Martial Arts

In recent years, martial arts have become a popular pastime for both children and adults. Well-taught martial arts have many benefits as well as being fun. For girls, martial arts do not place emphasis on build, weight or looks, as dance and gymnastics do. For both genders, martial arts build self-confidence and pride. The discipline learned pours over into every other aspect of life, including school. In my years as a martial artist, I have seen shy kids (and adults) blossom and aggressive ones gain self-control. I have also seen martial artists, both child and adult, who lacked self-control and were bullies. A bad instructor or philosophy can ruin the martial arts experience. With martial arts school sprouting on every street corner, how do prospective students pick a good school in both philosophy and style?

A note on starting ages – most experts recommend a starting age between six and eight. The first reason for starting ages is physical ability. Most children do not have the physical coordination that martial arts require at ages much under seven. Young children also do not have the self-control or concentration needed to master and safely use martial arts. Finally, I cannot count the number of children I watched start martial arts at four, five and six who three years later were burned out. Waiting a few years might have avoided this. Some schools will accept students younger than six, but these often become little more than expensive hour long babysitting. As with every sport, there are always exceptions but they are rare.

Karate is a catchall term for martial arts but is specifically Okinawan in origin. Karate focuses primarily on hand techniques: blocks, punches, strikes, evasions and joint manipulations. Kicks are not emphasized as in other styles. Karate does use traditional weapons such as the bo (staff) There are dozens of varieties of karate and information on each may be found in martial arts magazines or on the internet.

Tae kwondo, a recent addition to the Olympic lineup, is Korean and means the Way of Hand and Foot Fighting. It emphasizes kicks in addition to hand techniques. There are two distinct styles. The World Tae kwondo Federation based schools teach Japanese karate with kicks and the International Tae kwondo Federation based schools teach Korean Tae kwondo.  Tae kwondo does not use weapons. Belt rankings depend on the organization. The emphasis on legs and kicks make it particularly well suited for women and girls because women generally do not have the upper body strength to grapple with men and, if self-defense is the goal, women can kick from a greater distance and run away.  In the interest of full disclosure, I spent more than eight years practicing an ITF affiliated Tae kwondo.

Kung Fu is Chinese and is most familiar from early Bruce Lee movies, as well as the Kung Fu Panda movies. Kung Fu means excellence in a given subject, but is commonly used to mean the martial art. According to Kung Fu experts, one of its strengths is the harmony between mind and body. This is also its main weakness in that it is very difficult to master. Kung Fu uses many different types of weapons and there is no tradition system of belt ranking and no formal organization except for the contemporary Wu-Shu form.

Aikido is Japanese and based on the Way of the Warrior. Aikido experts describe it as a martial art of harmony that is an art, not a sport or exercise. Actor Steven Segal may be the most familiar practitioner of Aikido. Weapons are generally limited to knife defense and use of the long staff, similar to the quarterstaff or bo. Aikido is practiced under the jurisdiction of the Aikikai World Foundation and the International Aikido Federation.

Judo, the first Olympic martial art, is Japanese, derived from Jujitsu as a form of exercise. It is more like wrestling in that kicks and punches are generally not taught but throws, foot sweeps and arm and leg bars are the common techniques. Judo is very effective at close quarters and on the ground. There are no weapons used, except in kata (forms) training. I played (the accepted term for participating in judo) for two years and, exceptions aside, feel judo is not a suited to a woman for self-defense. I do not want to get in a grappling match with a man who is much stronger. The United States Judo Federation is the overseeing body in the U.S.

Tae Bo and cardio kickboxing are not martial arts, but a mix of martial arts workout and aerobics. For someone from a martial arts background, these lack several key training techniques, such as sparring, that are crucial to learning self-defense and using it as self-defense. My form of tae kwondo required precision and I found tae bo to encourage sloppy technique. As a workout, these are superb.

Another very popular martial art is Mixed Martial Arts. This started as jujitsu and over time, different techniques were added in.  My experience with martial arts in the United States was based on fun, serious training and a little self-defense. MMA focuses on fighting. As a parent of two martial arts students, I would start my child in a more traditional martial art and let them decide during their teens to train in MMA.

This list is limited and covers only the most common martial arts. There are more than 200 recognized martial arts, both formal and mixes of styles. However, style is much less important than philosophy.

From experience and talking with other practitioners, I am including a list of questions to help you find a good school for either you or your child. Almost every question is concerned with safety. Martial arts are inherently dangerous. They were, after all, developed for battle. In judo, a perfectly executed throw wins the match because the opponent is assumed to have been incapacitated or dead. Finding a safety-minded instructor and school make the experience much more enjoyable.

Are you allowed to watch the class before signing up? Can you take a trial class with no obligation?

You should watch an entire class for both beginner and advanced ranks, at least once. If parents or prospective students are not welcome to watch, beware. You would not send your child to a day care you could not visit. These people will be teaching you or your child how to fight and it is imperative that you know, trust and are welcomed by the instructors.

Are classes fun or serious?

Most of the adult black belts I knew had two things in common. First, most had been lousy at team sports but Tae kwondo was an individual sport with a high team spirit. Second, they were all in it for serious fun. We trained hard and we had fun. My style of Tae kwondo preached and, for the most part, practiced the five tenets of Tae kwondo: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit. The other rule was that adults had to go to work the next morning and children to school, therefore train hard but with control.

What is the school/organizational philosophy?

In most US schools, martial arts have dropped the spiritual philosophy that guided martial arts in their parent countries. They do however have attitudes toward parents, students and instructors that should match your own.

Is the school affiliated with a national or international organization?

This affiliation provides an oversight group of black belts who monitor instructors and ensure training stays friendly and safe. It also means rank is honored in other affiliated schools. There are fine schools with no affiliation, but having one gives a greater measure of legitimacy to the instructor.

Are the instructors certified or under the immediate supervision of a certified instructor?

Certification means the instructor has been taught to teach and is capable of teaching to the satisfaction of a review board. Anyone can open a martial arts school. Not everyone should. Certification is one more safeguard for participants.

Is the teacher the role model you want for you or your child? Do the instructors practice what they preach?

Instructors invariably become role models for students, regardless of age.

Are instructors first aid certified?

Accidents happen even in the safest school. Generally, injuries will be minor: bruises, broken toes, jammed fingers, bloody noses and black eyes.

How is discipline meted out?

Some “old school” martial arts use corporal punishment. If this is acceptable to you, what limits are placed on the punisher? Many schools use push-ups, time outs and removal of belts, a shaming factor, instead.

Are students encouraged to use martial arts outside of training or is there a clearly understood restriction on use?

Control should be the first word in any martial arts style. Students who violate the use of martial arts outside of class need some sort of consequence.

When does sparring begin?

In my opinion and experience, students should not begin sparring immediately. Students need time to develop techniques and control. There are ways to simulate training, katas or forms are on, one step sparring is another. We black belts hated the first month of sparring with the new green belts, all of whom had spent at least six months training, because we invariably walked away with injuries.

Is safety gear used when sparring?

At a minimum, martial arts quality headgear, mouth guards and foot and hand pads should be worn. Bare skin fighting is dangerous. Another seeming obvious safety consideration is the requirement to keep toe and finger nails trimmed and to not wear any jewelry, including earrings.

What are the limits placed on sparring?

Contact is the amount of force used when hitting the opponent. “Full contact” is a commonly used term to indicate toughness of training. Be wary of a school advertising “full contact.” Martial arts were developed for battle conditions where the objective was to kill the opponent. Obviously, a martial artist making full contact could kill or seriously injure the sparring partner. Limited contact or light contact requires control and experience, and lets the person being hit know they have been hit without causing more than light bruising.

Finally, never be afraid to ask questions of instructors. Obviously, there is a time (after class) and a place (in private) and courtesy should be the first rule of every parent, student and instructor.

Martial arts are fun and can yield great results. Taking the time to ensure that the style and instructor fit your needs will make you and your child’s participation much more enjoyable and valuable.