Lessons: Martial Arts, Part 1

**** The following articles were written to be released on the listed dates. Due to an error on MY part they were not, but hopefully they are entertaining all the same ****

With the growing popularity of martial arts in cartoon and film, more children are getting interested in the wide variety of discipline based defense techniques. Unfortunately parents don't often know what to look for in a martial art, in an instructor or school. Martial arts is similar to the term team sports. There are many different kinds of martial arts. The six most popular for kids are Aikido, Judo, Jujitsu, Karate, and Tae Kwon Do. Kung Fu, a group of Chinese martial arts, are also good for children. The most popular form of Kung Fu is Shaolin. Different dojos, or martial arts schools, will train in different martial arts. It's important to know the differences between them when helping your child decide which martial art to pursue.

Aikido has strong ties to the Japanese religion Omoto-kyo. It is by far the most spiritual of today's popular martial arts for children. Although it is not a non-violent martial art, it focuses on using your opponents actions against him or her. Another big part of Aikido is development of ki, or inner energy.

Judo is very popular among parents because of it's emphasis on character development and morality. This is a somewhat milder form of jujitsu which uses chokes and joint locks to gain submission of an opponent.

Jujitsu on the other hand is adapted from samurai fighting techniques used to work around body armor. The focus is more on self-defense than on competition, and again, chokes and joint locks are used to take down the opponent.

Karate uses hard kicks, punches and blocks and is a competitive but popular martial art. There are two basic forms, linear or circular in movements.

Tae Kwon Do is the most popular martial art in the world. It was developed in Korea in the 1950's. The emphasis is on competition and uses rapid kicks and body punches.

Kung Fu is a broad term for many variations of Chinese martial art. Bruce Lee was a Kung Fu master who specialized in Wing Chun. Kung Fu emphasizes self-defense over competition, and in the case of Wing Chun, technique over strength.

This is just a short overview of the different martial arts available for children. Going to the local library or surfing the net can provide more specific information on the philosophies behind each, and the different moves you would expect to learn.

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