Kim Musolff

*** What about a martial arts class where he could get scores and
approval for trying to be the best, and be learning and exercising
(and getting some of his energy out) at the same time? ***

We've been wanting to try this! There are all kinds of martial arts classes
out there, and I wouldn't even know where to begin. Any suggestions on what
kind of questions to ask as I shop around?

Kim


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marji

At 21:19 6/5/2008, you wrote:
>We've been wanting to try this! There are all kinds of martial arts classes
>out there, and I wouldn't even know where to begin. Any suggestions on what
>kind of questions to ask as I shop around?

Liam did really, really well with Aikido. It was a very small dojo
and the sensei was a very sweet grandfatherly type of man whom Liam
felt a lovely connection with. There were some days that we would go
and Liam would be the only student there. Most of the students were
adults, in fact, so it was a wonderful experience for Liam getting to
relate to other folks, and as he moved up in expertise, he was
showing new guys how to do some of the techniques. I loved watching
Liam, this small boy, helping big guys, some twice his height, the
techniques. It was a very enriching experience in so many
ways. And, Aikido is cool because it's more about self-defense than
it is about offense. There's no punching or kicking, just techniques
to end conflict rather than start or perpetuate conflict.

Anyway, that was our experience.

~Marji








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Robin

My husband and I and our two kids dd 11, ds 7 have been taking
taekwondo for 2 1/2 years. I think there are too many benefits to
list. Watch a few classes and let your child take a trial class before
you sign up to see how the instructors interact with the children. -
Robin

keetry

--- In [email protected], "Kim Musolff" <kmoose75@...>
wrote:
>
> *** What about a martial arts class where he could get scores and
> approval for trying to be the best, and be learning and exercising
> (and getting some of his energy out) at the same time? ***
>
> We've been wanting to try this! There are all kinds of martial
arts classes
> out there, and I wouldn't even know where to begin. Any
suggestions on what
> kind of questions to ask as I shop around?
>
> Kim


All the martial arts places I know of will let you
observe/participate in at least one class to get a feel for it. Some
instructors are more harsh than others so that's one thing I would
always look at. We'd go for the school that was more fun rather than
the one that had the most trophies.

Alysia

Lyla Wolfenstein

i am a black belt at tae kwon do and my daughter (13) is about to test for her black belt next week - my other suggestion is that you ask (and observe) how many students are training at the school who have belt ranking beyond the initial first few belts. if the school is mostly white through orange or so, then that means retention is not so great, and that might say something about instruction....you want a good spread of experience levels that illustrate student-instructor loyalty, in my experience.
i also have a strong preference for individually run, small dojangs (studios) rather than the chains, which tend to be more focused on finances than on quality of instruction or on relationships.

Lyla

- Original Message -----



My husband and I and our two kids dd 11, ds 7 have been taking
taekwondo for 2 1/2 years. I think there are too many benefits to
list. Watch a few classes and let your child take a trial class before
you sign up to see how the instructors interact with the children. -
Robin

.


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Sandra Dodd

-=-We'd go for the school that was more fun rather than
the one that had the most trophies.-=-

Kirby went to Shorin Ryu karate. It had no trophies, because the
teacher didn't have his kids enter tournaments. It was more formal
than fun, but Kirby really liked it.

Sandra

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Pamela Sorooshian

On Jun 6, 2008, at 6:10 AM, keetry wrote:

> All the martial arts places I know of will let you
> observe/participate in at least one class to get a feel for it. Some
> instructors are more harsh than others so that's one thing I would
> always look at. We'd go for the school that was more fun rather than
> the one that had the most trophies

The martial art studio my daughter works at is wonderful. The owner is
an unschooling mom. Lots of the students are homeschoolers/
unschoolers. There are lots of games and the atmosphere is very very
supportive. There is rigor, as well, but in a calm way, not at all a
meanspirited or harsh way.

And, newcomers can try out lessons free for a month, including a free
uniform.

Really, spend some time looking and trying and find a good fit.

-pam

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elwazani

--- In [email protected], Pamela Sorooshian
<pamsoroosh@...> wrote:
>
>
> On Jun 6, 2008, at 6:10 AM, keetry wrote:
>
> > All the martial arts places I know of will let you
> > observe/participate in at least one class to get a feel for it. >
Really, spend some time looking and trying and find a good fit.
>
> -pam
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
We were lucky to find a Taekwon Do school run by a homeschool mom and
two of her sons...they even hold a special homeschool class during
the day for mixed ages and levels and my kids have loved it and
excelled in this enviroment. My friend from San Fransico moved here
many years ago and spent a couple of months checking out the various
schools before settling on this one. A bit of a hunt is worth it in
the end...also read up or talk to some one about the various types of
martial arts, one can be a better fit than an other for each
individual.

Katy

<<<<<All the martial arts places I know of will let you
observe/participate in at least one class to get a feel for it. Some
instructors are more harsh than others so that's one thing I would
always look at. >>>>>

I would definitely try some schools out, before deciding. My son had a friend at his TaeKwonDo school who quit ballet because her instructor was "too mean" (her words), but she didn't mind the TKD instructor who seemed even meaner, in her parent's perspective. It felt different to her, less personal or something.

Our TKD school does this program where you get stars to put on your belt for good grades, which kind of turns me off, but when Richard was younger he wanted to have stars on his belt "like everyone else." So every cycle I filled out the form, always giving him the maximum number of stars. It became less important to him as time went on. Now he has his name and rank embroidered on his belt, no room for stars <g>.

I have an interesting story about something that happened at our TaeKwonDo academy the other day.
I don't remember if this is one of the lists that I posted about it or not, but a few years ago someone turned me in to Child Protective Services for having a "9 year old who had never been to school" and a "dangerously messy house." It freaked me out, but I knew the state homeschool regulations better than the social worker did, my home was inspected twice, the initial time when she showed up unexpectedly and one follow-up, all allegations were unsubstantiated and it is all good now.

Of course one of the social worker's concerns was "socialization." <g> Well at TKD the other evening I saw that social worker for the first time since she "visited" my house. Her son, who is maybe 4 or 5 years older than mine, is now a green belt at our academy. Richard, my son, is a black belt and a trainee instructor. Richard is a very tall boy, and though he loves being silly and having fun, he is pretty reserved and quiet most of the time. He usually trains with the adults both because of his height and his "maturity." Anyway, it was interesting to watch Richard coaching and guiding her much older son. I don't think she is concerned about socialization anymore! <g>

Katy

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