Advice for Parents

Whatever your age or fitness level, we think there’s a martial art out there for everyone. If you’re a parent and wondering whether your child/children would benefit from learning a martial art (or perhaps they’ve already asked you if they can learn one), our advice is: go for it! In fact, it’s an ideal way for young people to develop greater self awareness, self respect, discipline and respect for authority, all while improving their fitness levels and general well being. What could be better?

That said, there are certain arts that we wouldn’t recommend to those under 14, either because they are too physically demanding, or involve the use of weapons. However, the following arts should be suitable for young people of all ages (typically from 5 upwards): Judo, Karate, Tae Kwon Do and many styles of Kung Fu. The best thing to do is talk to your child first to decide whether you think taking up a martial art really is right for them. If you think it is, why not work through the Which Art? questionnaire with your child and take it from there, or go straight to our club listings...

Once you have chosen a martial art, we would recommend viewing a number of schools. Ask yourself the following questions such as “would I feel comfortable with my child practicing here”; “do the other children look happy and engaged”; “what is the relationship like between students and teacher”; “what are the age ranges of the other students”? If you can answer positively to all of these, you’ve found your child a school!