My son, soon 8, has expressed some interest in learning a martial art. I also think it is a great way of building mental and physical strength.

We found 3 clubs near us Karate, Judo and Aikido. But cannot decide which one to go for.

Anyone has their children learning any of the above or a different martial art they can recommend and why?

Also is it unrealistic to expect them to allow my son for at least 1 class so he can decide if he likes it or not before we sign any contract, buy any clothes etc?

Thanks in advance.

Not an experience with a child more my own and friends' experiences from childhood; Judo is one of the best groundings at an early stage...then one can move on to other "more impressive" arts or simultaneously. As for Karate it would depend on which discipline...

I am sure many of us have watched Karate Kid?

I can say this: It depends on the school and the teacher. Visit all 3 and see how or what they teach. Some teach the mental part, while others focus on the fighting elements.
All will market themselves as some sort of self-defence, self-discipline, sports and fitness.

Depending on YOUR requirements, you can then choose.

Judo = mostly throwing and tripping up an opponent
Karate = most upper body training, punches and movements
Tae Kwon Do = Mostly kicks and lower body
My 8-yr old son does Chin-Woo, a branch of Kung fu.

I don't know Aikido. I mean, I am not expert in the others either.
I usually just "use the force"....

There are many out there and it all depends on whether you like the school, you like the teacher and your child enjoys the class. Also, all schools should offer more than 1 free lesson to give a person interested a real feel of the sport.

Also, there are a lot of nobs in the Martial Art scene, so you really need to feel comfortable with the teacher and also read about the art yourself, so you know what your child is going to learn.

Yeah, well, and also the child should like it.
Some great teachers for adults would not be the best ones for children...

I tried Karate, didn't like it as it was too regimented and I felt it didn't flow nicely.
Judo and Tae Kwon Do are fine.

Find a good school and jump right in. He will decide whether he likes it or not. It's all good.


I settled for a form of Kung Fu. If you can find one I would higly recommend it as it is very adaptable to "street life" scenarios.

My son, who is nine, does Karate since almost three years ago. He loves going to the classes (twice a week) and I can see the improvement in his self-discipline and concentration. I bet to defer with Hat's comment about Karate being most upper body movement, as they uses upper and lower body in almost equal parts. They teach (at least the teachers he has) lots of self-control and avoid using karate for confrontation, which is very good. Hat is also right with the statement that all depends on the teacher and the school. If he gets a good teacher in Judo or any of the other disciplines, he will be happy with that.

I can highly recommend aikido for children. I'm a part time instructor in zurich, doesn't help you much. But aikido focuses on a non-violent/non-confrontational form of martial arts. Rather than teaching a kid how to fight (which is also given since it is a martial art), aikido focuses on deflecting confrontation both mentally and physically also respecting ones self and the other. It builds the child's confidence and gives them a great aspect on life and dealing with confrontation in an abstract way.

+1 for Aikido.

Ask the child what expectations there are; school yard fashions come and go and if one kid has started everyone will want to do it too. Everyone's different and what suits one...

Talk with the instructors. Watch how they teach without your child in attendance so you can veto before the innocent has the chance to make a decision.

Fencing is an often overlooked 'Kampfsport'. Children pick it up super quickly and it's an interesting and fast alternative. Learning footwork and precision would set them up for future disciplines.

I also agree on oberserving the instructors, in most cases you get a trial class and with this you can see the dynamic of the class and the dynamic of the instructor. Martial arts are great, but without the right instructor can be somewhat repetitive and boring. One thing I forgot to mention in regards to aikido is there's a focus on rolling and learning how to fall safely, something a lot of kids do not know how to do. I can recall a few times when I was a child and the rolling skills I learned from aikido came in handy, also one time probably saved my life.

I spend many years in Martial Arts (mostly Judo, but there were many including all listed).
If to choose from directions - I would recommend Aikido as the least traumatic and better fighting position which also affects how your kid walks. Judo is also good as it teaches best to control someone's body unlike just making maximum harm.

Don't think you choose some direction for many years. If he will show interest and talent in MA, he will surf throught the trainers and directions himself, and it will be HIS way. If he will not.. your choise will not affect his life much.
And yes, trainer's personality is the main factor. It's just a kid, so bad choice can lead your kid to injuires which will make more harm then positive effects.
So my advice - choose the best trainer, who is more specialized on training kids of the age of yours, don't pray on rarity of art, pray on choice.

judo: practical, quick to learn useful stuff, no hitting on the head so preserves brain cells
karate: practical, quick to learn, quite a bit of hitting everywhere
aikido: not practical for most ordinary people, too complex, creates the illusion that you can disarm/deflect/throw anybody...but the moves look the coolest

i would recommend taekwondo to any martial arts beginner as it gives you awesome flexibility, speed and coordination, but olympic tkd has no use on street and so has to be complemented by a serious martial art afterwards (like muay thai, karate, boxing etc)...

basel judo club is pretty good by the way...

I do thai boxing and brazilian jiu jitsu myself, and i would pick judo from those 3 for my own child.

The reasons being:
- You can do 100% sparring, which is more realistic for any self defence.
- You can do 100% sparring, which is more requiring and thus will develop better physique.
- No punching and kicking, so injuries (hopefully none anyway) would be limited to bruises and broken bones (preserving mental capacity)
- There are competitions (this is also to some extent valid for full contact karate) which allows for the youth over time to partake in such to test skills relative to piers
- skill to backbone/luck is slightly higher which makes it a bit easier to learn new moves and such from internet instructional videos

This is just my opinion. No foul intended to practitioners of other sports.

-- EDIT - just realized this was a dead resurrect. not responding again!