# I'm in need of advice.



## benjamin (Jan 8, 2021)

I've practiced Goju Ryu for many years, and made it to brown belt. Due to personal reasons, stressful job, busy life, I left the arts. Now I have an opportunity to join a taekwondo school with my daughter. I have sat and watched, talked with the teacher. It looks like a very good dojo. My problem is, most of the students are teenagers to little kids. There is only one or two adults. But everybody is half my size. I want to start but i am worried that i will hurt the other students. I plan on talking with the teacher. Any thoughts from my fellow brothers and sisters from the martial community is greatly appreciated, thank you all and stay safe in this crazy time we live in.


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## Monkey Turned Wolf (Jan 8, 2021)

I've been stuck in classes before where most of the people were significantly older (to the point I was worried about contact) or small teenagers. You can still learn from the instructors, and I would guess it's still a good bonding experience with your kid, but any sort of contact drills, sparring, SD drills (one-step or throws) I had a lot of trouble with mostly because I didn't know how they'd react and was more focused on making sure they didn't get hurt then doing whatever I was trying properly. The instructors understood, and saw a difference when someone of an appropriate age (for me) was there to work with.

My recommendation would be talk with the teacher, see if you can primarily work with 1-2 of the adults, or anyone 16/17+, and if there aren't enough of those try to convince a friend to join that you can work with. Otherwise you'll likely feel uncomfortable.


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## jobo (Jan 8, 2021)

benjamin said:


> I've practiced Goju Ryu for many years, and made it to brown belt. Due to personal reasons, stressful job, busy life, I left the arts. Now I have an opportunity to join a taekwondo school with my daughter. I have sat and watched, talked with the teacher. It looks like a very good dojo. My problem is, most of the students are teenagers to little kids. There is only one or two adults. But everybody is half my size. I want to start but i am worried that i will hurt the other students. I plan on talking with the teacher. Any thoughts from my fellow brothers and sisters from the martial community is greatly appreciated, thank you all and stay safe in this crazy time we live in.


just run with it at tge moment,  youve a lot of catching upto do, then you may want to cast your net wider,  if some more half decent adults dont turn up

nb, some of those kids are fast, not getting hit might be your first concern


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## Buka (Jan 8, 2021)

Welcome to martial Talk, Benjamin.

Are there any other school options near you?


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## KenpoMaster805 (Jan 8, 2021)

Welcome to MT Benjamin 
Dont be afraid Ben to do technique with children you just have to control when you're doing the technique its call self control


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## Deleted member 39746 (Jan 8, 2021)

You should be good, if i recall correctly TKD lieks to do light sparring and mainly does that.    If you got a sports place they like to match you with people your same weight and height for obvious reasons. That might be the only issue.

Plus big doubt they will match you with someone they think you will hurt or hurt you.


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## hoshin1600 (Jan 8, 2021)

What are you trying to get out of the training?   If your only looking to get back in shape and bond with your kid then great.  But if your looking for more, looking to actually train then it will become disappointing in a short amount of time.  I dont think training with teens is bad. It has more to do with the atmosphere of the class.  Chances are high you will end up playing the role of a junior instructor.
Making the assumption that the school will want a long term contract, I would advise against it. If the instructor will allow you to do month to month, then try it out.


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## dvcochran (Jan 8, 2021)

Welcome to the forum Benjamin. 
I can't say it loudly enough that starting is the most important thing. Not knowing your physical condition, it is very possible the workout may be more than you expect them to be. There is definitely a different training methodology but there should be a few similarities. Naturally, drilling on pads will allow you to go as hard as you want, as long as the target holder can hold out. 
You are on the right track to talk with the instructor. Express your concerns and see if there are any recommendations. 
It is a Great idea to get a couple of your friends to start with you. It makes for great times and memories. Not to mention the memories you can make with your kid. 
I hope you stay in touch and let us know how it goes.


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## oftheherd11 (Jan 9, 2021)

hoshin1600 said:


> What are you trying to get out of the training?   If your only looking to get back in shape and bond with your kid then great.  But if your looking for more, looking to actually train then it will become disappointing in a short amount of time.  I dont think training with teens is bad. It has more to do with the atmosphere of the class.  *Chances are high you will end up playing the role of a junior instructor.*
> Making the assumption that the school will want a long term contract, I would advise against it. If the instructor will allow you to do month to month, then try it out.



Underlined:  @hoshin, I don't understand your apparent certainty on that.  Could you explain that a bit?

Bolded:  Can be an awesome responsibility and good for other students if done right and with the control of the teacher. (once you get back into shape yourself.)

It might be worth a try if you pay month by month as @hoshin says.


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## hoshin1600 (Jan 9, 2021)

oftheherd11 said:


> I don't understand your apparent certainty on that. Could you explain that a bit?


I'm not really certain of anything, which is why I was asking questions. However if your the only adult training with a group of kids it will be very likely your not getting your needs met by the class. You won't have more experienced adults to look up to, to challenge you and make you better.


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## Anarax (Jan 24, 2021)

benjamin said:


> I've practiced Goju Ryu for many years, and made it to brown belt. Due to personal reasons, stressful job, busy life, I left the arts. Now I have an opportunity to join a taekwondo school with my daughter. I have sat and watched, talked with the teacher. It looks like a very good dojo. My problem is, most of the students are teenagers to little kids. There is only one or two adults. But everybody is half my size. I want to start but i am worried that i will hurt the other students. I plan on talking with the teacher. Any thoughts from my fellow brothers and sisters from the martial community is greatly appreciated, thank you all and stay safe in this crazy time we live in.



Hello and welcome to MT,

I had a similar situation, except I left for the same reason. There was a martial arts class that I attended for a while and liked the training and my training partners. It was challenging, intense and highly productive training. However, many of the adult students left and only the kids remained(excluding the instructors). I still attended class and trained, but mostly with kids. I had to make a choice to stop attending class and shifted my training to a different class(all adults) that I was already taking at the time. The reality of the situation was the training wasn't productive and I could've reallocated more time to the other adult class for more realistic training. I made that decision years ago and I have no regrets choosing to leave.


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## Tez3 (Jan 25, 2021)

I don't train with children any more, they are too flexible, much fitter than me and have far too much energy  on the other hand I can in my old age say I can still kick to the head............ of a four year old.

My mantra now is 'old and sneaky beats young and fit' (hopefully)


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## Dirty Dog (Jan 25, 2021)

Tez3 said:


> I don't train with children any more, they are too flexible, much fitter than me and have far too much energy  on the other hand I can in my old age say I can still kick to the head............ of a four year old.
> 
> My mantra now is 'old and sneaky beats young and fit' (hopefully)



Kicking to the head is easy. First, bring the head down to a comfortable height...


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## Razznik (Feb 17, 2021)

Dirty Dog said:


> Kicking to the head is easy. First, bring the head down to a comfortable height...


This message cracked me up


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