Needing Martial Arts information

[Tamiele]

As some of you already know, I am raising a special needs kid. He has a disability that is basically hidden from most people. Anyhow, I have come to the conclusion that he could use a boost in the inner-self-confidence department. I am considering some sort of martial arts for this coming up fall. I realize that good instructors makes all of the difference to how great the class is, but I also wanted to know which of the types of martial arts out there might give my son a good psychological confidence booster in the process. Thanks for your help.:)

[gabelpa]

First, find out what is available in the area you are willing to travel to. What martial art is right can quickly descend into flames. My personal reccomendation would be judo, but they may not start young enough.

[Tamiele]

We live in a smallish city with lots to offer - as well as we are outside of Calgary so I am sure everything else can be found there. I would be willing to drive if we had the opportunity to find a good class.

[Guest]

It depends on what you are looking for. If you are looking for just physical fitness stuff then most martial arts schools will do. The most common for the kids is Tae Kwon Do, so it tends to be cheaper.

If you're looking for something more useful for personal self-defense then I suggest a mixed martial arts school like BDB in Calgary that teaches brazilian jiu-jit-su, kickboxing, muay thai, etc. all in one class. This is what my kids are taking (ages 6 and 8). They have a special needs child in the same class and it seems to be working out great for all involved.

If you're not interested in the sports aspect of it, just the self-defense aspect, then the Filipino Martial Arts school is great like Arnis de Cadena in Calgary. In addition to empty-hand combat, it also teaches weapon handling like stick and knife fighting. It teaches how to defend yourself against somebody with a knife or stick or some other street weapon (baseball bat, whatever). The Filipino Martial arts is free-form - meaning they teach you the basics and then you fit it to your own "style".

In all martial arts schools, it teaches you discipline, respect, focus, and humility in addition to physical fitness and combat. So, first you will have to research the school to make sure they are doing this. You can tell after the 3rd visit if they are just by the way the kids behave in class. Don't be surprised if the instructors are "loud". This is okay. Don't be surprised if the instructors issue 100 push-ups for talking without permission. This is also okay. They usually tailor the punishment to the kid. They're not going to give a kid 100 push-ups if they don't think he can do it. My kid can do 100 push-ups no problem so when he gets punished he gets 200! Only happened once and he never did it again. We have a preemie child in class who started off a very slow-learner. She's half the size of my kid! She used to run and hide behind her mom when the instructor tells her to do something she doesn't think she can do. She's been there about 2 years now and now you can't tell that she's got special needs. It's really cool.

The best way to pick out a good school is to spend a lot of time observing different schools before you take your first free class. The observation is for you, the free class is for your child (to make sure he is okay with it).

[Faded]

As some of you already know, I am raising a special needs kid. He has a disability that is basically hidden from most people. Anyhow, I have come to the conclusion that he could use a boost in the inner-self-confidence department. I am considering some sort of martial arts for this coming up fall. I realize that good instructors makes all of the difference to how great the class is, but I also wanted to know which of the types of martial arts out there might give my son a good psychological confidence booster in the process. Thanks for your help.:)

Nearly any reputable martial arts system will do, but my recommendation would be to find martial arts classes that teach a broad range of types of martial arts. I trained with a Kempo Karate instructor as a child and it was okay. But later on when I found a trainer who knew Karate, Jiu-Jitzu, Ninjitsu, Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Akihito, Judo and about a dozen others I can't remember off hand -- that gave me a lot more confidence that what I was learning was actually useful and might actually work in real life situations. More than that, it provided a lot more things to keep me occupied with learning.

[JudoMinja]

I agree with the sentiment of starting with a broad range. That way, your child can figure out what style is best suited for him as an individual. All have their good points and bad points.

Personally, I am a judo person, because I like that it is strictly defensive. It also involves minimal movement, as you are basically learning how to move gracefully and take out your opponent with only the smallest change in your posture, relying on THIER force to bring them down instead of your own. I'm a small person- 5ft0 ~130lbs, and I practiced with the biggest guy in the class- over 6ft `250lbs. I think I actually had an easier time of it as a smaller person, because I had more to use against my opponent.

However, I also took a basic self-defense course, because I wanted to practice martial arts so that I could defend myself should a situation arise where I need to, and there are certain things that are just not covered in judo- how to defend against a knife, break out of a hold, striking maneuvers, etc.

It all depends on what, specifically, you are looking for, and the best way to figure that out is to start with a variety then narrow it down.

[Bini]

Tae Kwon Do is great for youngsters. I really enjoyed it too.

[Guest mirancs8]

Before I was married for a few years I trained as a Muay Thai fighter and I LOVED it!! I even got to spar in a ring and that was total adrenaline rush (let me add it was a man... OK my trainer who was being very nice to let me beat him up LOL!) It definitely builds your self confidence and you learn a great deal about speed and anticipation which were 2 areas I lacked in. Though I have always been a very athletic person all my life those 2 areas are not my strengths... the one area that I do well in is strength/power. I am very strong but I lack in speed and anticipation. Muay Thai made me much better at those 2 things.

With that being said I think all martial arts is great. It teaches you a lot. My friends husband is a master teacher in Kung Fu. I can say that when I visit and go to his studio it is just amazing to watch. It's not my thing but I love watching it.

You can always have your child switch gears and try different things every few weeks/months. That's what I do until they find their passion. My older one is a natural wrestler unlike me. He's REALLY good but my little one he has my strength. He can hit you and hit you hard. I'm such a proud mommy LOL!!

[Saldrin]

As some of you already know, I am raising a special needs kid. He has a disability that is basically hidden from most people. Anyhow, I have come to the conclusion that he could use a boost in the inner-self-confidence department. I am considering some sort of martial arts for this coming up fall. I realize that good instructors makes all of the difference to how great the class is, but I also wanted to know which of the types of martial arts out there might give my son a good psychological confidence booster in the process. Thanks for your help.:)

I practice Ed Parker's American Kenpo myself (its a dead system though as mister Parker had no successor). I like it because the system gets tailored to the individual. There are lots of good systems out there that can teach the things you need I would really hesitate at calling one better then another, as much can be learned from each, and they are full of good stuff. :)

[declanr]

I teach martial arts, and have a few recommendations.

The first question is of course the training goal, it seems since your child has special needs the goal is mainly self-confidence? Not knowing what kind of special needs-I would also factor in any learning disabilities, physical/coordination impairments etc would also play into what styles. Many Tae Kwon do or karate schools have long forms to memorize which could be problematic for a SN child and frustrating, Judo is a more kinesthestic based art, and could be easier and more fun!

A kids boxing class could be good, judo, or kickboxing. I would find the instructor, class, learning enviorment that is most comfortable for you child as a focus than worry about style in this case.

Try a few schools out, be careful what waivers and contracts you sign, and if you have to sign a contract I would insist on a provision for removal based on the special needs of the child.

good luck

D