Sports vs Martial Arts for 7 year old boy

[AyashiKaibutsu]

Voted martial arts. It'll build his body in all ranges of motion and just make him all around better at moving than the vast majority of people in this world. There's comradery and discipline to be had from it too and competitions.

 

[AyashiKaibutsu]

If he has his heart set on those hard, linear styles, he should check out goju or isshin ryu karate. Want to keep it Korean? Hapkido would probably be the best choice, IMO. In a serious program with any of those the enrolled should expect to get a strenuous workout as well as learn useful self-defense techniques. More useful than what he would learn in TKD I'll wager.

The hopkido I saw focused way too much on wrist techniques. They only had other training as a technicality. Any decent TKD or karate school will still mix in self-defense. Finding a place that teaches a mix (Karate/Judo) is a better base in my opinion; drill a lot of striking and learn falling/grappling in a much wider range. That said I don't know if the first two you mentioned are better balanced, or if the one hopkido place I saw was weird.

 

[Newbian]

And most of the people I know who played sports were douchebags...

Sports teaching teamwork is the great lie. I played team sports my entire life and all I learned is there are cliques on every team and the coaches', and their friends', sons will start over you even if you could beat two of them by yourself.

Sounds like someone was picked last each round and didn't learn how to make friends.

 

[Pr0d1gy]

Sounds like someone was picked last each round and didn't learn how to make friends.

I was All State in baseball my senior year. Try again.

 

[Newbian]

I was All State in baseball my senior year. Try again.

We are talking about sports games in real life not in video games.

For the kid at 7 years old he will get a lot more out of team sports then martial arts and make friends from it easier since they will be kids from his school compared to who knows where.

Plus with op's child factory he can toss another kid or even two on the same team so he has less games to attend to in the long run.

 

[_Rick_]

I started Badminton at age 10. Before that I was in a sports club, just doing mixed games and exercises.
Stuck with Badminton until I was 18 or so, and didn't regret a thing. Then switched to Volleyball, because it was a team sport.
Obviously, despite of years regularly practicing either, I'm not good at it, that's why I enjoy the team sport more.
Also played soccer on the greens when I was in primary school and early high school, but never bothered to actually go to practice. But I guess greens have mostly disappeared or have been destroyed now. I wonder if the people that complained about the noise of us paying in front of their apartment building still would do so, seeing that now everyone our age in that area is probably glued to a computer screen night and day

 

[Agent11]

Ever thought of fencing or kendo?

 

[Fenixgoon]

what's he interested in? have him try different things to help him figure out what he likes.

 

[skimple]

Does your community have Youth Lacrosse? It's a great sport for young kids. They get as much running in as soccer, but there is more scoring, so it keeps their attention better.

Plus, because it is still a "niche" sport, most of the coaches and parents are people that really love the sport, and you don't get a lot of asshats, like you do with little league.

Personally, I think you get more bang for your buck with sports that martial arts. And you can change sports with seasons, giving your kid a break from doing the same thing all the time.

Plus, if your kid likes lacrosse, and stays with it, a LOT of good colleges are awarding scholarships for lacrosse players. There is a lot less competition than there is with other sports.

 

[SearchMaster]

I started Badminton at age 10. Before that I was in a sports club, just doing mixed games and exercises.
Stuck with Badminton until I was 18 or so, and didn't regret a thing. Then switched to Volleyball, because it was a team sport.

You're not American, correct? Badminton isn't that popular here (shame, cause it's a fun game), just curious where you were to get into it.

Each of my 3 sons plays baseball, the older two play year round. My youngest (9) plays football as well and because of his size and strength is quite good at it, but next season will probably be one of his last because football starts getting pretty brutal ~12yo. I love the sport, but...yeah. We've considered putting him into martial arts over the years but it is already a struggle to get them everywhere they need to be as baseball takes a ton of time. I remember last year when my wife was working a lot and unable to help out as much, there were weeks where I would have 10-12 games/practices per week to take them. That's draining.

Of all the kids I know, none of them have stuck with martial arts for more than a couple of years. The discipline would have been especially good for my oldest but the teacher probably would have killed him - heh.

 

[waggy]

Does your community have Youth Lacrosse? It's a great sport for young kids. They get as much running in as soccer, but there is more scoring, so it keeps their attention better.

Plus, because it is still a "niche" sport, most of the coaches and parents are people that really love the sport, and you don't get a lot of asshats, like you do with little league.

Personally, I think you get more bang for your buck with sports that martial arts. And you can change sports with seasons, giving your kid a break from doing the same thing all the time.

Plus, if your kid likes lacrosse, and stays with it, a LOT of good colleges are awarding scholarships for lacrosse players. There is a lot less competition than there is with other sports.

one issue with a "niche" sport is if you move. are they going to have a Gym? how far a drive? etc.

My daughter is in Gymnastics A high level team too. I live in the country and there are 2 gyms she can go to. One of those gyms is just for fun the other is more for girls who want to compete.

We looked at moving 2 years ago. the area we liked had zero gyms for her. the only one around was 3 hours away from where we wanted to live.

just something you need to keep in mind.

You're not American, correct? Badminton isn't that popular here (shame, cause it's a fun game), just curious where you were to get into it.


Of all the kids I know, none of them have stuck with martial arts for more than a couple of years. The discipline would have been especially good for my oldest but the teacher probably would have killed him - heh.

I love Badminton. i was good too. i was fast and had great reaction time. but no boys teams. the high school i went to did have a girls team but wouldn't allow boys. i was bummed.


You mention the main reason we put my son in martial arts. discipline.

the karate place we first put him in was a "McDojo" and a waste. The TWD place he is in now is great. We talked to the people before we even thought of it (it is at the gym my daughter used to go to). they stress the tenets above all else. It has done wonders for him.

Also we figured the kids were like me growing up. I NEEDED sports. if i didn't do something i didn't do well in school. When i was in a sport my grades shot up.

 

[_Rick_]

You're not American, correct? Badminton isn't that popular here (shame, cause it's a fun game), just curious where you were to get into it.

East Berlin, ca. 1994/95 (so around the time it lost the upper case E )

But it's not the popular in Europe either - very much a niche sport. When I played at the Berlin cup of my age group (around 3 million inhabitants at the time) I got into the top 67, by losing the first qualification K.O. match (not the proudest day in my life - never even got to play in the bloody tournament, due to that qualifier - only three people got thrown out like that).

There was a bit of a league going on though (ranking matches), and there were I think a dozen or so clubs in Berlin, with around 4-8 competitive players each.

I second fencing btw, it looks like a fun sport, not very dangerous, and with that slight acrobatic touch, that makes it nice to look at.

As for moving: It's not bad to change your sport, from time to time. Got a friend who went through 4 or 5 different sports in the past 5 years alone. That's not my style, but it keeps things interesting. Unless you're really competitive in a sport, no loss in going for something else.

 

[surfsatwerk]

Encourage your child to try lots of things and he'll stick with what he likes. Kudos on training your kid to lift properly.

Some of you guys are anti-social dildos.

 

[consolibyte]

Martial arts vote here, providing its not stupid tae kwon do.

Get him in some judo or jujutsu. Even if he doesn't stick with it into his later years, knowing basic ukemi (rolling and falling without harm) is a valuable skill for anyone.

I'd steer clear of any place that focuses on sport. Cheap trophies everywhere and an emphasis on belt testing should be warning signs. Don't do your son the disservice of enrolling him in a cardio class business masquerading as martial science.

Great advice right here ^^^.

 

[xeledon20005]

I took karate when i was younger till i went to college and didn't have time, you should really consider sending your son there. They teach life lessons self discipline, respect, self control, and other good traits.

 

[Lazarus52980]

Based on a lot of the advice from ATOT, I think we will try Martial Arts for now and see how it goes. Not having spoken with them yet, I am thinking of this place:

http://www.nextlevelcombat.com/youth.html

Thoughts from those who endorsed Martial Arts? (we would do the Jui Jitsu, not the boxing)

 

[skimple]

I took karate when i was younger till i went to college and didn't have time, you should really consider sending your son there. They teach life lessons self discipline, respect, self control, and other good traits.

Very true!

You can also get this through team sports. It all depends on the coaches and parents. There are good martial arts instructors and crappy ones - just like with team sports.

Personally, I like the outside aspect that many/most team sports provide. Having kids able to run around outside for 1-2 hours burns off a LOT of energy. Sure, its crappy standing there watching when its raining, but at least they are not on the couch playing video games.

(And then making lame memes and posting them in ATOT)

 

[FallenHero]

The hopkido I saw focused way too much on wrist techniques. They only had other training as a technicality. Any decent TKD or karate school will still mix in self-defense. Finding a place that teaches a mix (Karate/Judo) is a better base in my opinion; drill a lot of striking and learn falling/grappling in a much wider range. That said I don't know if the first two you mentioned are better balanced, or if the one hopkido place I saw was weird.

Was it a beginner class? If it's anything like the Aikido classes I took, they focus on the wrist and elbow at the start and then work their way up into full body movements.

 

[consolibyte]

I'm not sure how far this is from you, but there's an extremely good Jui-jitsu school in Plymouth, MN.

Website:
http://www.shoshinryumn.com/
Sensei Brian Combo - (763) 244-6122

Non-profit, self-defense oriented, very very nice people, and great instructors there.

 

[Lazarus52980]

I'm not sure how far this is from you, but there's an extremely good Jui-jitsu school in Plymouth, MN.

Website:
http://www.shoshinryumn.com/
Sensei Brian Combo - (763) 244-6122

Non-profit, self-defense oriented, very very nice people, and great instructors there.

That is about a 45 min to an hour drive from my house... I think that is too far to drive for this, which is really too bad, since it seems like a great place.

Thank you for coming out of your lurker corner to post this.

 

[Apathetic]

How about asking your son what he's interested in? There are lots of differnt types of sports as well as different types of martial arts.

Dave

 

[Apathetic]

Based on a lot of the advice from ATOT, I think we will try Martial Arts for now and see how it goes. Not having spoken with them yet, I am thinking of this place:

http://www.nextlevelcombat.com/youth.html

Thoughts from those who endorsed Martial Arts? (we would do the Jui Jitsu, not the boxing)

The best things I saw on the site are listed under the "Things We Don't Do" section. All good signs.

Dave

 

[Golgatha]

I have been working out and lifting weights with my son for about a year now. He is fairly strong for a kid, and I was hoping to get him involved in some sport or activity (We do cub scouts, but that is not all that active). I was wondering what the popular opinion is for a good activity for a 7 year old. Would he get more benefit from sports, or martial arts? Any opinions on one sport or art over another?

My son and I have been doing martial arts (shotokan karate) for 3.5 years now. We started when he was 6 years old. Great activity, good life skill, and most schools teach structure and discipline. Then again, he also plays basketball...so I guess I'm not much help. Martial arts is something he will be more likely to do over a full lifetime though IMO. Wished I could have taken martial arts as a kid, but we didn't have the money for the lessons; I suppose I'm living my childhood again, and that's ok .

 

[Midwayman]

Ever thought of fencing or kendo?

I've done both. Fencing is a lot easier to find and continue if you move, etc. However kendo tends to be a far better workout, and the typical dojo will teach a lot more about respect and discipline than a fencing salle. I've been through 4 salles and maestros and the most strict wasn't half of what you'll get in kendo. However kendo has a huge dropout rate. I'd be more likely to send my kid to fencing just 'cause I think it far more likely they would stick with it unless they expresses a strong preference.

 

[Lazarus52980]

I found a place that is a lot closer than the last one I mentioned, and it "seems" good, but again, opinions from the people more in the know would be great

http://warriorscove.com/

Doesn't mention anything about belt tests or other such stuff, but seems a lot more "MMA" centered...