Gotta disagree with you, SMUsax. I took Akido (combat version) from Craig, Steven Segal’s direct and on-going student (he does a lot of stunt work for S.S. and can be seen in a lot of his movies). He also thought highly of Aki-jitsu. After about a year of training I challenged him to a ‘street fight’ to settle the argument for/against best self-defence. We wore 14 oz grappling gloves for protection.
Craig is a true master at Akido. He’s strong, big and very fast. But I just lit into him, swinging and kicking. Flustered he grabbed me and we ended up on the floor. Very poor Akido style. My Riyan-Jitsu skills helped me (almost) prevail (Craig is MUCH bigger and stronger than I, not to mention he trains with Steven Segal!). The point is Aki-Jitsu is ‘kata’ based despite partner practiced and people don’t behave that way in real fights. I’ve been in enough to know.
The good news is, Paul, 6 or 7yr olds rarely hurt themselves in school-yard fights.(Let’s don’t get into the weapons issue here now). Just a little wounded pride at most. And with a little confidence under his belt, he won’t even suffer that - even if he loses. You seem like you have a level head, I’m sure your son will be fine and I think he is old enough to study MA. Just keep him away from ‘trophy’ or tournament schools.
As a teacher of a gifted class (5th grade) I would advise that you consider this very carefully before skipping a grade. Most studies indicate that there is little difference in achievement over the long run; most of the time the gap between the very high ability students like your son and the main body tends to narrow a bit over time, and skipping a grade doesn’t often have much effect on this. In addition, some students develop big social problems in middle and high school. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea; I don’t know you, your school system, or your son. Try to get some information on how well other students who’ve advanced a grade have done in your school system. Make sure you’ve taken everything into account. If your school district has a gifted and talented program, you might want to explore having him tested for that first.
As for the MA school, I with those who suggest that the particular art is less important than the attitude of the instructors and the atmosphere of the school. Find a school whose teachers you want your son to learn from.
You may not be able to find this in Detroit, but I recommend Kajukenbo. It’s a sort of hybrid of kung-fu, karate, Hawaiian street fighting, and whatever miscellaneous skills you and the instructor pick up. The school I trained at for a while was big on experimenting with different moves to see what worked best for each student. All in all, it’s a very no frills, real world martial art.
Lot’s of martial arts schools now feature ‘family’ oriented martial arts. Instead of trying to bring kids in they have a kind of integrated program so the whole family gets involved. These classes are usually taught by parents and can be really good.
For your son, I would highly recommend Judo. Kids LOVE doing Judo. It involves a lot of wresting and tumbling, which are well suited to kids. Check out Scylla’s description of how his petite wife kicked his ass first time out with her Judo skills.
Kenpo is a soft style that I did for 5 years. Lot’s of Kenpo schools have special kids classes. I just saw my 8 year old nephew in such a class. Lot’s of discipline (they say “sir” an awful lot and stand at attention), which my nephew really gets into.
Again, as stated several times earlier, you can’t go wrong as long as you find a good school that nurtures the students.
Thanks for some great replies!
We are definitely looking for the fun aspects of this for him, not interested in creating a fighting machine. If he was older and already had a serious bullying threat, than perhaps we’d look harder at the fighting aspects, but that’s not the case, and that’s what we hope to avoid. China Guy, something that’s more family-oriented would be a good fit, I think. With two younger brothers who may also want to get involved, this could very well turn into a whole family activity.
Number Six, I appreciate the input on advancing grades. We’ve been going round the issue for a while and your concerns are definitely ours. I was advanced from the 1st to 2nd grade, and all-in-all it was probably a good thing (I never had access to a TAG program). But I know whatever benefit there was academically in grade school was gone pretty much by 6th grade, when I was getting bored and disinterested in school again. We don’t want that to happen to Bryan, so I’m certain the TAG program is in his future (doesn’t start until 3rd grade at his school, but we already know he’ll be recommended for it.)
Some questions for Little Bird (or anyone else):
Since you teach kids karate, what’s your take on how young they should start? I know, as warmgun said, that the little ones aren’t into hurting each other at that age, but I want him to be ready when they’re 11 or 12 and the serious bullying might start. Is seven too young, or just right?
Also, is Tang Soo Do a particular form of karate? Or just the name of the organization? How much does karate rely on strikes and attack vs. self-defense and avoidance?
Another question for all:
How closely are Judo and Aikido related disciplines? The descriptions here lead me to believe they are very similiar – that a choice between the two might come down to which dojo seemed a better fit for Bryan. What do you think?
[hijacking my own thread] BTW Little Bird,-- nice rats! I used to love the pet rats in my family’s pet shop growing up. They are ten times smarter, gentler, and better pets than any old hamster or gerbil. They’re playful, and can even be taught tricks. We used to walk around the shop with a rat or two on our shoulders for hours. I’m surprised that shop was selling hooded rats for snake food – what a waste. [/hijack]
Paul
When I was a nipper (about 7-8) I started doing Karate. I enjoyed it a lot.
It was fun, we did a lot of sparring and kata work (basically, fighting and ‘display’ stuff).
I did it for about 5-6 years but had to stop when we moved away. I reached purple belt.
When I was 16 I started doing Tae-kwondo. I must say that I preferred Tae Kwondo but did not pursue it that long as I started getting interested in more ‘adult’ things (sex ‘n’ drugs ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll).
Tae kwondo was more sparring based and there were more ‘moves’ than Karate.
Both are good fun though, although I don’t think that any kind of martial art, at the basic level, is worthwhile for self-defence. It is good, however, for fitness, discipline, balance and confidence.
So I’ll just echo what has already been said - choose a place with good masters and the right ‘feel’ to it, rather than the correct style of martial art.
I have been practicing Chito-Ryu Karate since I was 14 years old (21years) and was fortunate to have an excellent Sensei who taught me much more than traditional Karate. He was not a traditionalist and taught that one should not limit themselves to one style. I studied with other martial artists as well so picked up many other practical techniques.
I taught classes to children and adults for many years and the most important lesson I could ever teach someone is how to NOT get into a fight then ensure that you have the skills to hold your own if that situation cannot be avoided.
One of the rules we imposed on all our students was that they would be expelled from our classes if they ever initiated a fight. Using your skills to defend yourself or another person was honourable.
The confidence level that a student gets from participating is often enough to help them avoid confrontations. Bullies need their victims to fear them, without fear their power over their victims is lessened considerably.
I will echo other people’s advice in that one should look for a school that teaches philosophy and values in addition to the physical skills required in whatever martial art you choose. Martial arts is 90% mental and 10% physical.
Sorry to hear that…
That really depends on the teacher more than anything else. Kata are used by some practicioners of every form. Some others don't use it at all. When I started in MA, my father (also in MA from youth) explained how he felt about them and the belt system...neither of which I'm interested in. Ultimately, the use of kata is up to the instructer, not the form.
People don't fight that way, they fight by instinct, and kata are supposed to build that instinct into people who don't already have it. I mostly agree that they are a waste of time and effort. I don't know any kata though, so I may be biased.
Couldn’t agree more on this one. They focus on tounaments and not on protection. Many of them play for points…and I’m too small to fight fair 
–==SMUsax==–
Aikido always struck me as a very good supplementary art. There were times when I was sparring when I looked at the situation and thought “wow, I could latch on here and turn this guy into a pretzel.” Without the 5 odd years of karate, I wouldn’t have been able to apply it, though.
My vote’s for jujutsu, though. I don’t think an external (muscle-based) style will be the right fit for your son until he has a chance to grow into his body more. Plus, learning how to fall properly is almost a survival skill for some kids. 
I’m not conversant with all the various forms of martial arts and their merits. However, I have been taking Tae Kwan Do with my son at our YMCA for the past several months. My goal wasn’t really for him to become a great master of self defense; as I’ve started to read more about it, the consensus seems to be that although you can look really cool with TKD, a really good down and dirty street fighter can take out a trained martial arts person much of the time. Experience and willingness to do what it takes to win is the real determinant on who would win a fight.
Basically, we started TKD because the Y offered a special where if you signed your kid up for a session, a parent could join him for free. Since I’ve been enjoying cardio kickboxing for the past year or two, it sounded like fun. I’ve enjoyed having an activity I could share with my son. We’re progressing at the same level, and can practice with one another, and quiz one another on the philosophy and Korean language lessons we are to be tested on. (This isn’t heavy duty stuff - it’s basically vocabulary such as counting to 10, the names for various holds and striking zones, etc.)
In addition to progress in TKD, our Master also stresses respect for your parents and accomplishments in other areas. When we go in for belt tests, he also asks to see a copy of your child’s most recent report card, and praises them on academic and other achievements as well as TKD achievements.
Is either one of us going to be a martial arts expert? No — but I’m really valuing the time we’re spending studying this together. I highly recommend finding a class you can join in with your child.
May I suggest the quiet but deadly art of Rochambo? No? Okay…
Actually, I’ve just started studying Aikido recently, and have to say I’m impressed. Not just with the effectiveness of the technique, but with the ethical implications of the art. It really is dedicated to the idea that the best way to deal with an attack is to have both you and your attacker emerge unharmed. Aside from the morality of this position, from a legal standpoint, it makes a lot of sense.
Aikido does take longer to master than other arts, it’s true. But for me, I’d rather spend ten years learning how not to hurt someone, than one year learning how to kill or maim.
If you’re interested, check out:
http://www.aikido.com
http://www.aikidofaq.com
Best advice so far in the thread is to check out the dojos. Talk to the students, and the instructors, and find out if they’re the kind of people you want your son hanging out with. Ask them about their philosophy. Watch a couple of classes.
Having attended a school that ran kids classes, as well as going to many “peewee” martial arts exhibitions…
I feel that a lot of the advice given here, while well-intentioned, is impractical and misplaced when talking about a 6 year-old.
Self-defense or stylistic fighting prowess should be the last thing you should be looking for in a kids school. If your kid is small and getting picked on, teaching him to fight back is the worst thing you should be doing. For kids that young, adult-intervention is the smartest bet. A kid that young can’t understand or comprehend the “violence for the sake of non-violence” aspect that comes with martial arts. If your kid was older, say 10 and above, then I would definitely look at self-defense as a priority. Nothing will bore a young’un faster than a “traditional” art where they are spending all their time bowing, waiting, drilling, respecting, etc. I was there as a little kid once, it soured me on martial arts until adulthood where I finally gave it another chance.
For a 6 year old, what is most important is fun, fantasy, fun, confidence, fun, challenge, and fun. Our school taught traditional formwork and drills to the kiddies, but mixed it up with games, tumbling, gymnastics, and padded-sparring. They loved it! Nothing is more fun for a 6 year old than to get to wear a Michelin-Man padded suit and whack their friends silly with padded wooden swords, channeling their inner Jedi fantasy if you will
Also wonderful for kids is Wushu, the Chinese exhibitionist/presentation dance-flash martial art, where kids get to spin and twirl large weapons while leaping and tumbling about. They love the uniforms (colorful with a lot of dragon embroidery ) and the spectacle (lion dances, drums, overall good-time party atmosphere).
Kids could care less about tradition. They want to be the next Power Ranger. Maturity will come later, but for now give them the fun! What’s best is that while having all that fun, they will subconsciously be picking up balance, conditioning, discipline, confidence…
Number Six
have you got a cite? Rogers, Gross and every ‘expert’ I’m aware of say there is not a single study which shows a bad outcome for kids who are accelerated if they need acceleration. I’ve heard the theory that kids level out but it is very hard to find the research which supports this theory. Personally I don’t think I’d skip my kid one grade - there’s simply not enough new stuff in the next year level to justify the disruption.
Paul the Younger
has your kid been assessed by someone who’s experienced with gifted kids? I’ve got a tiny wee one who’s physically the size of the new entrants but he sticks out like dog’s balls in the third grade classroom as it is. He’s probably going to need radical acceleration in the next couple of years but we’ve decided not to make size an issue. He’s small in comparision to other kids no matter what. Size shouldn’t be an issue over the need to meet academic needs. If a gifted and talented program isn’t enough (and once you’re dealing with 2 or more standard deviations from the norm then it usually isn’t) it’s time to consider more radical ideas
I was careful not to advise against skipping grades. It can, and often does have significant academic advantages in the short-term for those who need the extra challenge. In my district, we did a longitudinal study of students who scored at or above the 98th percentile in both reading and math in early grades, comparing their scores on an exit exam, and where possible, college entrance exams. There was little difference between the grade skippers exit scores and the GATE students. Their actual achievement while in high school was about the same. The only advantage the grade skippers retained by the time they finished high school was that they finished a year (or two) earlier, which, to be fair, can be a big advantage for those who are mature enough to handle starting college at 16 or 17. I started college at 16, but that was due to accumulating enough credits to graduate high school in three years, and I have had nothing but good things come of starting early.
The only “negative outcome” that I mentioned was that some children sometimes have social problems in middle or high school; being on the Gifted and Talented Education committee in my district, I’ve seen it happen. Usually, these were students having adjustment problems before skipping, but not always. Anecdotal evidence, I know. The studies I’ve read seem to indicate that students who are emotionally ready for the change don’t have a lot of trouble adjusting to it, but there is a minority who have big problems.
I did not mean to suggest that skipping grades would be harmful; indeed, I was careful to say that I didn’t know enough about Paul’s situation to advise in favor or against any particular course of action. Parents often overestimate their children’s abilities (again, I’m not saying Paul or you are doing this, but I’ve seen it happen a lot), so my suggestion, which was to consider all options carefully, including Gifted education, is one that I stand by.
I’ve been reading the good advice of some other posters. Let me chime in with my own.
First, every style is different. Every instructor is different. Every dojo is different.
Trust me, your son is going to go into this wanting to get a black belt. We all did. But black belts don’t come after one month, but rather after years of training and discipline. And if a dojo closes shop, which does happen often, or if your son switches dojos, it’s right back to white belt again.
And speaking of discipline, your son needs to realize that it will take discipline. That doesn’t mean it can’t also be fun. You just need to sit and talk with him about what he wants to do and what would be best for him.
As a kid (around 8), I took a straight karate course. Didn’t really like it. Every hour was 30 minutes of warm up, and 10 minutes of cool down. 20 minutes of real training. I wanted to fight, dag nabbit!
In college I took Villari’s course of Shaolin-Kempo-Karate which I thought was really quite good. It had some excellent training for kids as well.
End result, find a dojo you trust, find a sensei that’s good at what he or she* does and find a program that your kid is interested in. The rest will sort itself out.
*my Villari’s dojo was headed by a 5th degree black belt that was, at one point, 8 months pregnant and still in there doing excercises. Cool.
Bottom line, your kid is 6. Expose him to some kind of MA - the particular style is not important. Choose a school where kids’ classes are fun, and where they downplay the use of what they train for self defense. No 6-10 year old is going to thwart a determined kidnapper, and you don’t want junior eyejabbing the kids on the playground. Also choose a school that is affordable and convenient, requiring no longterm contracts and little initial investment. For all you know he will get tired of it after a couple of months.
In my experience, my kids love grappling. Basically they like rolling around with and hugging daddy, with the “matches” devolving into tickle fests. When my son was in about 3d grade, ALL of the neighborhood boys started wrestling. With minimal technique, your son will be able to do whatever he wants with the other boys. Sure beats always being at the bottom of the pile.
One thing to be aware of with BJJ is the emphasis on finishing techs. I realized early on that my kids did not adequately recognize their opponents’ taps (which signal your opponent to stop applying a technique), and were not skilled at realizing the appropriate force to apply on chokes and joint manipulations. Again, you don’t want your kid popping some other kid’s shoulder out.
2 of my 3 kids took a little shotokan at the park district, but soon chose to pursue other interests. As far as my informal messing around with them, my eldest girl prefered stick and knife work, my son preferred grappling, and my youngest daughter preferred kicking. Now my son and I fence. So get him started in some style. If he is interested, expose him to other styles, and let him decide what he likes best.
When I trained MA a lot, our school trained an eclectic, street defense oriented curriculum. My instructor, whom I respect tremendously, taught a kids class which emphasized judo. Involved a lot of games and a lot of laughter. But I also know a lot of incompetent jerks teaching “non-traditional” styles - whom I wouldn’t trust with my kids.
So I’d recommend starting off with a safe, known commodity. Avoid belt mills (which include many, but by no means all TKD stripmall schools). You might well find a karate, judo, or TKD programs associated with your park districts, or wrestling classes associated with your school system.
Good luck.
Oh, and regarding the skipping grades. My son scores off the charts on standardized tests. Without going into it, suffice it to say he thinks differently than most folk I know. But he also has a mild neurological disorder, and his birthday was right before the grade cut-off meaning he was the youngest kid in his class.
When we moved to a new school system, not only did we not get him moved ahead, but we had him repeat 1st grade. Gave him a big confidence boost being one of the oldest instead of the youngest. Intelligence is not always accompanied by maturity and social confidence. My son is fine at picking up abstract math and reasoning on his own, reading at an advanced level, etc., but realizes that he doesn’t want to miss out on the basics. He also realizes he is different from the other kids, and doesn’t want to emphasize that by being way younger as well.
Finally, I don’t really see him getting out of college at 22 and saying, “Dammit, dad. I could have been working for a couple of years already!” Well, I can think of worse things than being a kid for an extra year.
Number Six
yeah I agree about students on the 98th percentile pretty much. When we start talking 99.99th percentile and above on individualised tests, then other options need to be considered and none of them are easy IMO. Most kids who genuinely need acceleration don’t fit in an age level classroom anyway so I can’t see leaving a kid with no academic challenge in addition to be socially adrift. And if a kid has never had any challenges in school and never had to try, then it gets scary when they do need to meet an academic challenge.
Dinsdale
waddya mean 22?! That’s old ;)! Some of these kids are graduating at 10 - there’s a thought to chill the blood.
[nit-pick] There’s no such thing as 99.99th percentile. Percentiles only occur in whole numbers from 0-99[/nit-pick]
First, for those 0.01% (or 1 in 10,000) smartest kids who are emotionally ready for it, I agree that acceleration is the best option.
Second, you referred to kids who are 2 or more standard deviations above the mean. This is those at or above the 98th percentile, specifically those above 97.7 percent. Those above 99.99 percent are 3 to 4 standard deviations above the mean. I would certainly agree that for these students, accelerating 2 or more grades would be beneficial.
Identifying those kids who genuinely do need acceleration can only really be done with an individual test (standardized group tests are not designed for this), which is exactly why I suggested to Paul that he have his child tested first. He said that his child was an “extremely smart kid” which could mean he’s in the top 2%, like my students, or in the top hundredth of a percent, like the students you mention. Without having a child individually tested, which form of aid is best can’t really be known.
Paul, make sure to have your son individually tested before making any decisions. The standardized tests all students take are not precise enough to give you the information needed to make such a decision.
Number Six, you’re right I did refer to kids 2 or more standard deviations from the norm in the beginning and that is the 98th percentile.
However, once IQ’s are being measured over the 99th percentile, they are indeed referred to as 99.9, 99.99, 90.999, and so on. Because of the bell curve you have a huge scatter (well comparatively huge 
) from 150 (IIRC) to over 200. If you refer to all these kids as 99th percentile it simply doesn’t work. The Gifted Development Centre in Boulder, Colorado and GERRIC in Sydney most certainly do break down the scores in this way. So does the psych who tested my kid in NZ and she was in no way even remotely expert on exceptionally gifted kids.