Karate Classes?

[Morris]

Hello all~

My husband and I would like to enroll our soon to be four year old son in a karate class. Can anyone recommend a school/class in the area?

Thank you for your help~

Lauren

[stffgpr2003]

Hello all~

My husband and I would like to enroll our soon to be four year old son in a karate class. Can anyone recommend a school/class in the area?

Thank you for your help~

Lauren

Lauren -

I've heard good things about the one next to LaRosa's Chicken in the Raintree Shopping Center (by Foodtown)

Marc

[admin]

Lauren, there are tons of good schools around here. The first step is to ask the right questions.

What style do you want your son to practice?

In general, you can break it down between stand up fighting and submission fighting. The latter is very good if you believe your son will have an interest in wrestling in school. It will compliment that sport a great deal. Brazilian Jui Jitsu is a very popular and fun art to learn.

If looking at stand up, Tae Kwon Do is one of the most popular. There are many, though. Korean arts, like the one mentioned, are very kicking oriented. Japanese arts are a little less kicking and more hand. Many traditional arts are very technique oriented and take a great deal of time to learn. For a less formal approach with emphasis on physical conditioning, try Muy Tai kick boxing. Simple, yet effective techniques.

As a parent you have to ask the right questions. Most schools are very accommodating to children who make up most of the student body. Be careful of belt factories. Ask about safety and hygiene. Talk to other parents for recommendations.

Although tough to do, avoid contracts. They can be nasty.
Most schools will allow your child or any new student to take some free classes. A good schools will encourage you to come in and watch a class. That is very advisable. You can then watch how the instructors interact with the students.


A good school will focus less on what color belt the student has and focus on personal development. Hence the term belt factory. When you speak to an owner, ask how long the school has been around. Look at the ranks of the student body. Are there too many high ranks? That can be a red flag that belts are handed our for esteem purposes.

Most styles take a few years to achieve black belts. If you see young kids with black belts, that is a bad sign. It is also good to look at the late teenage and adult classes. Are there students who grew up in the school? If so, that is a good sign.

[admin]

One other point Lauren. Ask yourself what you or your husband might want to practice. You may not be thining of that now, but is is surprising how many parents get their kids involved and then join them in the classes. Many schools actually have family packages.

The adults usually get involved for fitness reasons. Again, Tae Kwon Do is a very family friendly art because it is not full contact.

[bergsteiger]

I’m sorry I can’t help you with a local class. I do think it's an excellent idea. My suggestion would be to look for a small class size and identify what your goals are. Are you looking for exercise? Are you looking for a hobby/ activity? Do you want to know how to defend yourself? Maybe you want to learn how to kick butt? Choose a class that suits your goals. Start them young it a dangerous world out there.

[Morris]

admin said:

What style do you want your son to practice?

Wow!! Thank you all so much for your quick responses! Looks like we have lots of things to think about! (and thank you, too, for the questions to ask! So many things I hadn't thought of!) I hadn't even considered the many styles out there for our son to practice! Honestly, we just thought it would be a wonderful way for him to socialize with his peers, learn a disciplined skill, and personal development. :)

Would anyone have a recomendation of what type of style is good for a young child? I'm thinking a stand up Tae Kwon Do class (as you mentioned, Brian) would be a good place to start. :)

Again, thank you so much. I knew asking on this board would be a good idea!

Lauren

[admin]

Tae Kwon Do is an awesome first fighting art. It is a light contact art. Calliope mentioned the school with Olympic sparring. That is interesting.

Although not considered a street smart way of fighting, it is good for a beginner because he will learn control and have to abide by competition rules. No hand techniques to the head, foot techniques have to be above the waist etc.

Olympic sparring is also point sparring. In that the students do not hit each other with full force. That makes it very friendly to the beginner. That is where control is an issue and a very valuable part of a fighters development.

If your son grows into it, he can always change arts. many cross over into other styles as time goes on. Part of that is due to the fact that almost every style is deficient in some ways and strong in others.

As mentioned before, BJJ is also a very safe art. it is also very practical.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

morris said:

Hello all~

My husband and I would like to enroll our soon to be four year old son in a karate class. Can anyone recommend a school/class in the area?

Thank you for your help~

Lauren

Black Belt America
87 S. Main St.
Marlboro
732-863-5353

Nice people on RT 79 before rt 18! I had my son there for about 2 years.

Korean family, the farther was the US Tae Kwon Do team head coach. check them out!

Also, St Rose has a VERY Reasonable progam there too!

[admin]

Lauren,

This family name is famous and very well respected. Any school associated with the Gracie family will be a good one. I say that without cionsideration to cost. I thought I had read that Renzo Gracie was going to open a school around here. That would be a very quality place to go.
www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070927/NEWS01/709270342/1004/NEWS01





Gracie teaches martial arts, leads fight team
Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 09/27/07
BY SAMETTA M. THOMPSON
STAFF WRITER

HOLMDEL — Fighting is a way of life, said Renzo Gracie, a longtime martial arts grandmaster.

A Holmdel resident for 11 years, Gracie owns and teaches at a Jiu-Jitsu school based in Manhattan.

On Sept. 20, five fighters from the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu academy took part in the 2007 International Fight League World Championship. The event was held at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla.

IFL is a team-based mixed martial arts organization. Mixed martial arts is a combination of various martial arts forms, including boxing, kick boxing, judo, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, muay thai, karate and tae kwon do.

Gracie served as a coach to his team, the New York Pitbulls. They were competing against a team from Bettendorf, Iowa. Each team consists of five athlete competing in five weight classes. The team that wins three or more of the bouts, wins the match.

The mayors of the respective hometowns of the teams' coaches placed a "friendly wager" on the outcome of the match.

Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso bet a bushel of New Jersey tomatoes against Bettendorf Mayor Michael Freemire's bushel of Iowa corn. "I am looking to win. Our team is very strong," said Gracie, a father of three. "It's (fighting) very natural to me, since I am a third-generational fighter and martial artist."

He said he wants his 12-year-old son to carry on the tradition.

In the business for 35 years, Gracie's New-York based school has been in operation for 11 years.

"Everything started as just play," he said.

Prior to taking part in a competition, fighters undergo intense training, he said. "They have to train for at least eight months. It's a very tough regime. They box a lot, have to watch their diet."

Gracie's team participated in at least five successful fighting matches against other towns, which took them to the championship.

Red Bank resident Fabio Leopoldo, 30, is one of the fighters on Gracie's team.

Originally from Sao Paulo, Brazil, Leopoldo has been a student at the school off and on for 10 years.

He said the best part about being a fighter is it keeps the physical form in check. "I love sports," Leopoldo said.