by Larry Weaver

Created on: July 05, 2008

What is the best martial arts for kids? Well, that all depends on what you as a parent expect your child to gain from the arts. There are several common desired outcomes parents want from the partaking of martial arts for their children and I'll try to touch base on those.
1. Discipline
2. Self-Confidence
3. Physical Interaction with other children in a controlled Environment.

4. self-defense

In the 20 plus years that I have been teaching Martial Arts to children, many parents want their children to learn stranger awareness and defensive maneuvers to prevent assault and/or abduction. As far as "what is the best martial arts for kids", you have to look at several different factors, such as how old is the child in question, does he or she have an average attention span or is the child on medication to keep them focused, does he or she really want to take these lessons or do you have to force him/her to attend, can you really afford the lessons,are there any health concerns of the child in question? You must take all of this into consideration before you decide your child needs martial arts instruction.

Let's assume that you want your child to be more disciplined and that is your major reason for the martial arts lessons. Then you must decide on a good instructor. By good instructor I mean one that not only has a vast array of knowledge in his or her particular style of martial arts but one that is accustomed to teaching small children and adults alike. The instructor must be well disciplined themselves and sometimes you will be able to see this upon your first introduction. If not, then I would suggest that you watch a few classes and see how the instructor interacts with his or her students. If you do not feel comfortable with the teaching methods, by all means go elsewhere. If you like what you see then go a step further and speak with some of the other parents and hopefully you will get some positive feedback on the instructor. Most schools have no problem with you sitting in and watching a few classes to make your mind up. If they do not allow you to watch, then go elsewhere.
Content is also a major concern for most parents. Any honorable instructor should be able to teach all levels of children, from 3 years old up to adulthood depending on attention span. Content for a 16 year old would be very different than for the 6 year old and under. I'll give you an example. Let's say that the technique in question was an eye gouge, which is an effective technique but

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