mma or karate?

[michael]

Whoever could give me an opinion on this I would appeciate it.My 15 year old son has been taking karate since he was 6.He took the 2nd dan test for black belt in August.If he passes he has to wait to May 2011 to recieve it.His karate is call ryu kempo, I think I spelled that right.His master is a 7 dan through Dillman karate.I have a 7 year old son that would like to take karate but this teachers prices have doubled since my first son started.So I have been looking at prices at other schools.Well I came across an MMA school that has that best price for us.Since my oldest son has been going to this school so long is it a bad decision to take him out and put him in another?What do you guys think of MMA schools?Thanks for any input.

michael

[jcbboots1]

Michael, My opinion is this. I feel you need to ask yourself what do you want as a whole for your sons? MMA is great for grappling, submission holds and all out controlled fighting. Modern martial arts seem to be into flash, flair , how much can you afford for the business and keeping fit. Traditional martial arts are based on discipline, control, integrity, attitude, fitness and martial well being. There are many more points to all of these things good and bad. Do you want your sons to be able to protect themselves, kick butt, be fit, wrestle, kick, punch, or do they have attitude problems where they do not need aggression but are in need of confidence or humility. You also need to look at the studio and the instructors as well. You do not want to send your sons to someone who has a bad attitude or teaches their students bad behavior. Hope this helps you in your search. Have a great day!

[MikeNY]

Many times you do not get what you pay for now days. There are low cost alternatives and they are not inferior to much of what is taught as Martial Arts in the USA. MMA has been adopted by the US Military and one can say that MMA are a mix of Wrestling or Judo/JuJitsu and Boxing/Savate or Kick Boxing. The lower prince alterantives include the YMCA, it usually has a Judo Program and classes, Wrestling is taught in High Schools, College and the YMCA; some High Schools still teach Boxing, as do Colleges and there are usually YMCA and other local Clubs that teach Boxing, including the Police Atheltic Leagues and Kickboxing is also available.

Michael you need to decide what you want, need and can afford. Modern Karate is a sport not the ancient combat method once taught. Judo is a sport but most Judo teachers include the JuJitsu Combat teachings; Savate is more or less dead in the USA and was mostly in big cities on the Coasts, Kick Boxing has replaced it, and Boxing remains a good sport, Boxing is built on a combat art.

On the Street where I worked, they never feared Karate but feared boxers for good reason. A lot of Karate is designed for sport and not fighting and Boxers are taught to hurt you. Most Karate Schools use no contact matches and they are not prepared for real fighting. All schools also depend on the quality of the teacher, go and observe. Wish it were easier to offer advice.

[michael]

Thanks guys for the info .I want my son's to be able to protect them selve's when needed,but be good citizens also.

[Nathaniel J. Merritt]

I would have him become proficient in Gracie Jiu Jitsu, or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in general. Your son will learn respect and duiscipline and will also be able to well and truly protect himself. Go to You Tube and watch the various videos of Gracie Jiu Jitsu versus this or that martial art. It's not flashy at all. It was designed to get the job done.

[MikeNY]

Nat I tend to agree with you, my college Judo Coach was from Japan and a Judo Red & White Belt, and he also had a very high ranking Belt in Jujitsu and had been a Black belt in karate but decided he preferred Judo and JuJitsu. People forget that Judo was the Offical JuJitsu of the Japanese Government and Military, and some in the US just view it as a Sport. The idea of the Sport is full contact training during Sport play to make you a better JuJitsu fighter if needed. Brazilian JuJitsu looks to be the Combat teachings of Judo.

[shamus23]

Boxing and wrestling, if available, are cheap, practical, and will get the kid in good shape


and they work well on the street