Martial Arts for kids/general advice

Ok, I note there is a lot of Martial Arts fans on here, I know nothing about it and I need some advice.

My daughter is 12 and she has tried a trial session of Ju-Jitsu with Castle Black Belt Academy,

1. firstly any advice on this organisation.

2. secondly which art would she be better trying, there are so many. I guess she needs a general self defence type art.

3. Anybody recommend any good clubs / schools / dojos whatever you call them in the SW of Sheffield.

Thanks in advance

mikey

1. I believe it's got a pretty good reputation, but never been myself.

2. Ju-Jitsu is a great general self-defence art and covers a good variety of striking, throws and locks. It's very technical but I think it would be a good art for a smaller person as a lot of the techniques are about using an opponents force against them rather than trying to beat them down.

3. There's another Ju-Jitsu dojo on Little London Road (next to Stoke's Paints) and this has been recommended by my Ju-Jitsu sensei, but again never been, though am thinking of checking it out soon. Might be worth getting a free lesson there and seeing which your daughter prefers.

my friend designed the samurai logo for castle black belt and has appeared on a calender tv program with the club.

during our talks he would often show me a move that wasnt really that effective.

because your child is young this is the greatest chance you will have to protect her so you must think, what will she enjoy doing but when she is older what type of attacks is she most likely to encounter, i would consider the unwanted attentions of males and the possibilty of more than one attacker (which is why we found ju-jutsu not that effective) amognst the highest.

i think apart from everyone recomending thier styles and others, the best thing to do would be to take her to a few, dont just goto one and decide then, talk with the teacher (s) about your concerns.

maybe taking her to kick boxing at 393?or talk to the teacher there about lau gar kung fu, there are children and young adults who train there?also one of the guardians teaches there, you have wing chun in sheffield (on carlisle st) and quite a few other places,

there are quite a few karate places aswell which would be good,

but like i say make sure you speak with the teacher, you have to think about how easy it will be to practice at home to keep interested (styles with forms and katas are good)

there are quite a few aikido places aswell but not sure if they teach children. hope you find a suitable place.

Thanks for the advice guys, keep it coming

Originally posted by tombodojoj

and the possibilty of more than one attacker (which is why we found ju-jutsu not that effective) amognst the highest.

What would you consider an effective art for using against multiple attackers?

Everything I've read since becoming interested in MA seems to say that the only real solution to multiple attackers is to run very fast!

the best thing in ANY situation is to get out of there without using anything,

martial arts are all down to 2 things (i think, lol) focus and application, i believe if you only know 5 moves, but have the right focus and can apply it to every situation, you will be undefeated.

this is why an art that is easy to practice at home to increase the students knowledge (therefore application) such as wing chun, quick, effective, can be used against multiple attackers, wing chun also has a system in it called sticky hands, now alot of kung fu styles have this as it is a traditional form of chinese fighting, but none more so than wing chun.

Originally posted by tombodojoj

the best thing in ANY situation is to get out of there without using anything

Very true - even if somebody seems like an easy opponent, they might have a knife waiting for you...

As an aside, I'm surprised boxing never gets recommended as a martial art - on many MA forums i've read, boxers seem to be feared as formidable opponents.

1. I've seen the fliers for this organisation around and they seem quite commercial. This isn't a bad thing, but you may want to watch out for hidden prices and fees etc. As with any club, make sure the instructors have an idea of what they are doing, have a few year's experience in the MA (10+ ideally) and are good at teaching.

2. If she enjoys Ju Jitsu and is enthusiastic about attending the lessons then you're onto a winner. If she's a little hesitant about attending then you might want to try some different arts or schools. Ju Jitsu is taught in most sport centres and there are a few karate classes around SW Sheffield. There's nothing wrong in shopping around

3. The only thing I can recommend is your local Sport centers, or googling for clubs. I'm afraid I don't know many clubs that end of town.

I would say the most important thing is your daughter's attitude towards training. If she enjoys it and works hard she'll go far. If she doesn't it's just a waste of time and money IMHO. Good luck

Hello, Mikey,

As you said your daughter needs a skill which helps her for defence. Females are generally weaker than males in physical terms so it would be better if your daughter learns a martial art skill that she can use economically, effectively and efficiently to defend for herself.

Perhaps, Ju-Jutsu in theory serves the 3Es but in practice I am not sure. Have you thought about Wing Chun? It is a good practical defence skill that serves the 3Es.

As far as I know there are two clubs training Wing Chun. One is Sifu Richard in Carlise Street and the other one is Sifu W Lai at the Sheffield Chinese Community Centre on London Road, Sheffield. However, Sifu Lai at the moment only trains students over 16 so your daughter is young in his class. But it is worthwhile to have a word with him. You can also visit his website http://www.geocities.com/williamlaiwingchun for details.

Originally posted by Mike

What would you consider an effective art for using against multiple attackers?

 

Everything I've read since becoming interested in MA seems to say that the only real solution to multiple attackers is to run very fast!

Your right Mike. It's the first and foremost thing to consider.

What about letting her give Judo a try Mikey?

what do people think about judo for girls?kids?

the grandmaster of my art is a judo master and went to america to teach them, but it didnt seem so good when americans are alot bigger than japanese people and it didnt work so well, so obviously if your a girl and a big man comes across would it work?(its a good job most of the little ****s are scrawny 14yr olds and the people that look after them (good ones are known as parents) are usually fat and unfit)