Karate or Tae Kwon Do

[jancpa]

My 5-year old son is interested in martial arts. Is there anything I should consider when determining if we should try karate or tae kwon do? I am not familiar with the differences between the two. There are schools for both very close to us so that isn't a factor.

 

[jaypea]

My 5-year old son started taking Tae Kwon Do when he was 4. He loves it. My nieces (ages 6 and 3) take Karate and love it. I am not sure of the differences. I believe that both require concentration/attention and stamina and also teach good values to participants.
This probably didn't help much. I'm looking forward to a good explanation as well.
-Jen

 

[NinjaMom]

My family (DH, DS, DD & I) spent many years attending National Karate. Our instructor would describe it as "americanized taekwondo". It involved learning forms based on your belt level, pad strikes, sparring and weapons. It is great for building self esteem while teaching respect and discipline. DH, DS and DD have their black belts but unfortunately, I tore my rotator cuff during a sparring match a week before my BB exam and was unable to test. I can be a very physical sport!!

I would recommend stopping by the schools near your home, watch a few classes and speak to the instructors about their philosophy, how things are structured, the program fees, etc...

Here are a couple links that describe the differences between karate and taekwondo. However, a lot depends on how the school is structured.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_karate_and_taekwondo

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Difference-Between-Karate-and-Tae-Kwon-Do&id=123005

http://www.martialartsarticlesonline.com/karatetaekwondo.html

 

[NRG Woman]

I took Tae Kwon Do as an adult and loved it. I achieved my first degree black belt. I have been out of it for several years and miss it very much. I learned a lot from the training that had little to do with the punches and kicks. I actually think just about every person (child and adult) would be well served to learn these valuable life lessons. I think that either Karate or TKD would deliver these lessons, NinjaMom has a great idea about checking out the schools to check them out. You will be spending a lot of time there so you want to make sure you agree with their philosophy.

Shayne

 

[cindi1]

I've taken TKD and Kung Fu and my children have also taken Karate. I don't think it really matters what you do as long as you do something. I agree with others to go to the class and observe and find the instructors, schedule, and pricing structure that works for you.

Other things I would think about asking...
- how frequent are tests and how quickly to the children move up. Tests usually cost more and it can add up. On the flip side, some children respond really well to frequent testing and like the fast progress rather than waiting.
- what kinds of weapons are taught and when. Some kids are very motivated to start working with weapons so if the school doesn't teach weapons, that may be a consideration. Alternatively you may not want your child using weapons.
- is board breaking part of the program. Some kids are way into this - some are intimidated.

ETA: and ask about sparring, how it's done, what pads are used, etc. My kung fu teacher had us adults spar unprotected and the small kids didn't really spar at all. In TKD and Karate - pads were used and it was very controlled.