Aikido Westchester NY

Many parents would like their children to train in martial arts. Perhaps they heard of certain benefits such as discipline to help them in school, self defense against bullies, improving balance and reflexes for sports, etc. But not having much experience with martial arts themselves, where does one begin?

Top

Which Martial Art is Best for my Child?

As far as which martial art, there are numerous articles and pages on this site that can be used as a resource to address the topic. But first we will consider the key point. As has been said many times before, there is not a best martial art, but only a best martial art for a particular person. So the main job for a parent is to judge the disposition of their child to find the most appropriate art. Some arts emphasize striking with a lot of solo exercises, others getting down on the ground like wrestling and still others that may involve picturesque movements. Training can be aggressive with competition or more defensive in emphasis. A brief description of adult classes for all the major Asian martial arts in the recommended content section here can provide some insight for children.

Top

What to Look for in a Martial Arts School

The primary goal of martial arts training is to build character. This idea may sound strange for a system of fighting, but it makes sense if you think about it. For example, the best way to defend yourself against an attacker is to not be attacked in the first place. Positive character discourages people from anger and violence within, reducing the chances of being attacked. Becoming more mindful also helps one spot and avoid dangerous situations as well.

The instructors of a particular school should embody the benefits of someone who has trained to improve their character. Becoming quick to anger, hostile, greedy or selfish are bad signs. Lack of diligence in your art can be seen by hiring instructors to teach your children who are not practicing or experienced in the art they teach. It is probably not appropriate to single out certain economic policies such as contracts or charges for belts, etc. Good teachers, as well as bad, may employ these tools. The intent of the teachers in using these tools is the primary concern and simply asking why they maintain that approach could be the best way to find out their intent.

As westerners we often accept lesser character from business owners understanding their need to “make a buck.” We may think we want the best widget, and sometimes they are made by people who are not of the highest character. But in martial arts training, these characteristics define the quality of the product itself. If you are in the business of teaching positive character and you have poor character yourself, you can’ t possibly offer the benefits of building positive character as a business. So in tandem with selecting the most appropriate martial art for your child’s disposition is insuring the particular school has the capacity to deliver on the goods you wish to purchase. In that regard, a more rigorous review of the school to insure they have the positive character they propose to teach your child is an essential ingredient of the review process.

Keywords: Realistic Self Defense, Effective Self Defense