I put out the question yesterday–is tae kwon do good for 4-year-olds?–and got great responses. Keith pointed out that I repeatedly got my ass kicked as a kid because I was doing Olympic tae kwon do, and that 4 is too young really for martial arts. PetCobra (not to be confused with Cobra Kai) disagreed–the dojo is giving his grasshopper some good life lessons. Trish doubled the ante, saying that martial arts had given her kid, who has Aspergers, tools to build confidence and control. Paul and Juan also seemed happy with their kids’ martial arts schools.
Tammy, however, raised a question that I don’t really know how to answer: why do dance or martial arts at all? Why not just let her play, if the girl is only 4? The thought hadn’t really crossed my mind. We’re so conditioned already to group activities, and with the long summer starting and school ending, some sort of structure to the day seems advisable. But I’m not sure I have a good reason as to why just playing would be detrimental. Kids do seem to treat the jungle gym as an opportunity for extreme feats of flexibility and acrobatics anyhow.
It turns out, though, that there may be an ulterior motive to all of this. In a new development–twist!–my wife explained that she wanted to take some kind of martial arts as well. And that perhaps I should join her. And that she had heard good things about something called Wing Chun. From Wikipedia: “A correct Wing Chun[ stance is like a piece of bamboo, firm but flexible, rooted but yielding.” Okay, I can handle that, and I know PetCobra took up martial arts again along with his son, but I had not really considered that all of a sudden we would become an entire pseudo-Shaolin family. I had merely been thinking of something to keep the daughter from going apeshit over summer.
Note that my wife hasn’t done martial arts before. Her main concern, only half-joking, was that maybe the first time she walks into the class, “people will start running at me, dropping from the ceiling and stuff.” I think she has seen one too many 1980s ninja flicks.
But again I throw the question out there to you, who seem to be oddly well-informed about all of this: Do it as a family? Wing Chun? Huh?
For an adult, you might also look into Thai Boxing, it’s huge right now with the MMA craze going on and you should have a broad selection. The focus is on basic forms and cardio fitness. Any respectable gym will let you opt out of sparring if you aren’t interested, and I’ve found students and instructors in many gyms to be low-key, positive, and helpful. Not sure how many youth options are out there, but around here 4 is a bit young. But many traditional martial arts schools will have a Muay Thai/Kickboxing program for adults.
I think it could be a great experience, very enjoyable for all, especially if all of you were to do it this evening.
In other words, everybody have fun tonight. Everybody Wing Chun tonight.
There’s a small judo school in your general area, up at the Buddhist temple at 103rd(?) and Riverside. They have a kids program, too, but again I think 4 might be a bit too young.
I think you’re unlikely to find a Wing Chun school that has kids. It will be mostly full of single white guys in their 30s.