Do any of you train with your young children?

[u/amber686745]

I've trained in karate on and off for years and I'm now in a club I absolutely love.

My daughter turns five soon and I'd really like to get her started, but I'm wondering if five is too young?

I'm also a bit worried she'll cling to me during lessons. Would it be better to sit and watch for the first few classes or join in myself?

Karate is a big part of my life at the moment and I train four times a week. I'd absolutely love for her to enjoy it too, but I don't want to put any pressure on her. And i wouldn't expect her to train 4 times a week either.

I'd like to hear how other parents introduced their little ones to karate? and what worked best for you?

[u/cyber_tech86]

Hi OP, my little boy (now 6) tried karate at 5 but he was a bit young to be honest. It's always worth trying them to see how they go with classes (and also how clingy they may be).

My son tried again at just before 6 and really enjoyed it. He now goes 3 times a week on average (which he chooses to do, there's no pushing from me). So it's great, I now get to train a few times a week and my little boy comes along. My husband also trains too, just waiting for our little girl to be old enough now and then it'll be a full family activity.

It's good for our little ones to see us training and practicing, especially learning something new and I feel as though my little boy has more resilience now.

As for the clingy bit, my son sometimes will come over for a cuddle but he's doing that less mid class. Depending on how your little girl is, it might be a good move to teach her some basics before her first class so she's got something to work on.

Good luck with your (family) karate journey!

[u/Confident_Mix5382]

Well my kid introduced me to Karate but we've trained together since he was 6 (youngest our club takes on.) We have separate lessons for kids in our club so not much clinging, and even when we are training together you are usually paired/grouped by height and belt so you won't do much training together. Not that he doesnt sneak a hug at any opportunity. Like most thing its going depend on the Sensei - probably worth having a chat with them

[u/Edexote]

My boy will join me next year when he's 5. My youngest daughter did a trial training session which she enjoyed, but she prefers ballet. My oldest daughter, no one can take ballet from her.

[u/Pegsinho]

My lad and I started at the same time when he was 5. There've been times when he's not been so into it but on the whole it's kind of been 'our thing' for the last 4 years. I think it's a fantastic thing for parents to do together because unlike in other sports, all the different age groups can train together easily.

Initially we were going through the belt gradings together but after a certain level, he has to do intermediate belts as a junior, whereas I don't. At first he wanted me to wait at intermediate shodan (brown/black) for him to catch up so we could do shodan together, but when he realised I'd be waiting for around 2 years he decided it was fine to go ahead and I did so last week. He is now 2nd kyu (brown/white), age 9.

I think it helps that there are other kids in the class. At first he was more clingy and only wanted to pair up with me for kumite etc. (less than ideal as I was about twice his height!) but as we've progressed, he's got better and got to know the class so he's happy to crack on with others the same size/age.

There are also other family groups in our class, mostly one parent and child, but also a whole family of four. I'd say go for it and hopefully your daughter catches the bug like you.

[u/cjh10881]

See if they offer a kid class. If they do or her in that. 5 is a great age to start.

I train at the same dojo as my kids but they are in a kid class. I train with my wife too, we're in the same class

[u/micrographical]

My son started training at about the same age at an after school club run by a local dojo once a week. Heavy on the fun and games. After a couple of years if kids were still interested they moved to the kids classes at the dojo, twice a week. I took him, decided to restart training myself after a long break including alongside him when feasible. Now he’s in his mid teens and an accomplished karateka training with the adults.

Biggest help was plenty of other youngsters to befriend in the classes, a dojo that starts them off having fun and slowly ramps up the seriousness, and encouragement but no pressure when the inevitable wobbles about attendance come along - training alongside my son helped with this, since he knew I’d be going anyway even if he didn’t feel like it. Overall it’s made a big difference to his confidence and athleticism, don’t regret it.

[u/spicy2nachrome42]

My son has been training since he was 3 but always loved the dojo... same with my youngest daughter(shes was allowed to start early because she is very advanced for her age)... all of my children have tried but only my son continues to train

[u/foxydevil14]

I train exclusively with kids (my son has trained since he was 5). The teachers I train with are all Olympic level athletes and when I started, there were a few other adults that would train with the kids as well. As time has gone on, there are fewer and fewer times where there are other adults.

I feel like Kramer, but I still get a good workout in.

[u/replayio]

I joined after my son had already started training at a local Matsubayashi (Shorin-Ryu) dojo. He was 8 yrs old when he started. I sat and watched the sessions for a few months, and then one evening, the sensei said “Dad, come do the warmups with us.” From there onward, I’ve been training. He just hit 13th old and like all other middle schoolers, his schedule got very busy, so now I find it hard to get him to the dojo (and I secretly hope he’s not coming because of me!! 🥴). It’s always the risk with doing activities with your kids. It’s cool into it’s not. Haha

[u/carlosf0527]

We have a class with parents and children. Thinking about it now, I think most of the adults are here for their kids (and many of them also take separate adult classes). The mixed classes are generally older kids. We have separate classes for the younger ones (no parents training along side).

Five is a good starting point, but it really depends on the class. At that age, I find their attention span tends to be a bit short for classes not geared toward kids that age (the classes should be fun and change rapidly). Most kids get bored quickly in classes geared toward adults. Some dojos don't take on kids at that age because of this. Our kids at that age only train once a week.

Classes have a social aspect, and I think kids normally want to group up with each other. Some kids will cling to their parents because they feel more comfortable next to them and enjoy the mummy/daddy time they get. Some kids get a bit nervous the first few times they attend class. Being in a room with new kids they don't know can feel stressful, and on top of that, there are a bunch of grownups watching them. Some kids would benefit from their parents being next to them if this is unmanageable.

Age is tough to judge, since kids are very different from each other. I do find girls are more mature than boys at that age, so they tend to be more ready.

Also note that most kids want to do other things when they turn 11. This is a natural part of their development. Karate can seem a bit boring and repetitive at that age as well.

[u/Tribblehappy]

My kids both started at that age. Our school offers a different curriculum for kids 5-7. There are kids in my class but the youngest is 8. The class for the younger kids runs slightly shorter.

[u/OrganizedSprinkles]

The dojo I belong to has a family class which is perfect for this. But turns out my kids who's been on class for 4 years now, has barely taken a class without me and some schedule issues and move arounds and I ended up in the little kids class the other day. Whatever, I enjoyed having my red right wristband! And no one's too great to work on basics.

[u/CS_70]

Five is very young and unlikely she would get much out of it (other than a good time with you). In my experience, 6, 6.5 tends to be the minimum where kids can start doing well, and that's for the non-average ones. The risk is that she tries for a while because you're there, makes no progress (or has no notion of what progress is) and then gets bored and abandons it.

I would wait a year.

And yes, of course she will stick to you. You will have a fixed partner for a long time :)

Train one day less and spend it with her instead.

[u/blindside1]

I didn't start my kids in martial arts until they were 9ish. Until then I had them in gymnastics or tumbling classes so they could really learn how to use their bodies.

[u/Infinite_Art_99]

Our dojo has a kids' class for 4+ year olds. They usually transfer to junior/mixed age at 8. Sometimes earlier if they can stay focused for the 45 minutes the mixed age classes are.

Can a 4 year old usually do good karate? Nope. But they improve their motor skills, control and get prepped for "real" karate.

Some parents join their kids when they switch to mixed age classes.

[u/chrisjones1960]

My now adult son started training in my karate dojo when he was five. He was pretty terrible because he was a tall skinny kid with no center and so he wobbled all over the place just trying to stand in a stance.

He trained in the kids classes at that point, and I don't teach children, I never have. So I would take him there and he would have his class and then my husband would pick him up and take him home and I would take class.

By the time he was 10, he had been training consistently for 5 years, and even though he wasn't spectacular, he could follow the instructions and do the techniques and the combinations with no nonsense. He was also really tall for his age. Now that as an adult he's 6'3. So at that point they told me that he should take adults class.

And eventually when several other instructors and I started teaching on our own, because the headquarters dojo closed, he was training in many of the classes that I taught. Because I had been consistent about it, I was not "mama" once I had my gi on. He addressed me as Sensei just like other students did. I don't think he ever spoke to me otherwise in all the years he trained. Once the gi was off and we went to Starbucks to get coffee after class, of course, he spoke to me as well as he always did.

He stopped training with any consistency when he hit 18 and was out on his own in life. however, he still does some boxing and he can still hit, and he tells me that he finds those years of training to be an incredible, valuable part of his life.

So I would say do it. But make it clear that dojo is a special place and that in the dojo your child answers to the instructor as do you. There will be days when she doesn't feel like going to class. The way I handled that with my son was to say " this is one of your regular class days, so seeing as you're not sick or anything you are going to go to class. If you want to stop doing karate, you can. We can talk about that at the end of the month before I have to pay your next month's fees." He never asked to stop.

[u/Wooden-Line607]

Started at 4 with my dad, used to watch him on the benches before that. Karate is amazing for kids and teaches discipline

[u/ActuaryReasonable690]

Several folks in my TKD class started as parent/child 'teams" (Although, the instructor prefers kids are clossr to eight, even when they start with a parent)

One of more infamis example was a young girl who sat on the side while her older sister and parents took the class. She was allowed/encouraged in the class when she was "caught" doing basics and forms with the class while she was on the side lines.

[u/Lubalin]

I went the other way, the boy started karate at 6 and I was always waiting outside and figured I'd be better off inside the class exercising... Four years later and we're the same belt and train together.

[u/ronanfitzg]

Lol, I used to go into my daughter's school in 3K and pre-K to teach some age-appropriate karate. It was only 15 minutes and I'd usually have to kick my daughter out for not listening. A reminder that my interest does not need to be her interest.

[u/PanGaiNoonToudiJutsu]

Hi, Im a father of 3 boys in elementary school. I truly believe teaching children younger than 12 is a nearly complete waste of time. What I do instead, is make sure my children see me practicing kata, running through hojo undo, and practicing kumite. I want them to appreciate its value without forcing it on them, and because they see me practice often, they'll start to believe it's important too.

[u/Leather_Plenty_3091]

Yes. I taught my stepson from my previous marriage when he was 8, like my dad did (who was a shotokan fighter in the 70’s/80’s)

He started in traditional karate, and then quickly went to American Jiujitsu (which has quite a bit of wrestling). I taught him leg kicks, double leg takedowns, etc. he would always shadowbox everywhere, even in the grocery store.

I prepped him for bullies. He moved to Idaho to live with his birth dad for while and there he got into some trouble, to include fighting. He had a buddy who was getting beat up and picked on (and was all filmed by the kids on their phone).

My step son found the group of boys and challenged the kid who was the biggest bully and they squared up in a park near a Taco Bell.

I always taught him untrained bullies will throw the haymaker. I instructed him to bait with a leg kick and shoot in for the double leg under the haymaker. When you take him down, get mount and pin him. If he fights, ground and pound. He will turtle up, at that point apply the rear naked choke and he will give up.

All this happened, exactly as I predicted. I know this for fact, because the boys filmed the fight and he sent it to me.

I was proud and horrified at the same time. The kid was older and bigger than my step son.

The bully kid apologized to my step son and to the kid he was picking on. The bully had a black eye in the end and my boy left unscathed. Everything was posted on Snapchat.

I know this sounds like a movie, but it happened - I have the video. Anyway, my stepson eventually wrestled in JV, but he doesn’t train anymore, although he has that dog in him. He’s a very sweet, smiley, kind kid. He wants to eventually train jitz again.

I’m glad I broke him away from only doing traditional karate and introduced him to grappling, kickboxing and wrestling. I coach fighters, and I was happy to coach my stepson.