Martial Arts In Lieu Of Traditional "Phys.Ed" For Young Students

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LoneKiller

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Hi All.

With respect to young children in school these days being obese, whether it's from bad food eating habits or lack of exercise, I believe that I've come up with what might be a huge help for them in school.

Instead of the traditional "Phys.Ed" where students play volleyball, basketball, archery, etc. I think that having them train in martial arts would be much more effective. I would gladly teach young students, but I'm not yet qualified to do so.

It provides a great Cardio workout, improves strength, improves self-esteem, and builds confidence and self discipline.

I was just wondering what you all think about it.

Godspeed.
Jason
 
You don't think volleyball and basketball provide enough cardio? I don't really think it matters what they do and some schools do offer martial arts classes, my son's school does.
Kids today aren't as active as they used to be and combine that with a lot of parents not teaching (and following) healthy eating habits and exercise, it just screws them, IMO.
 
I think because martial arts provides kids with a rewards based system (colored belts), it would be betterbecause they'd feel accomplished about themselves.
 
I definitely think children should have the option. But, I think children should have the option for pursuing what ever physical activity they are interested in instead of the traditional "force children to do a variety of activities whether they like it or not" route. That way they will actually have a more positive attitude towards physical activity in general and can do something they enjoy and maybe even excel at, which of course has its own advantages.

I personally despised PE classes when I was a kid because I always hated all ball sports. I would have much preferred to be able to do something I enjoyed to meet my PE requirements.
 
I wish we had a pool in my school when I was growing up, I would have opted for swim team in place of PE. Love water, hate basketball.
Though, capture the flag and kickball I happened to be good at. Still, hate running.
I took a martial arts class when I was twelve. It was alright, except we advanced way too quickly. You could earn a yellow belt in a month or two, whether you were good at your practice or not. That, to me, felt very discouraging; I'm a little bit of a perfectionist in my learning, and I never wanted to advance if I didn't deserve to. Martial arts is something that takes a loooong time to truly advance in (the proper way). Kids may not feel their reward comes soon enough. It's definitely an option that children should be able to choose for their physical education, but I agree with Barb, PE should be a host of physical activities a child can choose from. Forcing a kid to do activities they don't like only fosters a dislike for physical activities.
 
Doubt The Rabbit said:
I wish we had a pool in my school when I was growing up, I would have opted for swim team in place of PE. Love water, hate basketball.
Though, capture the flag and kickball I happened to be good at. Still, hate running.
I took a martial arts class when I was twelve. It was alright, except we advanced way too quickly. You could earn a yellow belt in a month or two, whether you were good at your practice or not. That, to me, felt very discouraging; I'm a little bit of a perfectionist in my learning, and I never wanted to advance if I didn't deserve to. Martial arts is something that takes a loooong time to truly advance in (the proper way). Kids may not feel their reward comes soon enough. It's definitely an option that children should be able to choose for their physical education, but I agree with Barb, PE should be a host of physical activities a child can choose from. Forcing a kid to do activities they don't like only fosters a dislike for physical activities.
I understand and agree with you Doubt about earning your yellow belt in a month. Quite often, belt promotion and how long it takes to earn it is up to the instructor. Below is a table of how the belt system works in Tae Kwon Do.

http://www.butf.com/belts.htm

I've seen instructors double promote a white belt to a yellow one without testing for the "White Belt Yellow Stripe" that is in between the white and yellow. If they feel that you deserve this kind of promotion, they will do so.
 
My mom forced me to do Tae Kwon Do when I was about 12. I hated it. It was really easy to get up to a green belt with my instructor, but I wasn't at all prepared for the actual practical application of it. I dropped out after getting kicked in the boobs one too many times during our sparring sessions because I never really learned the correct methods for defending myself. I wish I could have chosen a different form of martial arts, like Krav Maga, that would have been more practical from the beginning.
But I think having the option of pursuing any sort of martial arts would be a good thing. It might also help kids against bullying - bullying doesn't often seem so appealing when the victim can beat the living hell out of you. :p
 
Yep, that's true, but then if an instructor is promoting, or double promoting, students who have clearly not made any progress (I couldn't even lift my leg very high at the time ffs), one must question the judgment of the instructor. Is he promoting students within a short amount of time due to the schedule of the course? Even if a student is at white belt level's skill for the entire duration of their paid course time, then that only means the instructor and student need to work together on the student's shortcomings. It does not mean the instructor should promote the student to appease them. Something like martial arts is a skill you take with you throughout your entire life. Promoting a student prematurely is unethical, disrespectful to the student, and could put the student at risk for injury. That's pretty much my main gripe with martial arts instructors. I'd personally rather pay for years of lessons if I know I'm receiving quality lessons from a knowledgeable instructor. Too often people are more worried about the result (the belt) than they are worried about the building blocks to get them there (practice).
 
Barbaloot said:
My mom forced me to do Tae Kwon Do when I was about 12. I hated it. It was really easy to get up to a green belt with my instructor, but I wasn't at all prepared for the actual practical application of it. I dropped out after getting kicked in the boobs one too many times during our sparring sessions because I never really learned the correct methods for defending myself. I wish I could have chosen a different form of martial arts, like Krav Maga, that would have been more practical from the beginning.
But I think having the option of pursuing any sort of martial arts would be a good thing. It might also help kids against bullying - bullying doesn't often seem so appealing when the victim can beat the living hell out of you. :p
Were you not wearing a chest protector during sparring? Or did it still hurt your breasts with it on anyway?


Doubt The Rabbit said:
Yep, that's true, but then if an instructor is promoting, or double promoting, students who have clearly not made any progress (I couldn't even lift my leg very high at the time ffs), one must question the judgment of the instructor. Is he promoting students within a short amount of time due to the schedule of the course? Even if a student is at white belt level's skill for the entire duration of their paid course time, then that only means the instructor and student need to work together on the student's shortcomings. It does not mean the instructor should promote the student to appease them. Something like martial arts is a skill you take with you throughout your entire life. Promoting a student prematurely is unethical, disrespectful to the student, and could put the student at risk for injury. That's pretty much my main gripe with martial arts instructors. I'd personally rather pay for years of lessons if I know I'm receiving quality lessons from a knowledgeable instructor. Too often people are more worried about the result (the belt) than they are worried about the building blocks to get them there (practice).
You make some strong points Doubt. This is something that you might find odd. There is a club uptown where I live. Periodically the instructor devotes certain days where members can test for a promotion. Here's the odd part. A green belt can show up and request to be tested for his or her red belt for example. There chances of success are very, very unlikely though. But the opportunity is there.
 
Nope, just head / mouth / shins / hands .... my instructor wasn't very good or endearing. :p
 
They are called McDojos. Money and volume of students are what determine how fast you move up the ranks. It's hard to find quality instructors for kids.

When I worked at a movie theater, we had a school bring their students to come watch kung fu panda.
 
What about those that are pacifists, or are non-violent in nature, like me?

I know that I played basketball and volleyball in high school, as well as floor hockey, but would have my mom opt me out of a martial arts class.

Plus, it would be highly unequal among the sexes, with more men than women going for it.
 
LeaningIntoTheMuse said:
What about those that are pacifists, or are non-violent in nature, like me?

I know that I played basketball and volleyball in high school, as well as floor hockey, but would have my mom opt me out of a martial arts class.

Plus, it would be highly unequal among the sexes, with more men than women going for it.
A lot of it depends on where you live. It would surprise you just how many women study. If you travel to Korea for example, tons of women are studying martial arts. Especially Tae Kwon Do. In North America, more and more women are getting into it. Even young women.


kamya said:
Mhmm. We must protect them at all cost :p
LOL
 
I don't see why a pacifist can't learn martial arts. It's not about fighting. It's about discipline and self-defense. Some forms of martial arts focus on evasive maneuvers and disabling the opponent just so that they can't harm you. That can be achieved in a number of ways that don't necessarily include violence.

Inequality among the sexes - why does that matter? In martial arts, the idea of "gender" should be dismissed entirely. It's not about what a man can do that a woman can't - it's about learning one's strength and ability and using it to its fullest power. Sure, a man's muscle mass is typically greater than a woman's, making him stronger but also stocky and less fluid in movement; but a woman's body is more versatile, her frame is smaller, making her entirely capable of evading strikes and disabling a man. It's not about how strong you are. It's about using your assets to their utmost efficiency. A good instructor would train his students according to their personal strengths and not by forcing them to take up techniques that are ineffective for their body type just for the sake of uniformity.
 
Doubt The Rabbit said:
I don't see why a pacifist can't learn martial arts. It's not about fighting. It's about discipline and self-defense. Some forms of martial arts focus on evasive maneuvers and disabling the opponent just so that they can't harm you. That can be achieved in a number of ways that don't necessarily include violence.

Inequality among the sexes - why does that matter? In martial arts, the idea of "gender" should be dismissed entirely. It's not about what a man can do that a woman can't - it's about learning one's strength and ability and using it to its fullest power. Sure, a man's muscle mass is typically greater than a woman's, making him stronger but also stocky and less fluid in movement; but a woman's body is more versatile, her frame is smaller, making her entirely capable of evading strikes and disabling a man. It's not about how strong you are. It's about using your assets to their utmost efficiency. A good instructor would train his students according to their personal strengths and not by forcing them to take up techniques that are ineffective for their body type just for the sake of uniformity.
Yes. Men are usually stronger than a woman, but one thing to keep in mind is that when you strike, accuracy plays a huge role as well. If a trained fighter strikes you in the solar plexus and knocks the wind out of you, the gender of the striker usually doesn't matter so much. Maybe a little.
 
For the first six years of school everyone had to do the same physical education. I sucked at most of these. In seventh grade entered a young woman teacher who had each of us put up goals and we could choose what kinds of physical training. I, timid and scaredy cat as I was, found, very surprisingly, myself being good at rugby and dancing. I took up tennis too. She really turned my life around. I would have loved to try martial arts if it had been possible. Like J. Chan says "no bad student, only bad teacher"
 
LoneKiller said:
Yes. Men are usually stronger than a woman, but one thing to keep in mind is that when you strike, accuracy plays a huge role. If a trained fighter strikes you in the solar plexus and knocks the wind out of you, the gender of the striker usually doesn't matter so much. Maybe a little.

I agree. I remember having the wind knocked right out of me by someone younger than me, who had a bit of dumb luck with his accuracy but the force he put into the strike was astounding; I thought I was gonna die! :p
 
kamya said:
Mhmm. We must protect them at all cost :p

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