Saturday, May 15, 2010

Is it easier to get a black belt in Karate or Taekwondo ?

My son isn%26#039;t having a great deal of success in sports. He is very small for his age. He isn%26#039;t strong, but some people think he has good coordination. I was thinking that maybe he could be successful in martial arts. He is thirteen years old. Which martial arts program is the easiest?|||I agree with Yapchagee -- why would you want your son to take the easiest route? Martial arts is all about building self discipline and self control, but for many it also builds self esteem, and that self esteem would be seriously tarnished if your son discovered you were looking for the easy path to Black Belt for him.





At 13, he%26#039;s at a good age to start martial arts (although as he enters high school he will face a lot of distraction -- homework and girls -- that may keep him from training seriously). If he has good coordination, even better. As for height, consider that both Tae Kwon Do and Karate come from Asian countries where 5%26#039;7%26quot; is considered tall for an adult male. Strength will come from practice.





I will not advocate either Karate or Tae Kwon Do. Both are excellent martial arts. There are differences, however: Karate is Japanese and focuses more on hand techniques. There are more than 400 styles of Karate, the most popular being Shotokan, Goju-ryu, Shorin-ryu, and Isshin-ryu. Each style has its own system of teaching, its own rank structure, and its own focus (competitive fighting in one, forms in another). Tae Kwon Do is Korean and focuses more on kicking techniques. There are two main world associations for TKD: ITF and WTF. WTF is Olympic TKD, and there are five recognized styles of Olympic TKD. Again, each style has its own system of teaching and its own focus. Many American TKD schools do not follow the belt ranking system outlined by Korea, although some do.





Either way, in a good school of TKD or Karate, with twice-weekly classes and practice at home, not to mention dedication to the art chosen, your son should make it to Black Belt by age 16 or 17.





Why not sit down with your son, suggest martial arts, and see what his thoughts are? He might be interested in a completely different art, like Ju Jutsu, Judo, Aikido, or Hapkido. Look up some local schools, and call or visit them. Talk to the parents there, observe a class. Ask about tuition and testing fees. Make sure, however, that there is no set testing schedule. A school that tests its students every 2 to 3 months is only out for your money. A school that does not test a student until he has met his requirements for testing and can demonstrate them with confidence (and without prompting!) is the kind of school you want.





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Adding on to this, now that I have seen the poster%26#039;s additional information.





Here%26#039;s the link to our %26quot;How to Choose a TKD School%26quot; on our web site. It%26#039;s long, or I would post it here. While it%26#039;s geared towards TKD, it can pretty much be applied to any martial art. Good luck!





http://www.familymartialarts.us/index.ph...|||You%26#039;d be surprised at how many people proficient in martial arts discovered this as a viable athletic venue when previously it seemed that they just pretty much sucked at other kinds of more traditional sports. Personally, I think traditional Karate is probably more favorably realistic in ways of actual self defense. Lots of places will offer you the %26quot;2-year black-belt program no matter what%26quot; kind of deal. Be wary of that. Not totally a bad thing for kids. At least he will be able to experience a degree of physical contact and learn some new movement skills while interacting with with others that way in a safe environment. Perhaps this would serve to help him become more confident and able in other ways of moving as well.|||1) It depends on the school/organization, not the style. Standards very A LOT.


2) Why do you want the easiest? Wouldn%26#039;t you rather have your son learn to be the best? If you just want a black belt for him. you can order 1 on line for about $25.|||you know some people only spend one year and a half to get a black belt; however, some other people spend three years or even more to get a black belt. practice makes perfect.





I think to compare with martial arts, something like TKD, Karate etc seem more easier to approach. After you learn these kind of sports for several months, you can see your progress; however, even you learn martial arts for several years, you%26#039;re still a junior trainee. For kids, it is a bit boring.|||there are so many different schools out there, its hard to say, i do karate, and just taking a punt on it i would say karate is easyer. TKD has ALOT of kicking some of them really complicated and hard to do, so while your son would still have to learn forms, techniques and some japanese/korean terms and maby a little history on the art, the techniques of karate will be around a 50/50 mix of punches and kicks while TKD would be more like 90/10 kicks to punches





but like i sayed there are many different schools out there each with their own standards, some schools even give you a black belt for a two week cource you get over the internet!!! its a total scam but





PS: i recomend kyokushin karate just because thats the style i train in :)|||ATA Taekwondo will get him a black belt in 2 years.|||Tae-kwon Do may be a faster art to get your black belt. But, it depends upon the instructor %26amp; the school. As far as the easiest--You only get out, what you put in !|||Sir, if you want your child to get the %26quot;real deal%26quot; then don%26#039;t seek the %26quot;easiest%26quot; martial art.


Please find a good school.


Never sign a contract and never pay for rank testing.


Look for a clean school with a respectable student body.





Do not focus on rank, it is not the goal of training. And be careful asking about the %26quot;easiest%26quot; black belt to achieve, you are going to invite McDojo%26#039;s into your life. People in America will sell you anything. You can buy a black belt from some schools. that is not what you want for your child.


Please visit all the schools in your area, take free classes, ask to observe their sparring sessions, ask about the teachers linage, ask if they have clearance to work with children.





Good luck.|||neither it all hard work but anything worth pusuing should b|||The Blackbelt doesn%26#039;t prove anything it is up to the teacher to give it to you sometimes it is like a reward not a statement of your abilities. You don%26#039;t need a color belt to be great in a Martial Art.|||well, if you want him to be successful in something, it%26#039;s not really gonna be easy. and getting a black belt in a martial art hardly means anything, but in the right school, it is a good goal u would want to reach. there is not right martial art for him. there is only the right school and teacher. i suggest you search around the area for a good martial art school. try to get recommendations from friends.|||i suggest karate, it is not the easiest but its the safest martial art for your son to develop both his physical body and his character without getting those unnessessary injuries. plus the confidence that he%26#039;ll develop as he will continue with the practices. It%26#039;ll also practice more of his mental alertness.





thirteen is just the right age to enter into this art. i started practicing karate at age thirteen and it has since then helped me a lot through my teenage years and until now, i continue to practice. karate also teaches humility, respect and perfection of character.|||When I saw the headline I was going to be my goofy mean self. When I read the whole question I can not do it. So I will answer this question without trying to be a mean butt. There are many forms of Karate and each have there +%26#039;s or -%26#039;s. They are all, like Tkd, for sport. They won%26#039;t teach him anything as far as s.d. but they will teach him many good quailties needed to grow up a good person. I don%26#039;t care why you want the easy way out for him, that%26#039;s your choice, none of my business. I%26#039;d put him into TKD if you keep the bills paid he could be a black belt in 2-3 years. Karate isn%26#039;t much better but the easy way would be TKD. As a side note I don%26#039;t think trying to give him an easy way is the best.





O.K. that is as non-mean as I can get.|||Tae Kwon Do generally is regarded as a kicking style. Karate generally utilizes a greater balance between punching and kicking techniques. There are a number of schools in both styles that make it extremely easy to get a black belt. All you have to do is show up and pay endless promotional fees and you can get a black belt in two to three years. These %26quot;McDojos%26quot; get you to sign long term contracts from one to three years and overcharge you for every piece of mandatory equipment you have to buy from them. They are within driving distance from just about every household in the U.S. If your son goes to the easiest school around he might get a %26quot;black belt%26quot; and a false since of confidence, but little else.





Real martial arts training can be fun but is not easy. If you want your son to have confidence he can actually back up, send him to a school that%26#039;s more interested in technique than belts. It took me nine years to get a black belt and for the first three I had a white belt. The fact that it has never been easy is what keeps me coming back. Don%26#039;t waste your and your child%26#039;s time, money, and effort chasing a belt. Send him someplace where he can become confident by actually challenging himself. That%26#039;s the only way to make a belt mean something.|||My son(4) started taekwondo in January. My husband, daughter (almost 3), and I joined with him in March.





My friend%26#039;s children, 2 boys (13 and 3) and a girl (11) joined in January with my son. The parents joined with us in March.





We all love it. We go together as a family and are learning confidence, and much more, together. The best part is having something in common with our kids. They are not embarrassed to have us there, and we learn how to be respectful together.





I would really recommend joining Taekwondo. Even if you only sign your son up, it is well worth it. My friend%26#039;s son that is 13 is doing better in school and listening to his parents more. All of our kids are answering us with %26quot;yes mom%26quot; or %26quot;yes dad%26quot;.





Everyone at Taekwondo is friendly. Nobody talks bad about the others. Nobody criticizes each other. There is no competition at all! Nobody is comparing skills. Everyone learns at their own pace.





Our family was in a tournament in April (yes we were white belts and were only in for 3 weeks) So, we were in the tournament. All of the kids got trophies or medals. And best of all, the higher belts were proud of us and supported us.





I know that your son will fit in well with Taekwondo. I am sure it is the same with most martial arts. I would check out the places first and pick one that you see kids his age at.|||I don%26#039;t think it%26#039;s a good idea to pick by what is easiest. 1. The easiest by far isn%26#039;t the best, nor does it necessarily offer you what you want in a martial art. Instead, look for a dojo that teaches a style your son is interested in.

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