If you are a kid parent and want to enroll your kid or kids into martial arts, there are some important considerations to do before doing it. For this reason, I decided to give you some suggestions to choose the best martial arts for your kids.
As parents, it is natural to have care of their kids, and we love them so much that we want that his future is perfect and without any problem.
As soon kids start to reach 5-6 years old, they begin to slowly approach a sort of independent life, where for the first time, they aren’t with their parents, as they start to go to school, and for some kids, this can be a hard step to do.
A very effective way to help your kids to overcome this fear is to make him/her start a martial art.
How martial arts help my kids?
There is a lot of reason of why and on what martial arts will help your kids, for this reason before to give you some suggestion about which martial arts is the best for your kid, I want to tell you some of the benefits that martial arts will have on your kids.
Some of the benefits of martial arts for kids are:
- Individual Growth
- Self-control
- Concentration
- Improve coordination
- Improve self-defence
- Discipline
Individual Growth
Whatever martial arts you will choose for your kids, there is one sure thing; it will develop a mentality focused on personal growth.
This is an important point to consider because the vast majority of the kids, especially as soon as they approach the school, tend to make imitations about some others. In some cases, this can create non-independence for your kid.
Attending a martial art, your kid will understand that if he wants to make a technique, he has to understand and make it by himself because no other can do this for him.
Consequently, your kid will develop a more individual mentality to help him take the initiative to be more creative concerning the other kids.
Self-Control
Most of the kids are not so quiet, it is normal for a kid, but some kids are very requited, and sometimes this can be a problem either for the environment where they frequent, that for parents.
The martial arts will help your kid to understand self-Control, thanks to the discipline that a good coach will transmit to your kid.
In that way, after some months of practice martial art, you will notice a significant improvement in your kid’s self-control.
Concentration
As adults, you already know the importance that concentration has during our life and our task.
Same for kids, imagine that your kids at the age of 6 start to improve concentration.
This will have a super positive effect on your kids because they will perform better in school, and it will excel on every task assigned to them.
The core of martial arts is around concentration; for that reason, many coaches in martial arts gym make necessary and studied activity game to improve the concentration of kids to perform better and are ready to serve the martial arts technique.
Improve Coordination
Another significant benefit of martial arts is the improvement of coordination.
The usual course that a martial arts gym make are divided into motor exercise and technique exercise.
The kids that learn martial art will be training with exercises focused on coordination and equilibrium.
Some kids may have some motor skills problems, but there isn’t a better way to help your kid enroll in a martial arts gym.
Improve self-defence
For a person, self-confidence has an essential impact on our lives and how we face challenges.
The practice of martial arts will guarantee to your kids, build a strong self-confidence, and defend in some not good situation.
The knowledge of martial arts will help your kid have an essential background on self-defence if some sad facts are bullying will occure.
Discipline
If your kid is not so quiet or his teacher at school cannot manage well, an excellent solution can be to sign up your kids and start to learn a martial art.
The martial arts will be a good teacher for your kid because he understands the hierarchy and that if he wants to obtain results, he/she have to listen to someone with more experience than him.
If the coach of the martial arts where your kid is enrolled is suitable and qualified, you will notice that your kid will have more discipline after some time and listen more to the advice you will give.
Until now, we saw the benefit that martial art can give to your kid, analyzing the main one.
Now it is time to go more in-depth, understand the main differences between the martial arts, and the pros and cons of choosing one respect to others one.
Is it better Striking or grounding martial arts for kids?
If you are thinking what does it means striking or ground, I will explain everything you have to know in order to have a solid theoretical background in martial arts and choose the perfect one for your kid.
The primary division of martial arts
The martial arts, in general, are divided into two distinct classes that are striking and grounding.
Striking martial arts
The striking Martial arts are all of the martial arts that use hitting on the body parts, without involving grappling or throwing.
Are part of this category: Boxing, Kickboxing, Karate, Kung fu, Taek won doo, as the most famous one.
While the:
Grounding martial arts
The grounding martial arts are martial arts that use only throwing and grappling techniques.
Make part of the grounding category: Judo, Jiu-jitsu, Wrestling, aikido.
Now that you know better what the main differences between martial arts are, I can tell you that there isn’t a perfect martial arts or the one that is better for your kid; the only thing that you can do, is evaluating the pro and cons, of doing a martial arts, respect to another, and what a particular martial art can give to your kid, that some other martial arts can’t give.
Top 10 best martial arts for kids
Now it is time to look more into details about the most common and efficient martial arts present.
Please consider that this list’s order is casual and isn’t ranked by favourite or the best.
You as parents have to make your evaluations, and most importantly, considering the gym’s availability near your home.
Boxing for kids
boxing is one of the most famous combat sport; your kid will get in love, only thinking about practice it and wearing gloves and all the necessary equipment.
From the parents’ point of view, boxing may seem like a demanding sport to be practiced by your kids, and the only thing that you don’t want is that your kid gets injured during its practice.
You have to know that the kid who trains on boxing is well protected and always followed on their coach’s minimum movements.
You don’t have to worry about injury due to the practice of boxing because the equipment used to protect your kid will always be on the first front.
What is the equipment to start boxing for kids?
The equipment needs to start boxing for kids are:
- Face saver headgear
- Gloves
- Boxing Groin Protector
- HAND WRAPS
- MOUTHGUARD ( depending on the age )
The use of some equipment like the mouthguard can depend upon your kid’s age, but these are the main request that the coach of a gym makes.
Consider that this equipment is not used, starting from the first days of boxing, but it will be requested after some practice months.
How much boxing equipment for kids cost?
Considering the actual price, the cost of the equipment will be the following:
- Face saver headgear 60$
- Gloves 30$
- Boxing Groin Protector 30$
- HAND WRAPS 10$
- MOUTHGUARD 15$
So the boxing equipment for your kid will cost around 135$.
What benefit will my kid have on practicing boxing?
Being boxing the most effective combat sport on the punch, your kid will develop high self-defence skill compared to kids of his age.
Anyway, this is not the only benefit.
Boxing is known for is a high discipline in the gym and respect of the rule; for this reason, your kid will have a benefit on:
- Focus
- Build Social relationship
- Education
- Discipline
This was a general overview of boxing for kids.
I end this part of boxing, resume the pros and cons of practicing boxing for kids.
What are the pros and cons of boxing?
Karate for kids
Karate is probably the first martial art that comes to your mind as soon as you think about martial arts.
Karate can be considered one of the oldest martial arts, with a history timeline that starts to be known in 1917; Funakoshi gives some public demonstrations.
Karate can be an excellent martial art for your kid, but only considering it in the long term.
I mentioned the long term because it takes more time to be useful regarding the self-defence aspect.
But if there is something that will not miss, will be on the teaching of:
- Respect
- Education
- Discipline
- Respect for tradition
If you decide to enroll your kid on karate gym, make sure that it is a reputable gym, because the karate, respect to others martial arts is more focused on a strong tradition, and you have to be sure that your kid will receive the right learning.
Karate uses a punch and kicks technique, the opposite case for boxing, where your kid is limited to using only punches.
What equipment my kid needs to start karate?
The equipment needed for your kids are:
- CLEAR FACE SHIELD
- HAND PROTECTOR
- KIDS FOAM CHEST GUARD
- CLOTH SHIN-INSTEP GUARD
- BOY’S CLOTH GROIN PROTECTOR
- MOUTHGUARD
- Karate Uniform
In general, the essential equipment is the listed one; for the first month, this equipment’s use will be minimal.
Usually, the advice that a karate coach gives to the parents is to wait sometime before buying all the equipment to see how the kid reacts to karate and if he/she enjoys doing it.
Cost of karate equipment for kids
In the following part you can check the average price for equipment:
- CLEAR FACE SHIELD 50 $
- HAND PROTECTOR 30$
- KIDS FOAM CHEST GUARD 35$
- CLOTH SHIN-INSTEP GUARD 15$
- BOY’S CLOTH GROIN PROTECTOR 10$
- MOUTHGUARD 15$
- Karate Uniform 25$
For a total of 180$.
Please consider that the price listed is an average price and that the price can be different from the one that I list.
Now it is time to see the pros and cons of prating karate for kids.
What are the pro and cons of karate?
Boxing Vs Karate : What are the differences?
Wrestling for kids
Wrestling is one of the most popular combat sport in the USA.
I think that the pratice of Wrestling for a kid must be taken into serious consideration, for a few simple reasons:
- Everybody can practice Wrestling
- Competitiveness
- Conditioning
- Self-defense
Wrestling’s good is that everybody can practice it, the only selection that the coach will do, be on the age, others things doesn’t matter, your kid learning Wrestling’s technique will be available to compete with others kids more high bigger.
Competitiveness
Wrestling is a competitive martial art; this can be a point favouring motivating more your kids to practice it.
-Conditioning
Concerning other martial arts as karate; Wrestling needs more physical conditioning To perform better.
Thus, the kids who will do Wrestling will be appropriately trained and will experience better body physical conditions.
–Self-defense
Wrestling is an extremely crucial martial art learned by the police as a self-defence and blocking method.
Other Wrestling applications are founding on the MMA, where Wrestling’s use is shown to be a fundamental pillar for the fighters.
Cost
The general cost if you want to enroll your kid for a wrestling gym is not so relativity high; here an example of what your kid will need:
- Wrestling Singlet
- Wrestling Headgear
- Wrestling Shoes
- Wrestling Kneepads and Mouth Guards
- Wrestling Bands
These are the only thing required and on the following table the average cost of any single components
- Wrestling Singlet 30$
- Wrestling Headgear 30$
- Wrestling Shoes 40$
- Wrestling Kneepads and Mouth Guards 25$
- Wrestling Bands 5$
With a total of 130$, you have all that you will need for your kid to start wrestling.
What are the pro and cons of Wrestling?
If you are curious to know How long does it take to be good at wrestling?
Taekwondo for kids
Taekwondo does a Korean martial art and, starting from 2000, is recognized as an Olympic sport.
Taekwondo was born around 1940 by a combination of Chinese martial arts.
The main characteristics that diversify this martial art from the other martial arts that we saw before is the use of its Famous Kicks In Taekwondo.
Taekwondo is an excellent consideration to do for your kid; they share the same principle of the other martial arts:
- Respect
- hierarchy
- Personal Growth
- Discipline
But with a more modern style.
Regarding self-defence, taekwondo is considered less effective than other martial arts due primarily to the specific training they perform in the gym (more focused on kicks).
This can be a problem during real-life situations, where the missing of kick can bring to an open position and give the opponents more range and point to attack.
The positive point of taekwondo is that your kids will be love it, almost certainly, due to the acrobatic movements and fantastic jumping kick that he/she will start to see on the gym, the possibility to get in love are big.
What does my kid need to start taekwondo?
- Body Protector
- Helmet
- Shin Pads
- Arm Pads
- Mouthguard
- Groin Guard
- Foot Pad
- Gloves
These are the leading equipment that your kid needs to make sparring.
Please consider that the coach will tell you when it is time to buy all the other martial arts equipment.
All of this equipment is necessary for the sparring (simulation of a fight between fighters of the same gym).
Now it is time to take a look at the price for a single element:
- Body Protector 35$
- Helmet 35$
- Shin Pads 20$
- Arm Pads 15$
- Mouthguard 15$
- Groin Guard 10$
- Foot Pad 16$
- Gloves 10$
Pros and cons of taekwondo for kids
Judo for kids
Judo is one of the most popular sports worldwide. It starts to make part of the Olympics games in 1964.
Judo, as the other martial arts described before, is the perfect place for your kid; it can give a lot of motivation to achieve an important goal, either physical that mental.
The main goal of judo is to throw the opponent to the ground or force by a submission.
It is important to know that judo allows and teaches submission holds only to people over 16 years old.
Into the judo gym, your kids will be continuously followed by a coach, an important figure inside the judo gyms; the vast majority of judo coach is trained on how to deal with kids, and how to transmit the right discipline to grow on the best manner possible.
Will my kid learn self-defence practicing judo?
Yes, judo practice self-defence in a very considering manner; your kid will learn how to control the body to beat people bigger in a very considering way.
This is an essential point of favour with judo because if we consider that in daily life we don’t know who will become in front of us (bigger, taller, and smaller), the knowledge of how to apply the proper body and force at the maximum will give significant results for sure.
What my kid needs to start judo?
- Judo Uniform
- Judo belt
The only two things necessary to start judo are the judo uniform and judo belt; as you can see, this is a good advantage because it will not require a high cost.
As the average price is:
- Judo Uniform 30$
- Judo belt 10$
With a total of 40$, judo is the less expansive martial arts.
Pro and cons of judo for kids
Brazilian jiu-jitsu for kids
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu is part of the grounding martial arts, where we have made distinctions before.
It is a very particular martial art, and to be master, it needs time, so as parents, there isn’t a better thing to write your kid as soon as possible.
The main focus of Brazilian jiu-jitsu is to apply:
- Grappling technique
- Submission
- Takedown strategies
As for other martial arts, the kids will benefit from practicing it because jiu-jitsu requires strategic thinking and good memory connection to attack and take advantage of a particular position.
Over the last period, jiu-jitsu always becomes more famous, mostly due to the MMA’s influence and importance.
If you are a parent and never heard about this martial arts, I can tell you that it is very famous in the worlds of martial arts and very efficient in reality.
What is the Difference Between Jiu-Jitsu and Judo?
What does my kid need to start Brazilian jiu-jitsu?
- Jiu-jitsu uniform
- Jiu-jitsu belt
As for judo, the only necessary things to buy before starting jiu-jitsu are the uniform and the belt.
The average price is:
- Jiu-jitsu uniform 30$
- Jiu-jitsu belt 10$
With a total of 40$, your kid will be OK to start the jiu-jitsu journey.
Pro and cons of jiu-jitsu for kids
Kickboxing for kids
As the name suggests, Kickboxing is martial arts that uses both punches and kicks; it is considered contemporary martial art.
Over the last period, it becomes trendy, especially in the USA.
Usually, in the USA, the age to start kickboxing for kids is 7-9; depending on the gyms, you can also find some 5-7 years old courses.
There aren’t any differences between gender; it can be practiced by females and men as well.
What is the benefit of kickboxing for kids?
Some of the main benefits are:
- learns the techniques
- Making new friends.
- Improves coordination, flexibility, agility.
What is the leading equipment needed for kickboxing for kids?
- Boxing Gloves
- Mouth Guard
- Shin Guards
- Ankle Support Wraps
- Head Gear
These are the main equipment needed for your kid to start kickboxing; if you want to know the average price of the single item, take a look here:
- Boxing Gloves 30$
- Mouth Guard 15$
- Shin Guards 60$
- Ankle Support Wraps 10$
- Head Gear 30$
With a total of 145$, your kid has all the necessary items to start the training on kickboxing.
Now it is time to what are the pro and cons of kickboxing practice for a kid.
Final thoughts
We arrive at the end of this article, where I show you an overview of the martial arts, and in a very summary, what is the purpose of each one.
Before giving my final considerations, I want to tell you that being an adult doesn’t mean that martial arts are not for you, but instead, take a look at the best martial arts for adults or if you are a mother you can take a look at Best Martial Arts For Girls and figure out which one is the best for you.
In this article, I choose the central 7 martial arts considering the popularity and relevance of kids, considering that outside could be that there are others valuable.
During the analysis, I wanted to insert the primary information that I think is relevant for a parent that will enroll his kid.
My final thought about the best martial arts for kids is that as parents, it is essential to consider different aspects: the effectiveness, the cost, the distance from home and so on.
But as soon as you made the proper evaluation, try to senroll your kid for a trial period and evaluate togheter with the coachs the way of the kid’s answering to the activity. If it is happy, let us pass some time to assess the situation and then decide.
What can I do if my kid doesn’t like the martial arts chosen?
The best thing that you can do, is to assist your kid on the activity and try to figure out the motivation; if he/she doesn’t want to go, try another martial art. Maybe the only thing that your kid is trying to say is that he/she don’t like this specif martial arts.