At what age is it good for children to learn martial arts?

Martial arts are the essence of China. From ancient times to the present, they have developed and inherited China's fine traditional culture. Many parents hope that their children will learn martial arts, which can not only protect themselves but also provide them with an additional skill. So is it good for children to learn martial arts? This problem needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis and cannot be generalized. Because everyone's physical fitness is different, we need to look at things in two ways.

It depends on the child’s purpose. If it is not for professional purposes, it is fine to start at the age of 6 to 12. It doesn't have to be martial arts, gymnastics or dance will do. The main purpose is to train stretching and tumbling movements at a young age. If the goal is to become a boxer, not a martial arts boxing competition, tumbling training is not too important.

To train real martial arts, sparring practice is a must. This is only safe to do after development. That is to say, the training before the age of 13 or 14 (for boys) is mainly just basic skills. Japanese judo is also very good and can train basic body intuition of wrestling and balance.

If the goal is to become a professional, it is best to start between the ages of six and eight. If it is too early, the child will be too immature mentally and it will cause too much physical and psychological pressure, which will do more harm than good.

Which children are suitable for learning martial arts?

Do your kids like to play rough and tumble? Then let him learn martial arts! At this time, some mothers may ask: My child is already so active, if he learns martial arts, won’t he become even more naughty? These children may be considered the most energetic; they are active, have poor concentration, and are often either running or jumping. They usually crawl and walk earlier than other children. This type of children, called tactile learners, have strong motor coordination skills. If they are allowed to participate in interest classes such as taekwondo, martial arts and swimming, it will be beneficial for them to study quietly in their daily lives.

What is the best age for children to learn martial arts?

Many parents are eager for their children to learn martial arts, so at what age can children learn martial arts? After the age of 4, children's physical coordination and flexibility develop rapidly, and their attention, memory, thinking ability, and behavior control ability are significantly improved, which provides good conditions for learning martial arts. You can start learning martial arts at this time. However, children's learning and athletic abilities are not high after all, so they are only suitable for learning some simple martial arts moves and movement combinations. The amount of exercise should not be too much. When practicing at home, keep the content tight and preferably not exceed 30 minutes.

How to make children fall in love with martial arts?

1. Interest is the first prerequisite. Try to stimulate your child’s interest. Parents and teachers can actively cooperate to stimulate and cultivate children's interests in multiple aspects such as cognition, competition, imitation, communication and innovation, which will achieve twice the result with half the effort. In addition, there are many details to the basic martial arts movements, and there are interesting stories about nature, culture, and history hidden behind them. When teachers explain the hand movements in martial arts, in addition to letting children understand the movement methods (including the way of using force, sequence, strength and difficulty, etc.) and key points, they can also use vivid language to briefly introduce to children the origins and related historical allusions of each specific movement they have learned. Parents can find some relevant books for their children according to the course progress, and tell stories about representative figures from different martial arts schools who punish evil and promote good. These practices can well stimulate and satisfy children's cognitive interests.

2. Play with your children and help them improve. Parents can easily do some things with their children based on the principles of "jump and you can reach it" and "make a little progress every day". Developing children's flexibility is an important benefit of martial arts. Parents can play small games with their children at home to develop their children's flexibility, such as "touching the ground with your hands" and "reaching the knees with your chest (pay attention to bending your waist and sticking out your chest)".

3. Start with the cartoon characters that your child is obsessed with. When they are four or five years old, boys in particular often become fascinated by cartoons, movies or TV shows with a lot of fighting scenes. Many children carry models of "Ultraman", "Transformers" and various monsters with them all day long. When teaching martial arts, teachers can take advantage of this fact of children. They can start with the cartoon characters that they are interested in and explore the elements that can be combined with martial arts movements, which can arouse children's extraordinary interest. During after-class practice, parents can also play competitive games with their children based on their children’s interests.

There is no definite answer to the question of whether it is good for children to learn martial arts. Parents can determine the answer based on their children's interests. If their children are interested in martial arts, then they can enroll their children in some training classes. If their children do not like martial arts very much, then there is no need to force them, because the results of forcing them will inevitably be bad.