Begginer Looking to take Judo with son.

Hello,
My son and I went to a Judo demonstration at the local Obon Festival. I have watched a Judo practice at a Judo club near my work, but didn't join because I thought the schedule would've been to difficult to keep up considering my work hours and commute time. I work 1 1/2 hrs from where I live and I would have got home after 11pm if I would've joined this club.
Anyways, I plan on changing my work hours to get home earlier. This will allow my son and I to attend the local Judo club near my house. My son seems interested and is happy that I will be taking Judo with him. My son is 10 and I am 45. I hope I can keep up with the workouts. I am fairly active. I work out at the gym 3 times a week and surf 2-3 times a week. Of course my Judo training will probably take the place of one or more of my gym workouts.
In your experience or opinion is it a good idea to take a martial art with your child? The Judo club we will be attending has one class for adults and children twice a week for 1 1/2 hrs. My son took Kenpo Karate for three years so this won't be his first experience in martial arts. I took Bjj for a year and a half, but feel like I wanted to do something with my son that is a valuable and enjoyable skill. Plus, we get to work out together.
Thank you for your valuable opinions.
Tom.   

To answer your question, it could be both a good and bad thing to take any sport with your child.

One of the hardest things for a parent (I have had a few parent/child combinations at my club) is to "not" get involved with his/her child with regard to the actual training.

I have found that one shows a new throw f.e and then the parent is more concerned with what the child is doing, trying to help them when they have no idea themselves. Sure, the adult usually has a faster grasp of what is being shown but to try be the parent figure at that time tends to undermine what the sensei is trying to do.

If you can show enough discipline to not get involved then go for it. As you will be in separate classes it will make it easier, but please don't try to teach and/or correct your child on techniques when you are away from the dojo

I do think it can be very rewarding to take a sport (any sport) with your child and judo is one of those where this can be done. The bonding and further learning about each other is very valuable.

Good luck!

tommy2days wrote:Hello,

In your experience or opinion is it a good idea to take a martial art with your child? The Judo club we will be attending has one class for adults and children twice a week for 1 1/2 hrs.  

I can only speak from my own experience.  I studied judo as a teenager and didn't come back into the sport until I was 51 years old.  My 11 year-old son had an interest in taking it up and I thought I'd give it a try again.  We've been going now for about four years.  My son is 15 now and it has been a really great thing for us.

We have studied together and practiced uchikomi together during practice.  Judo came back to me really quickly and, since I had already been awarded rank, I didn't have to start from scratch.  After a couple of years, I was able to test for black belt.  Now my son is a 1st degree brown belt and he will get to test for black belt sometime after November when he turns 16.  He says he wants to take his next grading before I do so he can catch up with me.    

We opened our own club about a year ago.  He helps me teach the classes and he helps keep the young guys motivated.  He's getting nearly as tall as I am, so we work together as kata partners.  He has aspirations to go as far in judo as he can, hoping to earn one of those snazzy red and white belts eventually.  I have no doubt that he can do it.

Judo has given us both something to share and something to work for together.  It's a common interest and it has built shared values.  I'm very proud that he has shown the dedication and mental toughness to do judo.  It has been very beneficial for both of us.

One other thing, as an afterthought. We have a family in our club a father (age 42) and his two sons with a similar story to ours. The dad brought his kids to the same rec center where we meet for karate lessons. The dad had earned his green belt as a teenager and dropped out. His talked his kids into trying out judo (along with the karate) and they all love it. I'd say go for it!

Tom,

You got a couple of good answers to consider. It sounds like you have been missing out on exactly this kind of experience due to your long commute. Judo can be a lifelong pursuit that you can both share, or just a beginning that gives you an opportunity to try something together.

In my club we have almost always had at least one set of students that were father/son (or daughter) and I think they have all really enjoyed it. In some cases the father has dropped out and just the student continues. In other cases they both advance together, each in his own time, through the ranks as GregW described nicely in his beautiful example of the kind of lifelong bonding through judo that I have seen several times. We have a couple of father/son students in the club now.

In my case, both my kids practiced judo for about a year then stopped. They say they didn't like it, so what do I know about this subject.

I hope to see you and your son at a class soon, and it sounds like you will be able to keep up just fine.

Thank you everyone for your wonderful insight. I am looking forward to beginning my Judo training with my son next week. I will keep you all informed as how it goes. Thank you

My experience is that judo is an excellent activity to enjoy with family, provided you are in the right club environment. My club (40 members in 2 locations) has several parent/child groups. We are fortunate to have enough mat space that we are able to do simultaneous, separate junior and adult workouts 3 days per week in addition to advanced sessions for older teens/adults only. Children and adults learn in very different ways, so a combined class rarely works and keeps everyone engaged.
It's interesting how many adults have started their kids and within a month or two purchase a judogi and come onto the mats themselves.

I put my middle kid in judo when he was 6. I joined a few months afterwards. He now turns 12. A year later my oldest joined, she was 9. Now she's 14... big kid... we train and do randori. My little one is 5... he's been playing on the mats since he was 3. Judo has brought us all closer together, but our gis drying all over the house really ticks off my dear wife.

The title is "Grown up kids" but my son and daughter started at 5 years of age. Both now dan grades.

https://judo.forumotion.com/t703-grown-up-kids

might interest you

Very nice! We have a few families involved as well. Brothers, fathers and sons/daughters, mothers and daughters... makes for a very nice environment to train and the club has a family feel.