# Starting your kids in Kenpo



## Shodan (Sep 1, 2003)

Hi all-

  Was just wondering if any of you have tried to teach your kids on your own starting out at home?  My son is 18 months old (no- not trying to teach him yet!!)  My instructor started his daughter out at age 2 with little games and basics and such and she loved it- she is now 3 and still loves it and goes to the studio now.......have any of you tried with your youngins?  I'd like to start him out early and hope he develops a love for it like I have but I don't want to push it if he is not into it.   :asian: :karate:

  Here's a picture of my little martial artist in the making!!


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## satans.barber (Sep 1, 2003)

I bet he could manage a bear hug 

Ian.


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## stickarts (Sep 1, 2003)

Our daughter is 3 years old. when she asks to do karate we show her front position, some blocking motions, bowing, stretching.
As bad as we want her to end up doing karate some day, we only show her things when she asks and we don't push her.
I think pushing too hard early on often just pushes them away from it!


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## stickarts (Sep 1, 2003)

ps. once she is 4 or 5 we hope she will show an interest in trying classes. But we will wait until she asks!


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## Bill Lear (Sep 1, 2003)

Is three years old... and man she has a nasty right roundhouse punch!


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## Shodan (Sep 1, 2003)

> I bet he could manage a bear hug
> 
> Ian.




  Yep!!  But could you get out of it????!!!!:rofl: 




> I think pushing too hard early on often just pushes them away from it!



  Indeed!!  Yes- we don't want to push him into anything he doesn't want to do- thanks for the advice though!!

  :asian:  :karate:


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## Brother John (Sep 1, 2003)

My son is 5 next week and my daughter is 2 1/2. My son and I have different ways that we "Play" karate... but he knows the basic rule that he has to repeat whenever he and I Play karate... "Never use karate to hurt anyone..."
Later we will modify that to qualify "...anyone who's not trying to hurt others first."

My daughter is even more into it. We have a game that we call "Frisky boys"....
I hold out my palms and she smacks the crap out of them whenever I say "Frisky boys"... if I turn my hands over she kicks them.
She loves them.

Turn the karate lessons into play when they are very young.
Even us adults need to remember the FUN that drew us into karate.

Your brother (who's still havin fun)
John


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## Ender (Sep 1, 2003)

infants aren't good for sparring..they always leave thier target zones open.


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## pknox (Sep 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Ender _
> *infants aren't good for sparring..they always leave thier target zones open. *



True.  But trying to change a diaper on an unwilling one could open the eyes of even the most skilled grappler...


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## jeffkyle (Sep 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Bill Lear _
> *Is three years old... and man she has a nasty right roundhouse punch!
> 
> 
> ...



I have a 5 year old with a killer roundhouse kick!  He loves that kick too!


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## Bill Lear (Sep 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by pknox _
> *True.  But trying to change a diaper on an unwilling one could open the eyes of even the most skilled grappler...   *



You have my sympathy! :lol:


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## pknox (Sep 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Bill Lear _
> *You have my sympathy! :lol: *



Thank you sir.  I have four children, with three in diapers.  The good thing about that is that I'm always training, even when I'm not in the dojo!  Mostly hold-downs for the diaper changes, but the occasional disarm of action figures or legos when things get interesting, as well as pretty frequent defenses from thrown projectiles.  

Seriously, though -- watching how an infant moves does help someone understand human movements a bit better -- it's definitely an education in body mechanics.  It's amazing how through bodily positioning a 30 pound toddler can sometimes feel more difficult to pick up than a 200 pound uke.


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## Shodan (Sep 2, 2003)

PKnox.....so true!!  I have to pin my son down sometimes for the diaper change- he can wiggle out of just about any hold I put on him when he wants to!!  I thought one was hard enough for now.....but three in diapers?!!  I've got to give you one of these :asian:!!


  JeffKyle and Bill Lear- did you teach your kids these moves at home or are they involved in a studio program?

  Brother John- great advice and that game you play with your kids sounds like a fun one- thanks!!

  :asian:  :karate:


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## Ender (Sep 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by pknox _
> *True.  But trying to change a diaper on an unwilling one could open the eyes of even the most skilled grappler...   *



*chuckles....


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## jeffkyle (Sep 2, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Shodan _
> *  JeffKyle and Bill Lear- did you teach your kids these moves at home or are they involved in a studio program?
> 
> :asian:  :karate: *



Actually mine just picked it up from watching me.  I am not teaching him as I don't have enough time with him to be consistent and get him to learn.  He just does what he has seen me doing in the past.  It is sad that I can't teach him..but that is another story.
:shrug:


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## Ceicei (Sep 2, 2003)

As for my family, it was no secret to my children that I was in Kenpo karate before I married.  In fact, my oldest son, Byron, does remember watching me in class while my husband held him as a toddler on his lap.  I kept trying to return back to Kenpo karate after my 2nd child but eventually had to stop when Gary turned 1 year old.  [Health problems and dojo politics that eventually stopped teaching Kenpo style].  

The incentive for my children to get into karate was they found my three trophies from the 1986 karate tournament in a box in storage along with my gi, belts, and sparring gear.  At the time, my sons were 10 & 8.  My daughters were 2 years old and 2 months old respectively.  Byron and Gary begged to take karate.  There was a "new" Kenpo school in town so I signed them up.  

5 months later, I couldn't resist the lure to return back to Kenpo and joined also.  I had to re-learn and re-earn my belts again up to purple level.  [Discovered a few techniques have been altered since I last remembered doing them.]

My daughter, Shauni, now 3, loves to kick and punch.  She does a mean groin punch when her brothers pick on her.  She keeps asking "Is my birthday tomorrow?"  She knows she can't go to karate school until she is 4.

- Ceicei


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## pknox (Sep 2, 2003)

Ceicei:

That's awesome.  When my kids get older, I hope they'll get involved in the arts too.  My oldest daughter is 7, and while she made a passing mention of wanting to do it when she was five or so, she hasn't mentioned it lately.  If she does, I'd love to sign her up.  My biggest fear is my own enthusiasm, and pushing them into it when they're not ready.  That's why I'm treading lightly.  The others are 3, and almost 2 (2 of them), so they still have a while yet.


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## theletch1 (Sep 3, 2003)

My son, now 3, has been around the dojo since he was an infant.  Once he was able to walk he would stand on the sidelines watching.  There were several instances in my old school where the instructor would have to stop demonstrating a technique because Logan would be on the sidelines mimicing what he was doing and the instructor couldn't supress the laughter.  The intention was to start him at age four.  We've since left the school and moved on to an aikido school that won't start them until they're 7.  He still does the punches and kicks when ever he is playing with me or his sisters.  At least he'll have a good long time to get the basics before he tries to learn shihonage


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## Michael Billings (Sep 3, 2003)

My ex-instructor's kids were around from birth, Literarily.  

I remember his son being in his arms while he did sqat kicks, or toe raises.  I remember his "helping" with stretching - amazing what an extra few lbs. can do for your stretch.  It was cute ... not without risk, but cute.  His son is 20'ish now and about 6'5" (at least) and still Kenpo'in along.


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## Shodan (Sep 3, 2003)

Neat!!  Yeah- my instructor always has had his kids around too- I remember when his son (first child) was born- as soon as the boy could sit up, he would put him on his shoulders and go thru just the foot maneuvers of his katas.  I often wonder if he has really good balance now because of that.  The kids were never really a part of the adult class or anything, but they were around and in the atmosphere.

  I asked my instructor once when he actually started teaching his kids things and he said he started his son at 3 and his daughter at 2........his philosophy was always that by seeing it around them and doing martial arts from an early age, they don't know any different and he says they think that every family does the martial arts!!

  I guess there's two ways to look at it---- either you just always have them around it and train them from when they are young and they know no different..........or you wait until they show interest and then start training them.  Hopefully they will stick with it for long term........but maybe not- and I agree with not pushing them into something just because it is a sport I or my husband like.  I see that too often- kids pushed into a sport because their parent wants them to do it.

  Thanks for all the replys!

:asian:  :karate:


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## Limey Scrapman (Sep 5, 2003)

I has anyone found that Kenpo has made their kids more violent? How do you teach a youngster the discpline to use the skills they learn?

My own son, like any two year old is unable to express his frustrations well verbaly and so may bite etc.. other kids in his day care when they take his toys or take too long on the slide. He gave the dog a pretty neat front kick on the jaw last week the kicking he's learnt from playing soccer with me. 

Of course we don't encourage this and explain why he must not hurt his friends (we are BIG fans of Dr. Sears!).

Have people found that it's better to wait until a paticular age so that the child can understand, I notice that some clubs wait untill the child is 5 or 7 years of age.


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## Ceicei (Sep 5, 2003)

I think it has more to do with attention span as the reason why dojos wait til the kids are older.  Some dojos do start as young as 4 and its probably more games than drills for them.


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## Ceicei (Sep 5, 2003)

Toddlers are already too impressionable with mimicking others, whether its a good or bad thing to do.
- Ceicei


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