Intro martial art for an 8 year old

[RJ Green]

came back to say that i agree with the idea of getting them into tumbling. there are so many more shenanigan possibilities that open up if you're able to fall well, and as a parent you'll save a ton on hospital bills.

i really think everybody should learn ukemi, regardless of the martial art. it blows my mind that falls are responsible for so many deaths and injuries. i figure that if you can learn how to fall down and not get hurt, you should

 

[Jimmy Jazz]

Aces, thanks everyone! MadSquabbles, can you elaborate a bit more on the judo gripping rules?

Jimmy Jazz, why do you advise against Hapkido out of curiosity?

Arize, I appreciate the TKD suggestion and it is definitely a consideration. She does like both grappling and sparring with me but she seems more interested in grappling so that was my first thought but I know some kids in her class do TKD so it could be a good fit.

Basically, if I were going to have a kid do a tma, it would be tkd or karate because they are generally the most consistent and straight forward. Most of the effective stuff about tma's are flexibility, timing, understanding of distance,kicking dexterity,punches etc mostly striking stuff in a nutshell because that is what they actually get to train and compete in during point fighting and sparring. The only top ufc figher I can think of with a black belt in Hapkido is Robert Whittaker. However, he had trained goju ryu karate for 8 years before that, and although I see some korean influence in his striking, I've never seen him use any of the wrist locks or throws that hapkido is known for. I think bjj, judo, or wrestling would be better options as far as grappling goes.

 

[aus101]

If you want to make your kid into a beast enter them in wrestling if available (I wrestled from grades 4-6 and it turned me from skinny uncoordinated weakling into a animal) as well as gymnastics. The girls who do random gymnastics at the afterschool care I work at can all do flips, one/no handed cartwheels, handstands, one legged squats, push ups, the splits etc.

 

[liuk3]

Of course BJJ, but I'm surprised that people are saying TKD or karate, and nobody is saying Muay Thai.

 

[liuk3]

She'd have a black belt in like 4 years though.

A friend's son just got his 2nd degree black belt in TKD at 8 years old...

 

[ARIZE]

Of course BJJ, but I'm surprised that people are saying TKD or karate, and nobody is saying Muay Thai.

Because MT is not kid friendly. You can find some gyms that may have a MT program for kids, but it's an exception. And how many tournaments are out there for 8years old in MT?
But all the TKD schools have kids programs. And there are tons of tournaments for those ages. And I am guessing it's the same for the most popular styles of Karate.

A friend's son just got his 2nd degree black belt in TKD at 8 years old...

Do you know what style of TKD was it? Kinda doubt it's one of the major two organizations, ITF or TWF. Seems to me like a macdojo type of TKD, and none of the ones recognized by Korea.
In ITF you need 5 years at least for a black belt, and another 2 for the second dan... I doubt he started at 1y old. And lately they added a minimum age for the BB, but i don't remember if its 10, 11, or 12.

 

[shunyata]

Judo. Judo saved my life multiple times outside of class before even hitting 18 because I fell correctly instinctively after all that repitition.

Kids need to learn how to fall.

If she's feisty there will come a day where she's jumping off stuff on her bike or riding down stairs etc.

At that point you will thank God if she rolls properly instead of face planting after flying over the handlebars.

 

[JagRoss]

Because MT is not kid friendly. You can find some gyms that may have a MT program for kids, but it's an exception. And how many tournaments are out there for 8years old in MT?
But all the TKD schools have kids programs. And there are tons of tournaments for those ages. And I am guessing it's the same for the most popular styles of Karate.



Do you know what style of TKD was it? Kinda doubt it's one of the major two organizations, ITF or TWF. Seems to me like a macdojo type of TKD, and none of the ones recognized by Korea.
In ITF you need 5 years at least for a black belt, and another 2 for the second dan... I doubt he started at 1y old. And lately they added a minimum age for the BB, but i don't remember if its 10, 11, or 12.

Yeah I don't think getting punched in the head is the best thing for kids.
I don't know if there's data on it, but if it fucks you up when you're fully grown, it's probably worse for a developing brain.