The Complete Parent’s Guide to Martial Arts for Kids
So you are looking around at different activities for your kids. And you landed on Martial Arts as one of those activities, but you have no idea where to start!
Choosing an activity can be a challenge. Once you have what you think is the right one, the real research begins! And all the questions you ask start flooding in:
Is it going to be fun and something my child likes?
Will they try to quit after a week?
Is it safe? What kind of stuff are they going to learn? Are they going to get hurt?
My kid is so shy and nervous. I want them to do this, but I don’t even know if I can get them through the door.
These are common questions we hear from parents all the time. Trying to figure out an appropriate activity for your child can be hard enough. And once you land on Martial Arts, the next battle is trying to know what to look for in a great Martial Arts program. That is exactly what this article is for!
We are going to help you answer the most common questions parents are asking when thinking about Martial Arts for their kids:
What age to start Martial Arts for my child?
How to choose the right Martial Arts school (And a checklist made for you when you are actually in a school)?
What types of skills are built and taught in a good Martial Arts school?
If you are a resident of Williamstown and you search for “Martial Arts near me” the good news is that you are going to get LOTS of options to choose from. That is also the bad news - You now have to try to figure out what each school is like, what they teach, and if they are the right fit for you and your child’s goals. Our hope is that this article helps teach you about the different things to look for and answer the most common questions we hear from the parents of our students.
What Age to Start Martial Arts
Is My Child the Right Age to Start Martial Arts?
This is one of the most common questions we hear as a school and as coaches.
“Is my child too young to start Martial Arts?”
“What is the best age to start Martial Arts for my kid?”
The real answer: Martial Arts can be started at any age! Children can start training as young as 3 years old. And there is no limit on how old you are when it comes to training.
The better question: Does the school I’m looking at teach age-appropriate skills for my child?
It is not uncommon to see Martial Arts schools with programs for children as young as 3 years old. But the focus in those classes and the skills being taught are what is most important.
The better question to ask and things to look for in a school:
Are there actual skills being taught? (Ex. How to jump, balance, grab, and run for younger kids)
And are the skills appropriate for those kids?
Does the school separate age groups safely and appropriately? (A 5 year old should not be training with a 13 year old)
Does this school have the appropriate number of instructors or help for the age group being taught? Typically the younger the age of the kids and the larger the number of students, the more instructors and helpers should be on the mat. This helps maintain structure and ensures everyone gets the right amount of attention.
Bottom Line
What an instructor teaches a 3 or 4 year old should be pretty different than what they teach a 7 or 8 year old!
The younger your child is - The more the instructor should be focused on gross motor skills, basic listening skills, and learning how to move their body in new ways.
The older your child is - The more the focus can become specific Martial Arts techniques and skills. And the more advanced and challenging the curriculum can be!
So instead of asking “Is my child old enough for Martial Arts?” the question should be “Is this school teaching the right skills based on my child’s age and ability?” And the more obvious question - Does this school actually teach my child’s age range?
At Hybrid Martial Arts in Williamstown, we start teaching ages as young as 7 years old simply because we are a young school and don’t have the schedule or staff (yet!) to fit in younger age groups. If the school you are looking at offers a trial period take advantage of it to see what skills are being taught in the class. And if you don’t know why certain drills are being taught, don’t be afraid to ask!
Read more:
How to choose the right Martial Arts school
What to look for when choosing a Martial Arts school for your child (And a free checklist to help you when looking)
Choosing an activity for your child is hard enough. But now you have decided to try out Martial Arts, and you have 4 different schools in the area to choose from. One teaches Jiu-Jitsu, another teaches Taekwondo, and two others don’t even say what they teach. How do you know which to choose? What is the difference between each? What should I be looking for?
In the South Jersey area alone, there are over 30+ different martial arts schools depending on where you live. In the Williamstown area where we are located, you are a 20-minute drive from at least a dozen different Martial Arts schools. So it is not about finding a school or even the best school (Since there are so many great ones!). It is about finding the right school for you and your child.
Let’s help you narrow down based on your goals.
Click here to get our free checklist to help you choose the right school for your child
Three Questions to Ask When Choosing Martial Arts Schools:
What are my goals for my child?
Do you want them to learn how to defend themselves or are they looking to compete? (Two different things!)
Is this their idea or yours? Are they looking to do kicks, punches, grappling or wrestling? Each style teaches its own specific techniques.
What kind of environment and school do I want my child to be in?
Are you looking for something more competitive and challenging? Easy-going and fun? A combination of both?
Do you want a bigger school? A smaller one? Several instructors or just one?
Do I want a high-energy school that is faster-paced? Or something quieter and more relaxed?
What style do I want my child to learn?
The answer to this question will really help narrow down schools to choose from since there are so many different styles of Martial Arts.
If you are not familiar with Martial Arts, your different “styles” are like different “flavors”. Keep reading below to see what we mean.
What style do I want my child to learn?
Think of Martial Arts like pizza... You love pizza. But depending on what you put on it, you might also hate it!
Pepperoni or classic cheese? Delicious…
Ham and pineapple? Disgusting…
Same with Martial Arts - You might love it, but you might only like a specific flavor. And that can be hard to know which flavor you like when you are just starting out. There is no right or wrong answer, flavor, or style of Martial Arts. Just what is right for you and your child. Which is why it is important to really answer the first question above.
A general breakdown of styles below:
Jiu-Jitsu: Primarily “grappling” and techniques on the ground. Usually includes some throws and standing self-defense. Many schools may compete in local and regional tournaments, as well. Generally takes much longer (10+ years) to achieve a Black Belt in this style.
Taekwondo/TKD: Primarily kicking and striking with minimal to no time on the ground. Sparring and “point sparring” are usually a part of the curriculum at some point. Generally takes 3+ years to achieve a Black Belt in this style.
Karate: Think “Karate Kid” if you ever watched it. Many strikes, kicks, and blocks. Learning forms or “katas”, weapon training, and sparring are regular parts of many karate programs, but this can vary widely between schools and styles of Karate.
MMA: Stands for Mixed Martial Arts. Can be a blend of various styles that include both striking and grappling. Most popular for people wanting to learn how to fight at an amateur or professional level. This is what we teach at Hybrid Martial Arts in a family-friendly way (We don’t train any fighters). Curriculum and “vibe” vary widely between schools.
Muay Thai: The official Martial Art of Thailand. Teaches striking using punches, knees, and elbows with a strong emphasis on kicks. While there are pure Muay Thai schools, many MMA schools have Muay Thai classes or techniques mixed into their curriculum (Like us!).
*** These are all generalizations of only five different, popular Martial Arts styles. Every school is different and unique. And each style can have its own flavor! Think: A pepperoni pizza from one pizza shop compared to another! Same ingredients, but the flavor and quality of ingredients can be done differently.
Still unsure and actively looking at schools? Grab our free checklist that you can use when visiting schools:
What types of skills are built and taught in a good Martial Arts school?
What To Look For When Watching a Class
Every school and every instructor is different. Every child and their goals are different. Every parent is different. Regardless, you should know what to look for when choosing the right school. If you have never been in a school before or seen a well-run program, it can be hard to know if what the children are learning is real, effective, safe, or even helpful for your child.
Fun does not mean results
Yes. We all want our children to have fun and actually enjoy the activity they are in (If it’s not fun, it’s not forever, right?). But if that is all your child is getting out of Martial Arts, there are other activities that can serve the same purpose. A well-run Martial Arts program should do the following in a class:
Safety First
Martial Arts does involve risks just like any other sport or activity. And studies actually show there are lower risks of injury in Martial Arts than there are in sports like basketball or football. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and hugely depends on the instructor and what they are teaching. If class does not look or feel safe and kids are consistently getting hurt through their training, that is a huge red flag! Every class should be designed with safety in mind first.
Teach Martial Arts!
Sounds silly, but if a class is mostly warmups, stretching, exercises, and games, it is more of a gym class than a Martial Arts school. Read our “What Age to Start” section above for the exception to this. If your child is under 4 years old that might be exactly what a class should look like…
While your child doesn’t have to look like a professional fighter, they should be learning some Martial Arts by the end of a class! If your child can’t figure out what they learned or worked on in class (And you can’t either), you should start questioning that.
Structure
On our mat we say that “Structure creates discipline”. What does that mean? Does the class look organized? Are students in lines, training positions, or at the least, is there a structure to the class? Or does it feel like a free-for-all where the instructor can’t keep all the kids focused?
This can look like: Standing in a line when warming up, having training positions or spots, working with teammates in a designated space, “focus positions” used in class.
What to look out for: It feels like the kids don’t know where to go, kids are literally everywhere on the mat instead of a line, group, or training area. The instructor seems overwhelmed or confused on how to handle the class.
Drills
One of the most important things to look for in a class (And sometimes most difficult to spot).
Drills build skills! And skills help build confidence and results. That is why it’s so important that children are practicing drills that actually teach them something rather than unstructured learning, sparring, or live grappling.
Is your child learning on purpose or by accident? Specific drills should be taught throughout class to help teach real skills. Some examples below:
Using agility ladders to work on speed, focus, and balance. (Ex. Practicing fighting stances through the ladder or hopping on one foot through the ladder.)
Anything involving jumping, falling, crawling, and moving WHILE practicing a technique like a punch, kick, or block. This can help teach coordination, body control, gross motor movements, etc.
Partner work such as practicing a technique on a teammate, helping another student learn a technique, doing something together, or competing together. This can help build social skills, friendships, confidence, etc.
Bottom Line
All schools, styles, and instructors are different. But at the end of the day, results are exactly that - Results. And if you are placing your child into an activity like Martial Arts you should absolutely expect to see some sort of result.
Sometimes that is right away and sometimes that is a few classes in. At Hybrid Martial Arts, we believe that you should see noticeable shifts in confidence, focus, and attitude within the first two weeks of training. If your child has been coming for more than two weeks and they are not enjoying class and not seeing any improvements, then it may be a sign to keep looking for a school that is a better fit.
Want to Learn More About Hybrid Martial Arts?
If you are actively searching for Martial Arts schools in the Williamstown and surrounding areas then we may be the right fit for you! If you are interested in learning more about who we are, what we do, and why we do it, click our “Learn More” button below.
And if you are ready to start actually trying out classes, look no further and take advantage of our FREE two-week trial for your child.
