Parents are always asking “When is the best time to start their kids in a Martial Art”… the answer is always as soon as they take an interest.  Obviously most instructors don’t want to be teaching lessons to 2 year olds so the youngest age of most schools to start teaching kids martial arts is around 5yo.

Although most Instructors don’t want to teach 1, 2 or 3yo kids they generally start teaching their own kids at these ages.  Just jump on youtube and you can find proud parents showing their toddlers picking up sparring gloves and having a go or trying to get an arm bar on their Mum or Dad.kids with Martial Artist Parents should always have an advantage.Physical Exercise is just seen as a part a normal lifestyle.

I remember once being at my instructors house and we were sparring hard, groin shots, takedowns, chokes were all happening and then we see his 3yo daughter walk casually past us while we’re rolling on the ground, she climbs up onto the swing, gets it going and yells out “look at me Daddy,  look at me”

Seeing her Dad knocking around with friends was just a typical weekend.i think most “normal” kids would be worried about their dad passing out due to a rear naked chock but not this girl… she is now a brown belt and even though she is one of the smaller kids she always hits the target (normally my groin) and hits it harder than average, then giggles as she walks away.

The intro of this article has taken a small detour but my point is the younger kids start learning the better they will be when they are older.  I’m not just talking about teaching kids martial arts, but also Flexibility, Focus, Strength and Conditioning.

I’m sure I’ll upset a bunch of people by saying that fat lazy kids really annoy me, but that’s how I am.I don’t blame the young kids because I think it’s the parents fault by not showing them a better lifestyle.Kids follow the examples they see and find a leader to imitate.  I’m not saying that a Martial Arts Instructor should be expected to take on the responsibility of teaching kids how to be fit and healthy but if they are coming to you then why not do it as a bonus.Consider it your reward to be able to point them in the right direction.Everyone will benefit from what you pass down to them.

So what do I mean by Exploding/Explosive kids?

Kids excel at things they enjoy so it’s important to show them ways to build their Strength, their Fitness and their Flexibility safely and in a variety of fun ways.

When it comes to Strength you have to be careful.Using heavy weights is not recommended because if the kids are not properly supervised at all time they can use bad form while lifting and cause damage to developing bones, tendons and joints…. BUT with only using their own bodyweight there are plaenty of simple exercises to do.

There are three great advantages to body weight exercises:

1.       No-one has to pay for any equipment

2.       The Kids bodyweight is the perfect weight for them to train with

3.       Most exercises can be done anywhere at any time

Body weight exercises also use a lot of core muscles and compound muscle groups.  The higher reps and explosive nature of the exercises create great cardio endurance and explosive speed and power.These are all the important things a great student needs.

So “When is the best time to start teaching kids Strength, Conditioning and Flexibility”… NOW!!!

The basic exercises are push-ups, squats, dips, chin-ups and bridging which will strengthen the neck and back.  Don’t just do the standards of all these exercises, mix them up and teach the kids new ways to do them, for example in the push-up category you have: standard, wide, narrow, diamonds, wide-narrow, armpit push-ups, robots, clappers, high-lows, hovers… Show the kids some fun variations and make games out of them.

I find it a little daunting to see how strong the young students will be when they become teenagers and then adults.Imagine fighting with an 18yo that’s been doing 100-200 push-ups, sit-ups and squats everyday since they started training at the age of 5.

A last word of advice, if you chose to teach these ideas to your kids then make sure you also do them because one day they will be as big and fast as you… hold on to your advantage as long as you can.

I wish you all the best with your teaching and training

Regards

A.J.Perry – Author of “Martial Games for Kids“

I hate walking into a Martial Art School and seeing a bunch of kids walking their way through techniques, blocks, exercises, stretches and katas as if they are just waving their arms and legs around while until the class is over and they can do something more fun.

I also hate walking into a class that is totally out of control with kids running wild and ignoring all instruction.It may seem strange to some but I’d rather have the first problem to deal with than the second.  A class full of kids who have too much energy is a great problem to have, all you need to do is find a way to harness that energy.

At the start of every lesson you will have some kids bubbling with energy and others that need to be woken up, which is why I think the first 5-8 minutes of the lesson are the most important to get right.Hyper-active kids need to burn off excess energy while slow starters need to be warmed up in some way.  One of my best solutions when teaching martial arts to kids is a quick game called “The Fury”.

The number of kids that can participate at one time is dictated by the size of your training area.The kids need to be spaced out in the area so they don’t hit each other when they start.To make sure that you can play the game safely you might want to break the class into a couple of different teams.

In my Martial Art we use the concept of a clock on the ground to give a reference point for techniques.  When you first take a ready stance the direction in front of you is 12o’clock, behind you is 6:00, your left side is 9:00 and your right is 3:00.  If you prefer you can try using the directions of a compass but I find the clock is more easily understood by the kids when first playing this Martial Game.

With the kids all facing the front in their fight stance  you explain to them that they are going to fight imaginary demons/bad guys/ghosts/ninjas… whatever you think is most interesting or relevant for their age.  Now tell them that they can use any technique they want to hurt the bad guys when they attack and that it is best not to repeat the same technique too often as the bad guys will notice and learn to block it.Tell the kids that you can see where they need to attack the baddies and you will give them directions.Now the serious fun can begin.

Always call out the first attacker coming from 12:00 to get them started, then start mixing it up… there’s one at 3:00, now there’s another one at 9:00, quickly 12:00 get him… . Start slowly, then speed things up so that they have just enough time to reset their ready fighting stance from the last attack before calling the next one.Keep making them face different directions and don’t get into a rhythm/pattern, occasionally make them wait and wonder what you are going to call next.

This Martial Game has a lot of great benefits:

1.       It teaches them direction

2.       It tests their knowledge of techniques

3.       It tests their techniques under pressure

4.       It tests their balance and footwork

5.       It teaches them to cover as they transition from one direction to another

6.       It gets the heart pumping, lungs opening, brain focusing

7.It chews through that excess energy but also energisers the slow starters by getting their blood pumping.

This is a fun way to start a session as it gets everyone involved and creates an upbeat mood in the room.This way the kids are pumped up and on a high, but at the same time you’ve burnt off the excess energy that causes fidgeting and distractions.Your students are less inclined to misbehave when they’re huffing and puffing.

Please try this game in your next kids class and if you want a good laugh try it on the adults as well.

All the best

Aaron Perry

Note: Aaron Perry is the creator of “Martial Games for Kids” which has been sold to  instructors teaching kids martial arts around the world.His Martial Games for Kids are now being used in

[Read more...]