

I've only been teaching kids for a very short time...and I'm just an assistant...however, what works best for me (and the only thing that's really worked consistently) is doing the practice along with them...

[GeneChing]

I've always wondered if you can make a martial artist.

Thousands of kids are made into martial arts every year in the schools surrounding Shaolin. Of course, they beat it into them. You can make a kid into anything using punishment. They might come out psycho, but take it from me, there are a lot of psycho martial artists.

My first martial art was judo. It taught me how to fall, a skill that has saved me on countless occasions.

I used to teach kids. It takes a particular mindset for sure. It was the most physically demanding class because you have to put out a lot of energy and enthusiasm to teach kids. Some people just can't teach kids. That's a shame, but it's just as well.

Nevertheless, teaching kids is an extremely important link in the perpetuation of the martial arts. Many of the best martial artists started very young. Sure, there's some babysitting involved with many kids, but you can't toss the baby out with the bathwater, right?

[ShaolinDan]

My Shifu started Judo when he was six. Kung fu at nine. It shows. Teaching kids is definitely worthwhile...wish I didn't wait to start 'for real' until I was 25.

[ginosifu]

I've only been teaching kids for a very short time...and I'm just an assistant...however, what works best for me (and the only thing that's really worked consistently) is doing the practice along with them...

Yes, you have to do it with them a lot. This is because of muscle memory. Look at academic schools, they give classes 5 days a week. Kids learn their abc's thru repetition. The same applies in kung fu except you only teach them 2 maybe 3 days a week. So as a kung fu teacher you need to hide as much repetition as you can while you have the kids. Don't just do the exercises with them, but make fun enough that the children are excited to do the techniques along with you. Be creative.

Other factors to look at are children's abilities to learn. Some kids learn easily. Some have a hard time learning. Some have mental issues (Autism / ADD / ADHD etc). Some learn thru different methods, some are visual learners, some are only hands on, some need to be physically put thru the move.

ginosifu

[ginosifu]

Thousands of kids are made into martial arts every year in the schools surrounding Shaolin. Of course, they beat it into them. You can make a kid into anything using punishment. They might come out psycho, but take it from me, there are a lot of psycho martial artists.

Last time I was there, I visited a school in Dengfeng. Man there were thousands of kids. Hundreds (Seriously hundreds!) in every courtyard.

ginosifu

[TenTigers]

my teens class is a lot of fun. They have quick minds, and a great, absurd sense of humor.

my kids class-6-10 yr olds are a lot of fun too. They are eager to learn, eager to please, and have fun.

my Tiger Cubs-4-6 yr olds...oy. That takes a lot of energy. They have a 2 second attention span, not a great deal of understanding,
("Ok, hands up, front kick, no kick. No, your other leg. Keep your hands up. Face me. hands up, No, over here. Come here! Now, fighting stance. No, don't kick me. Stop laughing...")
But, out of five kids, you get one that is really getting it, and you just hope he stays with it.

[zhugeliang]

Last time I was there, I visited a school in Dengfeng. Man there were thousands of kids. Hundreds (Seriously hundreds!) in every courtyard.

That's right, thousands and thousands of mostly boys and some girls. I think there's a youtube vid showing thousands of them training outside in the dirt and then marching back to their dorms for the night.

[GeneChing]

If you don't understand patience, you don't understand kung fu.