Can someone explain the differences in various martial arts programs to a novice?

[Reader]

The options available to us seem to be tae kwon do, karate, aikido and possibly judo. DS (10) just wants to try martial arts and has no preference. Any insight into the pros and cons of each would be appreciated.

[newnana]

DD and I did TKD and loved it. I personally find the personality of the specific group dd is working with is way more important to how she does than what particular activity it is. In that vein and with my limited martial arts experience, I'd recommend going to some free trial classes at each of the places available and see which group DS (and you) reponds to best. From what I understand, all are great for discipline, physical strength and flexibility, and perserverence.

[TwoBees]

Following...

[trcy]

I am in no way an expert, but from my understanding, some differences are: karate is more of a form of self-defense; TKD was developed as a sport
TKD uses more kicks than karate
I totally agree with the PP, have your DS try a few and see what he likes best.
DD does TKD, our only other option around here was karate and that was a lot more expensive. Luckily, she enjoys the TKD.


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[belovedgandp]

DH and all three kids are in martial arts. We landed at a TKD school. TKD is relatively more dominant in our area, but with that there are a lot of academy choices. Karate and TKD have different countries of origin. Karate uses more hand skills and TKD is more leg/foot.

Definitely need to visit at least a couple of locations. Also ask around to get a feel for why people like where they are. It was over 6 years ago that DS1 and DH went looking for a school. The judo one in our area was dismissed because it was mostly focused on teens to adults and our son was 6 at the time. DH felt pressured to sign at the TKD school closest to our home and had a vibe that the instructor was too strict (strict is expected but an understanding of typical 6 YO was needed also). We've been at the TKD academy now for over six years.

It's about finding the fit for your family. All the schools should let you visit at least once for no fee. They should have an option to come 2-5 more visits for small fee before you commit for anything longer term. Do look at location and time options. TKD for us is 2-3 times per week every week of the year. Our academy is less than 2 miles from the house and I make the trip a lot. I couldn't handle a location farther away, but this has gotten more complicated with all three kids there.

A nice thing about martial arts is kids can start at any age or time of year. We are definitely an "all in" family.

[rlu]

IIRC from when DH did aikido (umpteen years ago) it is mostly for self-defense, sort of a type of meditation too I think. He wants to get back into it and have DS try as well. Maybe next summer now that school's upon us.

[smiles33]

I concur with PP re: selecting a school more than the type of martial arts. DH went to 4-5 local martial arts schools to observe classes with DD1 before settling on the one we love. What he told me is that he wanted:

1) a place that didn't promote kids as fast as possible and charge for belt tests (it can be a money maker if schools charge for new belts, and that's probably why we see 10 year old "black belts")
2) a place that cares about the whole child (e.g., not just physical fitness, but good moral character, behavior on and off the mats, etc.)
3) a place with teachers and parents who care about the school (e.g., not huge turnover, teachers who genuinely like teaching, etc.).

Several families also recommended our school but if you don't know anyone personally, I'd just ask the parents you see at the school. Our school has a family waiting room and I frequently end up chatting with families interested in starting their kids at the school.

Hope this helps!

P.S. See what other options are available for adults , too, as it may be nice for you and your DH to join. I started kickboxing after my girls started doing kajukenbo (a mixed martial art focused on self defense); DH and the girls are doing an eskrima class together (Filipino stick arts); and DD1 added a jujitsu class. We are there 4 days/week; and it's 5 days/week when the girls are training to compete in a tournament.

[citymama]

I have friends who are serious martial arts practitioners who have their kids in TKD or karate, but not judo. One of my friends who teaches at a dojo doesn't recommend it for younger kids (10 is probably on the borderline). I am not an expert but I second the idea of trying a few options (drop-in classes for eg).