Do you think it is good or bad for kids to train in multiple martial arts?

My son has done alot of martial arts already. He is only 8 but started at 5 and really took to it. His main style has been Jujitsu. He really has good technique despite only being 8. But he has also done Judo and Kickboxing (easy class just for fun). I%26#039;m also thinking of adding in some high school style wrestling. He doesn%26#039;t do these activities constantly but sort of rotates them around through the year along with flag football and baseball. When baseball is up he does martial arts maybe 2 times a week same thing for flag football. When no other sport then maybe martial arts 5 times a week. So is it good for kids to train in many different martial arts at the same time? While I don%26#039;t want him overloaded I like how he is being well rounded and he seems to enjoy it.|||There are only a couple of possible %26quot;dangers%26quot; here, as long as he is enjoying what he is doing. I mean no one would ask if it was bad if he were training in baseball, football and basketball at the same time. However, just like if he is playing all those sports at once, he could get a little confused at times because of the differences in training methods and techniques. Basically he could get an overload of information and start getting confused, thereby lessening his effectiveness in ALL of them at once.


The only real bad thing would be burn out. Even adults can experience burn out when they train too often, too hard, etc etc. A kid has much more energy than an adult in general, but he could certainly get burned out with too much on his plate. There are some warning signs for you too watch out for. A sudden lack of energy, as in he starts wanting to skip classes, or he wants to take naps more often. A drop in his grades at school is also bad because he could be too tired to think and reason as well as he should. And, generally, if he starts feeling that the classes are too much like WORK, it%26#039;s certainly bad. He should be having fun and learning. If it%26#039;s like going to work, then he is just going through the motions.


I like hearing that your son is doing so well. Normally kids of that age group have a bit too small of an attention span still to really get into Martial Arts well. Please realize, though, that he is only 8 and that he can certainly experiment with other Martial Arts at a later point in his life...like at the ripe old age of 12 :-)


Hope this helps...


Sensei Cox|||it is good for him to train in multiple systems at any time.





When he gets older he will have the value of learning differeny styles and not get caught in the trap of thinking any one is superior and has no flaws.





I think at such an early age it is much better for him to be involved in a grappling art rather than a striking one as I%26#039;m sure you don%26#039;t want your kid to deal with hitting someone at age 8. Whereas judo and wrestling will certainly give him the tools to handle any schoolyard brawls without seriously hurting the other student.|||Yeah I%26#039;d just be careful about going too much at it though, because it%26#039;s better to focus on one discipline, become proficient at it and then learn another to add to the foundation that%26#039;s already been built.





I%26#039;d prob%26#039;ly hold off on the wrestling until he%26#039;s in high school and see if he%26#039;d like to learn it as a sport then, his background in jujitsu and judo would help him transition into the Greco-Roman wrestling in highschool pretty easily so you prob%26#039;ly won%26#039;t have to worry %26#039;bout that too much.





it does kinda sound like he%26#039;s being overloaded so you might want to really see what he%26#039;s doing well in and taper off some of the other stuff to give him a little bit of time to rest.





you don%26#039;t want to push too many techniques at once onto him, but rather let him work into it because he%26#039;s still young enough that he could have a good proficiency and then add more in later on.|||Training at multiple martial arts creates good strength and self confidence and stuff like that but it makes them mixed up with techniques. If he is only just starting them he will be fine but as he progresses it may become hard for him to handle|||I think if he enjoys it and doesnt feel pressured to do it, they I say continue. I think it is the best for kids to be in activities, its teaches them manners, responsibility, skills, meet new friends, and its good for them.





I was constantly doing sports and I loved it all. When I have kids I hope they will want to be active in everything too.|||he should be learning dicsapline at the school.|||At his age, he is better off sticking to 1 style.|||Sounds like he is exposed to a variety of activities.





All you can do is support him. Let him pick what to do. Just be sure he is aware of the harm he can do with what he is learning.





There is nothing wrong with him defending himself and whooping a little @as. But he should not be a bully or a braggart.





I doubt he is, but kids are kids and you must keep him from choking out the little nerds he goes to school with.|||It depends on the kids like train more than one martial arts.


If they don%26#039;t is okay. If you can%26#039;t make them do it.|||As long as the kid can handle it, yes. Basketball, tennis, baseball, swimming, etc. are all great life hobbies/skills. Wrestling is also great to good exerience and such (although I HATE it when folks are to drop weight and such).


If he can handle it and likes it, great. Be ready to step in help or limit if necessary. Best of luck.|||If he is enjoying it, let him. When he feels its more of a chore than fun, that%26#039;s when to get concerned.|||Very good. It will teach him self confidence. He will also be very respectful. If you live in an area surrounding Bremerton Washington us have him go to the butokukan open tournament in august it would be cool to see him perform.|||If he likes it, what%26#039;s the harm? Any martial art is good for a child because it teaches discipline, self-control, and respect. The only advice I%26#039;d give you is just keep an eye on him. If it looks like he%26#039;s getting overloaded, sit him down and talk to him about it. Let him know that you support him but you don%26#039;t want him to feel like he%26#039;s doing too much, and then let him figure out for himself if he%26#039;s overloaded.