this child is better than i am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E31IDGY2Grk&feature=related

no joke, lol. clean technique, and great focus from such a little man. i help teach the kids karate classes at my dojo, and every kid in karate should be like him....leave the nose pickers at home, lol.

Hello Student of Life:

Cute Kid. Obscenely skilled for one his age. How old was he you think, 5 maybe 6 tops? Probably younger IMHO.

Like your vision, a room filled with eager, interested, focused youngsters not a prayer in hades it will happen, but its a nice dream.

Sigh

jeff

I hate seeing these kinds of kids because they are better then my students! Only joking of course that kid is really skilled. His Pinan Nidan was awesome I haven't seen a child do that kata that well before. Thanks for sharing.

It was a good job for a kid,but not for adult level kata imo.

Work on your stuff bro.

With Respect.....

No Sorry that Munchkin's performance does not cut it for me!

1. FFS Look before you turn! (You will need that bit of advice when you learn to drive).
2. Rear leg is bent.
3. Punches and blocks are too rushed and they lack focus and power.
4. Blocks are too close to the body.
5. Call those Kicks? Pivot on the supporting leg and turn those hips in!
6. They were not bows! They were "Mini-Naps".. Pay attention!
7. Tell your parents that you will no longer wear those little Remote-Control Servos, they are for planes and not for pants.

(Edited for increased sarcasm).

Student I rarely comment on youth performance, but I'll make an exception in this case.

This very young man is to be commended on moving well in public with his performance. Of course by any standard I use his blocking and striking are incorrect, but he is very young and that can be shaped as he continues training.

The youngest I teach is 7 years old. If I was preparaing any student for competition, I would not find this performance acceptable. Cute, young, poised, yes, but the only thing I teach any student is working toward correct karate principles of movement.

I find some value to competition, but on the whole I would observe 90% of the beginners I've seen compete would get better use of their time and money if they were training hard that day instead of competing.

It is just as likely in an age division that young man might win first place. The win is a variable of who is competing and what sort of job they do too. Such a win would make him, his parents and his instructor happy of course. The overriding question is does this promote stronger karate?

There's the rub. He did OK (better than most I'm sure) with his ability to perform in public. His technique and movement were clean too. It just wasn't terribly accurate to say the least.

How you see it really depends on what you find most important, IMO.

well victor, i've been teaching children karate for a little while now as well and along with what your saying, i don't think kids are capable of what i would call "real karate".

"but he is very young and that can be shaped as he continues training."

thats the point, for all of us.


P.S. can i ask who moved the thread from the "forms and application" section to the "forms and application" section? just curious.

Student,

I belive what is 'real karate' is a great topic for separate discussion. In my practice, I have maybe five different age groups I teach (rarely all a the same time) from youth to seniors, beginners to advancing black belt studies. In each case I only have one karate standard each works towards. I don't teach one group IMO real karate and another group somewhat less real karate.

When they get together you can see the standard across all of the different groups training.

That said the purpose of my youth program is the same as all of them to develop qualified beginners or sho-dan students. For the young it takes about 7 to 9 years.

I am somewhat of a perfect practice dude, lack of correct chambering, incorrest staneces, other changes such as blocks going past their optimal point of impact are always pointed out from day one for all of them with 1 day or 20+ years (the longer they train the more pointed I point it out.).

Sometimes a movie is better than many words.
I'm not a goju stylist but they're doing a good job with these kids.Goju Ryu 1998 youth kata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubURgD4iEc8

Hello Victor:

Heck any young child that is able to do even close to what either clip shows is doing just fine! Pity the first boy severely lost his balance at :26 ... it was memorable and beautiful until then...

Now to watch the other 2:30 : :

Thank you for the link...
Jeff