Children and the martial arts
would you give him something just as potentially dangerous? Thus, an important thing to remember when choosing a style for your child is how effectively an art can be watered down without losing its essence. For instance, it is difficult to make striking arts such as Muay Thai and wing chun "kid-friendly." There's no way to avoid teaching aggressive techniques in MT or wc. So how are you going to react if your child's principal calls and tells you that your son threw a wing chun kneeling elbow into a classmate's face and fractured the kid's eye socket or that your daughter broke a kid's ribs by repeatedly kneeing him in the torso? I hear many parents out there insisting that their children would never do something so violent or mean. Well, let me put this bluntly: bullshit. I believe children are innocent and sweet and adorable. But I also believe that they can be shockingly mean and nasty - yes, even your sweet little angel has a nasty mean streak that can come out if provoked. And since children aren't known for impulse control, I don't think teaching them efficient, powerful ways to be nasty is such a good idea.
For this reason, I recommend the grappling arts for children. Judo, jujitsu, Brazillian jujitsu, and wrestling are great for kids. These styles can easily be modified for safety without destroying their essence. Indeed, judo is basically jujitsu with the deadliest and most dangerous techniques taken out, and Brazillian jujitsu is basically judo that's been modified by the Gracie family. Grappling arts are also great for kids because kids love rolling around anyway. Plus, if your kid does a judo throw on the playground bully or armlocks a classmate, you won't have to live with the knowledge that your child maimed another for life.
The right school
It's a good idea to shop around before picking a school for your child. Seeking out recommendations from your neighbors and friends should be your first step: see if any standout for their excellence or if anyone warns you about the teachers at a certain school.
You'll also want to visit the school - and take your future black belt with you. Do the kids look like they're having fun? Are they bright, enthusiastic, and display at least a little bit of skill? What about the teacher's method of instruction? Is the instructor patient with slower kids, does he
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