Thinking of putting my 3 year old in Martial Arts?

Question

I have been thinking about putting my three year old daughter into martial arts. I think she would enjoy it and I think that she could learn many things from it as well. Is there anyone out there that have or has had their children in a program like this and how did it work out? Did they enjoy it?

Answer 1

uh...my son was six ( 6 ) years old when I put him into a boxing gym and he showed great maturity about it, but still after a while I felt guilty as h**l for having him there the two or maybe three times he went before I decided that it wasn't a very good idea.  At such a young age even though he said he liked boxing I felt as if I was forcing him to do something he really didn't want to do so I put a end to it.  Even though young kids might like contact sports how can we, as parents, be sure that they're just not going along with the program to make mom and dad happy?

I think six ( 6 ) is way too young personally, but others may not agree.  Three ( 3 ) years old though? geeze man that's pushing it ain't it?   I think I'd wait til about the age of 10 or so before actually going full force into a martial art with a kid.  h**l I won't even train a Kid unless he's eight-teen ( 18 ) years old in MMA.  18 is even considered young in actual MMA cage events hence my 18 year old students records are horrible and my 20 and up students do way, way better and their records reflect that.  Three?.....uhg!!!! ...... in any art that's pushing it beyond the envolope.

Answer 2

Hi.

3 is a bit young for her to get much out of it except maybe a good time but the earlier you get her into it the better she'll be and the faster she'll learn later on in her martial arts training.  Growing up with martial arts is something I wish I could have done and I think it's a fantastic gift, though maybe not for everyone.  Some kids just don't seem to take to it where as others really excel.

I help teach a class for 3 to 5 year olds and the 3 year olds will punch and kick but I'm not so sure how much they really get out of it.  They do grasp things a little quicker the longer they do it so I'm sure they're learning something, it's just hard to tell if it's not simply imitation and repetition.  Once they stop clinging to mommy and daddy and start participating they do have a good time though.  You'll just have to play it by ear and see how it goes, every kid is different.

Hope this helps :)

Answer 3

mybe you should wait till he is five so he can undestand a little better

Answer 4

This is a VERY controversial topic.

Anyhow, I will add my '2 cents' worth.

Children don't tend to begin to develop their finer motor skills until they are about five or six years old. This means that a 3-year-old or 4-year-old will have difficulty perfecting the finer details inherent in martial arts technique. This, however, does not mean that they can't start the learning process.

A family may need to try several schools in order to find one that is good for their child. It depends upon the quality of the instructor and the curriculum. If a school has a very long-term contract, then perhaps they should be avoided.

Does the child need exercise or self defence? Some classes teach self defence that works and others teach exercise drills with martial arts foundations, but less practical knowledge. It is important to find out which is which.

There's a 'saying' you may have heard, "The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago - the second best time is today."

I added the links below to give you an idea of what 'pee wee' classes consist of:

Answer 5

Hon, do it!

Its a great way to teach a child discipline, and your mind will be eased about all the people who prey on little girls, because she can defend herself!

GREAT idea!

Answer 6

What I will say is that choosing the school is very important.  Be sure to observe several sessions before even talking to them about enrollement.  The interaction between student and teacher is very important.  Some schools have it, others dont.

Answer 7

THINK AGAIN 3 YEARS IS TOO YOUNG.5 YEARS AND UP IS RIGHT AGE  FOR MOST STYLES.

DANCE TEACHERS WILL TRAIN  CHILDREN  AT THAT AGE.

Answer 8

My daughter started martial arts when she turned 3 years old. My wife and I did it to help give her confidence for she was a very shy child. The instructors were so positive with her that she always had a smile. She received praise for every step that she took. She is now 6 and now has her 3 year old brother and 3 and 5 year old cousins in class with her. 3 is a young age to start. Some children can handle it and some are not ready yet. If your daughter looks forward to going to class, do it. She will learn confidence, discipline and respect. If she is not happy, try again when she is 5.

Answer 9

I think 3 is a little young. At that age her attention span is severly limited, and she may get frustrated. Not to mention that most schools that accept children that age are probably McDojo's who want your money.

My advice is to enroll her in a gymnastics class or dance cless for a while, maybe a few years, and then move her into a martial arts class. By doing gymnastics and donce, here co-ordination when she starts will be much better, she will have an easier time learning the forms, because she will have developed that through dance, and she will already have some discipline as far as listening and following instruction goes.

If she doesn't struggle so much right from the start, chances are she will stick with it, and by the time she is ready to date, will be able to take care of herself. It is a gift you can give her she will have the rest of her life.

Answer 10

Floyd Mayweather started going to the boxing gym with his father when he was just a baby and had gloves on his hands by the times he was only 3 years old. Roger Mayweathers ( Floyd's Uncle) son Lekai Mayweather is 3 and has starting learning to punch and move around like a boxer. I think that learning something from an early age will ensure they will be great at it when they are older. I certainly wished I started learning the martial arts when I was much younger

Answer 11

You should. It will be fun for your little girl.

Btw the kid is a girl. Not a boy. I'm talking to the person that wrote "he". =P

Answer 12

I have seen some younger children take to it like a duck to water.  Usually there are some other dynamics at work though like an older sibling or parent involved and the younger child/sibling wants to imitate them.  That does not mean that all three year olds want to or should.  That's generally a little too young and I would not seriously consider it until she was six or seven and involve her in other more traditional type, group activities like soccer, T-ball, dancing, or maybe gymnastics.  The social and physical skills that she will learn and develop in those other things at that age will better prepare her to start martial arts when she gets a little older and maybe shows an interest in doing something like that.

Answer 13

some people here say "she might not get much out of it."

you'd be surprised at how much little kids understand. even if she doesn't get the lectures about abstract philosophical topics, all the positivity will be very good for her. what you are surrounded by as a child influences your whole life. a child constantly bombarded by negativity nine times out of ten is going to turn out very negative.

children understand a lot more than you think. they're constantly learning. at that age, her brain is like a sponge, and it'll suck up all that positivity. trust me, it would be great for her. if she enjoys it, that is. you should never force her if she just doesn't enjoy it. then it would be counter productive. it would just brooke resentment towards you.

no matter what, if she enjoys it, she'll have a good time and a good experience that will stick with her for a very long time.

good luck with your martial arts experience!

Answer 14

My son has just started Ju jitsu, he is 7. The instructor/sensai has had his 2 little boys in classes since they were 2 1/2. He says if he had a daughter she would have been the same.

I wish I had started my daughter at that age, now she is 8 she is too opinionated and I'm really fighting to get her to even try.

Find a place that has a good program aimed at little kids and you should be fine.

Answer 15

Put her in Judo or BJJ at like 5 years old.