Is karate good for kids?

Parents usually ask about karate for one of three reasons: their child wants to try it, their child isn’t enjoying team sport and needs something active, or they’d like their child to be more confident. Karate can help with all three. Here is what it offers and what it asks for in return.

What kids get from it

Fitness without a team. Karate is done in a group, but nobody is picked last and nobody is dropped. Each child is measured against their own last performance.

Focus. A karate class asks children to stand still, watch closely and then copy exactly what they saw. It’s concentration practice disguised as punching and kicking.

Goals that take time. A belt takes months of regular training. Working towards a grading, and then passing it in front of an examiner, teaches children that steady practice pays off.

Composure. Partner drills put children face to face with someone attacking them, in a controlled way. Learning to stay calm and respond is the real skill, and it carries over to the playground and the classroom.

Somewhere to belong. A dojo mixes ages and schools. Kids train alongside older students who treat them as fellow karateka.

Does it encourage fighting?

The opposite. Traditional karate has a strict code of behaviour, and the first thing children learn is control. The dojo kun recited in Shotokan classes ends with “refrain from violent behaviour”.

What age can kids start karate?

There’s no single right age. A child is ready when they can follow instructions, wait their turn and concentrate for a whole class. Many children reach that point in their first years of primary school, and some a little earlier or later. The best test is to bring them along to try a class.

Starting later is fine too. Children who begin at nine or twelve aren’t behind. They often learn technique faster than younger kids.

Fitting it around school and sport

One class a week is enough to progress, and karate runs all year, so it sits comfortably alongside a winter or summer sport. The balance, hip rotation and leg strength it builds help in most other sports.

Is it safe?

In traditional Shotokan, beginners don’t free spar. Children practise set drills where both partners know what is coming, and techniques are stopped short of contact.

What to look for in a club

• A qualified instructor whose grade comes from a recognised body.
• Partner work that is clearly controlled, with beginners kept to set drills.
• A calm, respectful atmosphere. Shouting at children isn’t tradition.
• No pressure to sign long contracts or grade on a fixed schedule.

Kids karate in Christchurch

Tomyris Karatedo runs a kids karate class at Waimairi School in Strowan. Message us to arrange a first class.