June 15th, 2010
With the release of the new Karate Kid movie last week, many parents are wondering if they should enroll their child in a martial arts class. If you or your child has never attended a martial arts school before, it can be a scary decision that comes with many questions.(br /)(br /)
The biggest concern amongst most parents is whether or not their child will be safe when practicing with other students. That is a very valid concern, because many of the martial arts require some contact with other students when practicing self-defense techniques, throws, or sparring. However, most instructors request help from assistant instructors during kids classes to try to prevent accidents from occurring. In addition, most schools enforce a minimum age requirement for sparring and other techniques that require contact between students. The best advice I can give you would be to watch your child take at least one introductory class prior to joining any martial arts school. You will be able to tell very quickly whether your child is comfortable in the dojo by his or her body language when interacting with other students and the instructors. In most towns, there are multiple schools to choose from, so you will probably want to visit a few prior to joining any dojo.(br /)
