Top Martial Arts Styles for Kids

Jun 29th, 2019

Martial arts has been shown time and time again to have a positive impact on the physical, mental, and emotional development of kids; however, with the multitude of martial arts styles to pick from, you might find it to be a bit of a challenge to find the style that suits the needs of your children. While each martial arts style comes with differing skills, techniques, and fundamentals to be successful, two of the best styles for kids to pick up are karate and taekwondo. Both have the aforementioned physical, mental, and emotional benefits for kids, and each comes with similarities to one another as well as unique skills and disciplines needed to succeed. It is within these differences that you can find the perfect fit for your kids. Kids Karate is great for children who have trouble concentrating and need extra activity to let excess energy out; furthermore, karate teaches kids how to live a happy, focused, and balanced life through an active lifestyle. During training, breaking boards and learning new katas are the main reinforcers of the techniques learned.

Taekwondo has seen a surge in popularity as of late, cementing its status as a great martial arts style for kids to learn due to its tournament scene and prevalence in the Olympics. Your child will learn many more kicking techniques in taekwondo than in karate, making it a more optimal style if your kid shows a natural tendency to the lower-body techniques. The difference in the two fighting styles is made apparent in sparring tournaments. While punches and kicks are worth the same amount of points in karate, taekwondo rewards kicking much more heavily than punching. Since taekwondo is very dependent on sparring, there are a ton of opportunities for your child to compete due to the popularity of the sport, making it an excellent martial arts style for your competitive children. 

Depending on what your kid is seeking from learning a martial arts style, and what you as a parent want out of it, the decision between enrolling your child in either karate or taekwondo is entirely up to you. One thing’s for certain: both karate and taekwondo have so many benefits to the physical and mental growth of a child, that you can’t go wrong with either style.s to finding which martial arts style will best suit both what your kid wants to do, and what you as the parent want for your child.

Both karate and taekwondo are considered to be “hard styles” of martial arts, meaning that force is used to react to opposing force. For example, if the opponent throws a strong kick at you, you respond with a strong block and counterattack, although children will typically start out with blocking foam pads and batons used by instructors to teach them the proper technique. Both styles emphasize the use of strong punches, kicks, and blocks; furthermore, these techniques are utilized in set forms known as “kata” in karate and “poomsae” in taekwondo to further reinforce mastery of these movements. Karate and taekwondo also teach children how to condition themselves both physically and mentally while teaching correct technique in their respective styles.

Being created as a style in the mid-1300s, karate has become the most widely used martial arts style in the world. Karate focuses primarily on using both punches and kicks equally when sparring, leading to a more full-body experience. Karate is a great martial arts style for kids that are interested in learning striking techniques with both hands and feet. Karate typically follows a more formal approach than other martial arts, heavily emphasizing respecting your elders, your opponent, and yourself. Karate can also be seen as a more practical means of self-defense for your child due to its focus on punching and kicking equally. This full-body experience makes karate, along with taekwondo, great for children who have trouble concentrating and need extra activity to let excess energy out; furthermore, karate teaches kids how to live a happy, focused, and balanced life through an active lifestyle. During training, breaking boards and learning new katas are the main reinforcers of the techniques learned.

Taekwondo has seen a surge in popularity as of late, cementing its status as a great martial arts style for kids to learn due to its tournament scene and prevalence in the Olympics. Your child will learn many more kicking techniques in taekwondo than in karate, making it a more optimal style if your kid shows a natural tendency to the lower-body techniques. The difference in the two fighting styles is made apparent in sparring tournaments. While punches and kicks are worth the same amount of points in karate, taekwondo rewards kicking much more heavily than punching. Since taekwondo is very dependent on sparring, there are a ton of opportunities for your child to compete due to the popularity of the sport, making it an excellent martial arts style for your competitive children. 

Depending on what your kid is seeking from learning a martial arts style, and what you as a parent want out of it, the decision between enrolling your child in either karate or taekwondo is entirely up to you. One thing’s for certain: both karate and taekwondo have so many benefits to the physical and mental growth of a child, that you can’t go wrong with either style.

Premier Martial Arts instructs both disciplines of Karate and Tae Kwon Do. This way students of Premier Martial Art schools all over the United States can get the best of both of these great styles of martial arts for kids.

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We make it easy to try our martial arts programs. Our start-up offer includes two private lessons with a PMA expert trainer to explore your ability level and find the right programs to help you meet your goals. We even include a uniform – everything you need to make a positive change!

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