What martial art is the best to start a young child in?

Answer 1

There are so many different types of martial art to choose from, and within each different type, there are good schools and not-so-good schools. It will ultimately depend on what it is you want for your child. Most parents want their children to enter into Martial Arts for the sake of developing discipline, confidence, persistence, compassion, and leadership . If this is the case, the type of martial art may not be that relevant. What is more important are the methods the school uses to instill these traits for building character in young children. There are many schools that teach either Karate, Kung Fu, Tae Kwon Do, or MMA that hold these types of values very high. Likewise there are schools of these same styles that do not value them as much as they do developing only the physical aspects of the arts. While there are many exceptions, typically schools that teach in a more traditionally way (Karate and Kung Fu) will adhere to character development, while modern schools of mma are focused on combat and competition (although many mma schools have been improving in this area and continue to do so). It is very difficult to tell if a school is fit for a young child based solely on what type of martial art is being taught. A parent shouldn't make a decision on any style until they see the individual school, meet with the instructor and see if the instructor's beliefs toward what martial art should teach are congruent with their own beliefs about what they want for their child.

In general, Taekwondo schools are available in many places and have children's programs. Few MMA schools will take anyone under the age of 18.