7 year old and judo

Posted by: globetrotter

7 year old and judo - 01/03/09 06:05 PM

I am thinking about getting my son into judo. I practiced judo when I was about 14 for a year, since then I have been involved in striking arts. I don't think that they teach kids striking arts very well, so I am thinking that judo might be a good thing for him.

anybody have any opinions on kids and judo? espectially kids that young?

thanks
Posted by: Ames

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/03/09 07:51 PM

I pretty much agree with the striking arts thing. Most dojo's don't teach kids how to strike very well, because the kids don't spar (rightly so).

From what I have read, Judo is safe for a child--provided, as always--that the instructor is competent. Personally, I'll most likely be signing my kid up for Judo when she is old enough. My only caveat with Judo for kids is that if you want them to learn good self defense skill, make sure that the dojo will also be teaching them that--some are totally competition focused.

--Chris
Posted by: Ronin1966

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/03/09 08:45 PM

Hello Globetrotter:

With a bad instructor, someone who is unbalanced in some manner, a jerk, a nasty person, drugs, alcohol, an evil moron, whatever the particular flaw-fault...

If your son/daughter does not jibe with that teacher, their particular approach the experience will not be "long term". Provided whatever their approach might be, gels with your childs temperment.... you get a proverbial green light.

7, 5 Wushu, Judo, Kara-te all can be wonderful. If the teacher is bad no matter what the art, the experience (looking back) will not be ideal. Judo, great, kids love to grab, wrestle, throw-trip. Fundamentally its about balance and the minimum strength. Taught with consideration of the art... not merely ~winning the contest~, it should be a good experience.

Like Judo as their first art. But dance is good too. Gymnastics, there are many wonderful activities for the young. Depends on whos' approach that you love the most.

Jeff
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/04/09 01:30 AM

thanks - my son has been in wrestling for 2 years, starting at 5, and I think that it has been great for him. his wrestling club might end next year, and I have been looking for an alternative, that's why I thought of judo.

frankly, what I am looking for is something that will make him a little tougher - that may not be the most PC thing to say, but kids don't really fight anymore, and I think that he needs to have a little more contact and roughness in his life, for his long term good. I am not looking to make him a proffetional fighter, I am just looking to make him understand that he has to sometimes do things that aren't easy or pleasant - the rest of his life is easy and fun, for 2 hours a week he can work hard.

TKD for kids is a joke - I honestly don't think that he even realizes that it is a martial art - that the object of his movement would be to strike something.

anyway, those are my thoughts. thanks for your advice.
Posted by: fileboy2002

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/04/09 01:10 PM

In my opinion, 7 is usually too young. Too many dojos today are overrun with near-toddlers who lack the maturity, concentration, and (in some caes) physical coordination to get much out of MA instruction. Too many MA schools have been turned into de facto baby-sitting services.

Enrolling a 7 year old only makes sense if he or she is going to get a lot of individual attention in small classes. This is why starting kids off very young worked in state-sponsored sports programs in the former Soviet Union. That, and the fact the kids were carefully screened to weed out all but the best and brightest.
Posted by: spartancs

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/04/09 02:37 PM

Quote:

thanks - my son has been in wrestling for 2 years, starting at 5, and I think that it has been great for him. his wrestling club might end next year, and I have been looking for an alternative, that's why I thought of judo.

frankly, what I am looking for is something that will make him a little tougher - that may not be the most PC thing to say, but kids don't really fight anymore, and I think that he needs to have a little more contact and roughness in his life, for his long term good. I am not looking to make him a proffetional fighter, I am just looking to make him understand that he has to sometimes do things that aren't easy or pleasant - the rest of his life is easy and fun, for 2 hours a week he can work hard.

TKD for kids is a joke - I honestly don't think that he even realizes that it is a martial art - that the object of his movement would be to strike something.

anyway, those are my thoughts. thanks for your advice.



Hey Globetrotter,

7 should be no problem for Judo. My sons started at age 5 with the entry criteria dertermined by attention span and neck strength. One of the great things about Judo is most clubs seem to spend more time on breakfalls than other grappling arts ( wrestling, bjj.. ) which is really good for kids since knowing how to fall without getting hurt is a great skill for kids to have(trips, bikes, skateboards..)

Given your objectives though I would suggest a club that at least teaches BJJ & Judo. Most Judo clubs require a lot of breakfall training before the kids can start doing throws, if they do BJJ as well then it will probably be more fun for him. One to two months of breakfall training can make practice motivation difficult.

If you really want to do your kid a favor and expose him to a well rounded game, mix a little Boxing or Muay Thai in and have him train at least 3 times a week.

I agree with you about TKD/Karate, get him in boxing or MT for striking. I'm attaching a video clip of my youngest just after his 8th birthday. At this point he had about 2years of Judo, 3yrs of Karate, 1yr of Muay Thai and 1yr of BJJ. The 3yrs of Karate was mostly a waste of time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85vMsJtxk4w

He's not a superstar or anything but he's getting a well rounded game, he like the training and the competition helps keep him motivated.

If you have MMA gyms in your area check them out, some have very good programs for kids and the variety of technique make it more fun for them since they aren't doing the same thing every day.

Good luck!
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/04/09 06:20 PM

thanks - yeah, next year I can get him in boxing here, which is what I really want, and that we can do together. there's noplace around me that does MT or MMA for kids.

I actually found a judo place very near me that has mixed kid adult classes, and I am going to go check them out. I might go back myself to do it with him. I practice krav maga, but I may go back to judo once or twice a week to have a father/son experience

thanks
Posted by: spartancs

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/04/09 08:11 PM

Quote:

thanks - yeah, next year I can get him in boxing here, which is what I really want, and that we can do together. there's noplace around me that does MT or MMA for kids.

I actually found a judo place very near me that has mixed kid adult classes, and I am going to go check them out. I might go back myself to do it with him. I practice krav maga, but I may go back to judo once or twice a week to have a father/son experience

thanks



Cool. I'm attaching a nice example of why my kids like Judo+BJJ. In the video below the match would have been over in a Judo tournament with the first big throw. Since it was a BJJ tournament both kids got to fight to the submission the kid who wins in my oldest son. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gKRYeL10ko
Posted by: trevek

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/05/09 07:07 AM

I started Judo at 7 and my sisters kids did too. They took to it like fishes to water. Kids enjoy rolling around and I think Judo is extremely suitable due to the sporting aspect and the history of it both as an educational sport and as being well supervised.
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/05/09 01:46 PM

cool, thanks all.

I am going to look at a school tonight, any tips what to look for in a judo dojo?
Posted by: trevek

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/05/09 03:00 PM

a good mat!
Posted by: spartancs

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/05/09 05:42 PM

Are you interested in competition?

Some gyms take a more formal traditional Kodokan Judo approach while others are more competition clubs that may focus more on techniques that have a higher percentage of success in matches. Something to think about before you choose. I found that frequent competition kept my kids more interested in training.

good luck.
Posted by: Ames

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/05/09 05:52 PM

Quote:

thanks - yeah, next year I can get him in boxing here, which is what I really want, and that we can do together. there's noplace around me that does MT or MMA for kids.




Just my personal perspective on this, but if this is the case you might want to wait. I think, although self defence is good a thing for a kid, of equal importance to a child's development is giving them a sense of being dedicated to something. Again, just my opinion, but if I was going to sign my kid up for a martial art, I would encourage them to continue to at least the black belt level, or, in the case where there wasn't a ranking system, until they got a reasonable level of skill, and got the basics down. I don't think you can grasp the basics of Judo in a year with only one or two classes a week.

My two cents.

--Chris
Posted by: spartancs

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/05/09 06:02 PM

Quote:

Quote:

thanks - yeah, next year I can get him in boxing here, which is what I really want, and that we can do together. there's noplace around me that does MT or MMA for kids.




Just my personal perspective on this, but if this is the case you might want to wait. I think, although self defence is good a thing for a kid, of equal importance to a child's development is giving them a sense of being dedicated to something. Again, just my opinion, but if I was going to sign my kid up for a martial art, I would encourage them to continue to at least the black belt level, or, in the case where there wasn't a ranking system, until they got a reasonable level of skill, and got the basics down. I don't think you can grasp the basics of Judo in a year with only one or two classes a week.

My two cents.

--Chris



I agree that the kids i've watched over the years that train twice a week for an hour don't progress much and usually fizzle out after a few months. IMO though starting Judo now and adding boxing in a year or so is cool as long as the gameplan is to increase the total training time to 6+hrs a week. Who knows after a year he might not want to continue Judo but will have learned some great breakfall skills in the meantime and a few decent throws.

One more thing about choosing a club. Your kid will have a lot more fun if he has a few other kids around his size to train with in a friendly atmosphere. My 5/6yr olds ended up rolling with adults frequently which was pretty much a waste of time.
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/06/09 01:25 PM

thanks - yeah, I agree with the idea of keeping him in, actually the idea of boxing was a short course, not a long term thing. my boxing gym does a parent/kid course in boxing that is 6 sessions long, and I thought I would put him in that. I am hoping that he will stick to judo for a while, hopefully until black belt level.

in 5 years or so, he can start krav maga, if he wants.

I honestly don't know if all of this will interest him. I am hoping it will, but I am more pushing him because I want him to doa sport that requires him to work and struggle with it a little. I am short and broad shouldered, and I believe that he will end up just like me, and so judo should be something that he can do well in, I am thinking.
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/06/09 01:27 PM

Quote:


One more thing about choosing a club. Your kid will have a lot more fun if he has a few other kids around his size to train with in a friendly atmosphere. My 5/6yr olds ended up rolling with adults frequently which was pretty much a waste of time.



yeah, that was the one thing I was looking for - 7 kids, 3 of them about his size/weight/hieght. so that should be good for him.
Posted by: trevek

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/06/09 03:51 PM

To be honest, I'd probably leave the boxing until he's older. This was the same dilemma my bro-in-law had. He flt his son should do boxing. I suggested Judo and my nephew took to it like a fish to water.
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/06/09 04:51 PM

you might be right. I like boxing, myself, but it might not be right for him.


a lot of it is on the philosophical level - I get the feeling he just isn't going to be into martial arts, but hey, its hard to say at this age. I may be trying to get him to be interested in what I like. anyway, we'll see.


also, kids dont seem to fight any more. I want him to be able to stand up for himself, but it just seems like he might not ever need it, I don't know. by his age I was fighting every week.
Posted by: Ames

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/07/09 06:00 PM

Nope kids don't really fight with their fists as much anymore, which is probably a good thing. At the same time, I think martial arts for kids is great for other reasons, some of which you've alluded (teaching them dedication, the will to succeed, etc.), and have the nice side benefit of self defense.

I think I would choose judo in your case, in all honesty. If you already think your son *might* not be into m.a., then him taking boxing and getting punched in the nose might turn him away from them. On the flip side, Judo doesn't really 'hurt', and a lot of kids seem to take to it. Also, it will teach him to escape from grabs and holds, which I think is probably the single most important skill for a kid to have for self defense.

It's cool that your looking for activities to do with your son, I respect that...most families these days only talk to each other during the commercial breaks.

--Chris
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/07/09 11:03 PM

Quote:


It's cool that your looking for activities to do with your son, I respect that...most families these days only talk to each other during the commercial breaks.





thanks
Posted by: fileboy2002

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/09/09 05:58 PM

Good points, Ames. I would add that, in my opinion, Judo is better lifelong martial art than boxing is. I am nearing 40, and although I have been practicing MAs for most of my life, I do not want 20-somethings punching me in the face every day at this point in my life.
Posted by: MattJ

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/10/09 09:23 PM

Judo or BJJ is great for kids. I'm not real big into striking arts for kids.
Posted by: trevek

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/11/09 04:17 PM

I agree very much with Ames, if you're worried he might not like MA, then getting hurt isn't a big incentive. However, even if he doesn't want to have a career in MA, don't be disheartened... perhaps he'll develop a strong character through something else, with your encouragement.

On the side, a little story I heard tonight. My sister is facing unemployment because the local council are closing several sports centres in her area. My 11 year old nephew was at a public meeting with members of his Judo club. He's not the most eloquent of lads but at one point he put his hand up and spoke about how important the sports centres were, how they shouldn't be closed and of all the opportunities the Judo club and sports centre provided... then held up his collection of medals for all to see.

My sister's pretty chuffed with him.
Posted by: globetrotter

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/12/09 11:12 AM

Quote:

Good points, Ames. I would add that, in my opinion, Judo is better lifelong martial art than boxing is. I am nearing 40, and although I have been practicing MAs for most of my life, I do not want 20-somethings punching me in the face every day at this point in my life.



funny, I was thinking the same thing, but I was thinking "I don't want some 20 something throwing me down every day".


btw - we started, and both of us liked it. I expected to be in more pain, so it really wasn't that bad. I enjoyed it, and I actually seem to remember a little bit from 30 years ago.
Posted by: BrianS

Re: 7 year old and judo - 01/12/09 11:44 PM

My son is 7, does judo, and is great at it! I think it's good for him. It's disciplined, helps with his coordination as well as giving him usable techniques. I say go for it!