Evaluating martial arts can be confusing for any parent who wants to enroll their child in a summer clinic. That’s why we prepared this handy guide with the help of two experts.
It’s summer again, and that means a lot of free time for the kids. To keep them from being idle, most parents enroll their children in some form of summer activity – be it sports clinics, arts and craft lessons, or book clubs.
If you’re a parent, you might want to consider signing up your kid or kids for a martial arts class. Compared to more traditional sports that children play during the summer like basketball, volleyball, or football, martial arts may not be as popular in neighborhoods or communities. But they can still be an excellent way for your kids to stay in shape and learn about discipline and focus.
But with so many martial arts schools out there, how do you pick the best one? What should you be looking out for, and how do you know which particular discipline is best for your child?
The GAME Magazine talked to two experts who provided this handy guide.
Stephen Fernandez a renowned martial arts practitioner and coach won a bronze medal in Taekwondo at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when it was a demonstration sport. He has been a coach for nearly three decades and was once president of the Philippine Taekwondo Association, and not surprisingly, is a strong advocate for starting them young in martial arts.
According to Coach Pen, as he is called, getting your kid into martial arts has distinct advantages that go well beyond self-defense, character-building being foremost.
“Aside from learning the basic and physical movements, martial arts empathizes in improving character or oneself,” Stephen told The GAME. “In Taekwondo these are the tenets: respect, discipline, indomitable spirit, perseverance, and integrity.”
Meanwhile, Bruce Pimentel, or Guro Bruce, of Bakbakan International and a practitioner of Kali Ilustrismo and the Sagasa Kickboxing System, says “Martial Arts would be an ideal summer activity to keep kids and adults physically active and stay fit.”
Once you decide to enroll your kid in a martial arts program, the next decision that needs to be made is figuring out which particular discipline best suits him or her. After all, there are literally dozens of combat sports out there, and it could get confusing pretty quickly. Aside from Taekwondo, there’s Karate, Judo, Muay Thai, Aikido, Arnis, Kickboxing, Wushu, Brazilain Jiu-jitsu, and several others.
For Coach Stephen, it shouldn’t matter too much which discipline you choose. The important thing is your child enjoys it.
“Surely, it must be fun and enjoyable for kids,” he said. “At the same time, consider what kind of style you want them to learn: striking, throwing or submission.”
Guro Bruce concurs on the “fun” part.
“It should be the one they enjoy and will stick with,” he said. “Like, for example, for kids with low confidence, they often thrive in traditional arts like karate or taekwondo. For athletic kids the might enjoy dynamic arts like Muay Thai or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu which involves more movement.”
Equally as important as choosing a particular discipline is researching and picking the right gym or dojang. Of course, traffic being what it is and what it will become in a few weeks with the new EDSA scheme taking effect, it’s a given that proximity is a major consideration.
Aside from that, you should also consider the facilities, the head instructor’s overall philosophy (is he a Cobra Kai, or is he a Miyagi-Do?), mode of training and value for money. According to Stephen, though, the “most important is a good and qualified teacher/instructor.”
He adds: “In addition, it would be good to see also if the facility or training center has accreditation or affiliations with local governing bodies or international federations.”
As for the facility, Stephen says it “should be properly ventilated and with appropriate dressing rooms, clean for practitioners and safe for all inside the gym or dojang.”
Guro Bruce says it’s best to go with “experienced or certified (instructors) with good teaching skills.” He adds that the gym should be “well-maintained with proper safety equipment.” Be also on the lookout for a gym with good reviews and which “offers free trials to see if the style and instructions suit you.”
Whatever you decide, always remember what Coach Pen and Guro Bruce emphasize: it should be fun and enjoyable for the kids.
Banner images from AFP.