"BEST" martial art for childern

[TAB]

I coach a girl, from the age of about 5 til she was 13.  last year as a jr in HS, she won the womens HS national title at 160.  She also won several state titles in CA.   She regularly beats the boys in HS.   From time to time I still have matchs against her at the club level.  She is very, very tough. 

If you want to boost a girls self confidence, there is nothing like beating the boys at their own game to do it.

[PegLeg45]

Another thing to remember, IMHO, is to ask the question when dealing with teaching martial arts to kids, is "how far are you willing to go with the depth of training concerning the variables of age, emotions, and mental acuity?"

When training for physical fitness and SD, what level of SD are you going to take it?

What is not enough, just enough, or too much?

For example, are you wanting to teach them to surprise and deter the antagonist long enough to get away and seek help?

Or in Rob's example of older teens with an overzealous "boyfriend" that is going too far, the 'deter and seek help' method may just piss the guy off and escalate the situation...in which case have you taught to incapacitate until the law arrives?

I know it all depends on the age of the child, but what I'm getting at is the awareness level and the mental ability required for the child to know how to judge the required amount of force necessary to do the job that needs to be done.

Here's where the quality of the teacher would be paramount.

I hope that made sense.

[bulldog75]

Krav magra down and dirty and gets the job done. Instead of fancy moves you negate your attackers advantage by hurting him with simple moves that other martial arts do not teach.

I have studied several types and they are great but not what you need on the street.

[tombogan03884]

Krav magra down and dirty and gets the job done. Instead of fancy moves you negate your attackers advantage by hurting him with simple moves that other martial arts do not teach.

I have studied several types and they are great but not what you need on the street.

Not exactly what most people would want to teach a 7 year old girl.

[bulldog75]

It is when the sickos are trying to rape or kill them.

[Sponsor]

[SWADE587]

As a women's self-defense instructor, DT instructor, and Krav student, I would have to recommend KMX through Krav maga worldwide. For a 7 year old its great. It includes a comprehensive program taught in terms of "bullies and bad guys" about prevention, awareness, reporting incidents, strangers etc. and great fight skills. Classes are fun but all kids at our dojo have a great time learning...

they have a belt system to develop a sense of accomplishment and pride, but tactics are all geared to "get you home in one peice.

[12 Levi]

http://www.austinsystema.com/main/philosophy.html

I couldn't find the best site. But it's a real world martial art.

[johnalbert]

Having your child participate in the martial arts can be one of the best decisions in their development. Enter Aikido. Aikido is an art from Japan. There are a few ways to translate Aikido to English. The most direct translation is, "The Way of Being in Harmony with Energy." Another more romantic translation is, "The Art of Peace." Perhaps the most important aspect to Aikido and certainly an important one for children is the fact that there are no attacks in Aikido.

[ratcatcher55]

Rob said,

'Seriously, I vote wrestling. Lots of body awareness, exercise & fitness are involved, individual performance and motivation. If she likes it, she can graduate to a Jujitsu or MMA school."

I wrested in high school, college and as a post grad so I would agree. It may be easier to find a womens team now then I was a kid.

Another thought is judo.  Lot's of good programs around the country. Lots of female practioners. It takes a great deal of conditioning and the techniques work well.

[MAUSERMAN]

The best thing about Judo and Aikido is size doesnt matter. Its all about skill and defense, I would never take a fight to the ground unless I had too. Wrestling and MMA based styles usaully lead to some sort of ground game that leaves open for attack.