[patrioteer]

We have a couple martial arts places in town, one teaches tae kwon do and the other teaches kenpo karate. The first one is really tournament driven and the second is run by an asshat who I have arrested more than once. So instead of putting my kids in one of those disciplines I just provide them some good basic self defense training at home. But right now as I type another martial arts place is being built and this one is going to teach Brazilian jujitsu. It is supposed to be loosely affiliated with gracie jujitsu and the owner instructor has a pretty solid resume. I am told he is a good guy who grew up here, moved away to train and become an instructor, and came back to open a new place. He is also going to be teaching MMA style fighting. He is offering really good prices on kids only jujitsu classes and I am thinking about getting my youngest kid started as soon as they open. I have a little martial background but am not overly familiar with jujitsu, but I hear good things. Anyone have some first hand experience? Good style for an elementary school age kid to start out with?

 

[Sasquatch]

I did fight both Tae kwon do and Kenpo in the past. I'd say any of them would be good just for the discipline alone. Jim Jitsu is more of a grappling and submission style that comes in handy in a one on one street fight. I think you can't go wrong putting your boy into as long as you feel comfortable with the instructor.

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[KUSA]

I’ve practiced several martial arts including BJJ. It’s good stuff but rolling around on the street will get you killed.

I believe that ground skills should focus on getting you back on your feet. If you can crunch your opponent in the process then that’s just an added bonus.

 

[patrioteer]

The way the instructor presented it is was to start with BJJ to learn basic ground fighting at the elementary age, because it teaches self defense the works well for that age group. Then they move up to some style that involves striking and kicking when they are in the middle school or high school. I can't remember the name of that style. I am thinking hapkido. They have an instructor on staff for both styles.

 

[KUSA]

Go ahead and start them in BJJ. It’s really worth having that skill.

I personally don’t see the advantage in waiting to teach the basic strikes especially hand and fist strikes.

I’ve studied several old Japanese jujutsu styles that have all of the disciplines such as strikes, throws, ground fighting, etc. I enjoyed learning them better than Karate, Judo, and BJJ as everything was incorporated together to be used together in a fight.

 

[patrioteer]

My guess is, and I hate to type this, that with BJJ it's a sort of wrestling match and the school or other programs will see it as something other than fighting. Where if a young child were to strike or kick they might see it as aggression or bullying and freak out. I don't know that, but it seems to make sense.

I might put him in the TKD school as I found out today they offer a discount for police officers and their families. We are going to audit a class or two of each together and then we will decide. My kid is smart, like crazy smart, so I want to make sure I balance it out with something physical.

 

[KUSA]

The key is to teach your kids not to fight unless there is no way out of it.

Getting mad or getting even is not a good reason for a physical altercation.

Defeating an attacker is priceless though.

 

[MisterMills357]

Gracie Ju Jitsu has a really good reputation, and I used to take Tae Kwon Do myself, and wrestle. Here is my assessment of them all, if the student is not taught how to win, in a serious fight, the style is worthless. And I have said as much on martial arts forums---where it was ill received---and commented to death.

So, to me, if the school teaches methods to break an elbow, or knee; in order to survive, that is a good school. I have yet to find one that does, and you would think that I meant, they DO break necks in that school. It is a flight from reality to ignore the street rules. If I sound brutal--- an attacker that is high on meth, is a lot more brutal that I am.🐯

To calrify, I favor Brazilian Ju Jitsu, IF they teach stick fighting and such. This video shows a pretty good style.

I am not going to pretened that I am teaching you anything here, that you don't already know. Some things works better than other things, and here are some clowns receiving lessons in life. And it is a lot of different styles, from Boxing to Ju Jitsu to Muy Thai. In the first fight, Butter Bean, TKO's Johnny Knoxville, it is classic. There is a body builder who gets his lights busted out, by a Ju Jitsu black belt---this is good stuff.

 

[Old SF Guy]

I got kicked in the head by someone who knew Tai Kwon do.....and I think I ate KenPo once. Anything that teaches how to fight barehanded or use something else as a weapon is OK in my book.

"I'll kill a man in a fair fight......or if I thinks he's gonna start one"

 

[KUSA]

There is one thing I forgot to tell you.

 

[MountainGirl]

"I'll kill a man in a fair fight......or if I thinks he's gonna start one"

I'll kill a man in a fair fight, or if I think he's gonna start a fair fight… If he bothers me, or if there's a woman… Or if I'm gettin' paid. Mostly only when I'm gettin' paid.
Serenity....:vs_cool:

 

[okey]

grappling should be practiced, but not to the point that you dont just automatically head butt, bite, gouge, rip, use descending elbow, strike the back, kick a downed opponent, all the stupid rules for the game. That wrassling stuff aint gonna work for kids, women, the elderly, the handicapped, a slightly built man. It way too much favors strength, size, and weight in order to be truly effective against a large, strong man, much less more than one. The ground can be full of broken glass, sharp stones, it can be slippery as hell (wet-frozen) offering no purchase for many of the moves to be used. A weapon can be drawn or snatched up at any time. So you do NOT want to go to the ground, if you can avoid it. You just have to be skilled in case that does happen.

 

[GoneSouth61]

Just some information on the Gracies, since you mention them.
And since you mention a law enforcement background and how it influences your decision on who trains your kids, take a look at the link and decide if this "honorable family" is someone you want philosophically developing your children. Make sure to read to the end.
It won't let me post a link, message me for that if you're serious about this.

 

[StratMaster]

I've practiced several martial arts including BJJ. It's good stuff but rolling around on the street will get you killed.

I believe that ground skills should focus on getting you back on your feet. If you can crunch your opponent in the process then that's just an added bonus.

Having been a bit of a UFC junkie since it started: The four skills which pretty much obliterated all the others in the octagon are 1) Boxing 2) BJJ 3) Muay Thai Kickboxing, and 4) American Freestyle Wrestling. This last one I feel surprised and confounded folks in Jiu Jistsu, BJJ, *****, and even Judo. By the time American boys got to the octagon, they had already spent most of a lifetime on the ground... utilizing techniques not seen by the other grapplers. Couldn't get them on the ground, and if you ever DID, couldn't KEEP them on the ground... bounce right back up like loaded springs. And of course once American wrestlers learned chokes and joint locks, they stayed among those at the top of the game to this day. So, for getting BACK to your feet quickly, I would say wrestling is the very best (nicely combined with other skills of course). JMO.

 

[Almighty]

Just a matter of preference. Everybody in jits says “fights always go to the ground”. Yeah. Fights in the ring do. Ambushes don’t. Training jits is smart. Clugston’s Combat Judo is effective. Tae Kwon Do is formidable, but you have to have experience to know what to do no matter what.

Here’s how my training went:

Take Kwon Do > U.S.A. Boxing Amateur Boxer > Muay Thai > BJJ> Judo > Shorinji Kempo. Of all this skills the ones that have proven most effective are boxing, kempo and judo. I’ve gone to the ground a couple times and it was such a free for all nobody was going for submissions. Everyone was scrambling for a knife that came out and could have cared less about kimura.