My kids are currently taking BJJ and will be staying in that class. But I have noticed a decided lack of JKD kids programs even out of state. Is there a reason for this?
Yeah...due to the nature of JKD with eye gouging, groin kicking etc...the fun stuff in JKD really isn't for kids.(Hey, let me teach your 5 year old the same stuff we each our Navy SEAL's! LOL!) Plus, try to explain "Intercepting" and "Timing" to 8 year old. But most of all, because parent's ideas of youth programs are typically breaking boards, and belts (the stuff we don't want in JKD), kids JKD classes aren' easily sold. However, the few that do teach a kids JKD program stick to the Jun Fan Kickboxing curriculum mostly. It seems to work well. That's my .02 as a JKD instructor and school owner.
We have one kid in our adult Jun Fan class. Initially I was against it, but the kid has really stepped up. I think it helps that his dad is also in the class.
I don't have a JKD kids program at all - my youngest student is 15 The techniques themselves are not so much the problem (eye gouges etc aside), but the fact is that a lot of adults don't "get" JKD, so teaching kids can be quite a bit trickier still. I concure with Nik that Jun Fan is a good thing to do with kids, although many also respond pretty well to kali
Yeah I realized I will probably just have to work with my kids myself. But it seems if nothing else we can teach them the proper punches and kicks leaving the really nasty stuff out until they are old enough. I have turned away so many striking programs for my kids because I don't want them throwing reverse punches or super telegraphed movements. There is a school that is too far away that does a program that is BJJ and Muay Thai for kids. Man I wish it was closer because that would be almost perfect. I know they train children in Wing Chun and Kung Fu in China. It would seem that if kids can handle the complexities of Wing Chun they should be able to learn JKD.
Sometimes I even get weary of the kids in the karate class I help teach. Te vast majority don't "get it". A could do but I think in the end that's not really the point at that age. Karate (speaking from the perspective of shorin ryu shidokan) has a deeply rooted ethical base. I think that plus the discipline and confidence is much more important to children than combative ability.
You know...most youth programs aren't necessarily about the martial art or fighting. They're more about character development, exercise, physical activity and proper body mechanics. And that's not a bad thing IMO. All very good lessons and much needed. Adults, knowing the harshness of the world by experience, usually understand why they are doing what they are doing. I'm ok with that. I think we should teach our kids the smaller lessons, and hopefully as they grow up, they "get it" an find the applications.
I think you have to evaluate it on a case by case basis. And some of it has to do without how a given child was raised. I raised my kids to have critical and analytical thinking skills and I see a huge difference between them and some of the kids in their BJJ class. My daughter actively asks about the application of the tech and even is able to recognize what she sees in my adult classes that she watches and understands what it's for most of the time. And she is only 7 (just turned a few months ago). But a lot of the kids in the class are not on that level. Their heads are wrapped up in video games and a lot of the mental trash we feed kids these days and it's hard to keep their attention on anything for more then a moment or two. I worked with her a bit today on punching and kicking and blocking and she was able to understand it though she has to work on her form and all that. I talk about some of this stuff in my "self defense for children" thread in the Self defense section. I have been able to give my daughter basic self defense skills and she has used them once. But I have met several children I know I could not impart that on.
Nine. He was eight when he first joined the class. Obviously we sometimes have to hold back a bit to avoid injuring him, but training with him mostly works out fine. I've also taught the same kid some Kali. Under normal circumstances, there's NO WAY I would teach knife work to a minor (I don't even really like teaching it to adults), but I know the kid, I know his dad, and his dad was a Marine for seven years, so I'm confident the dad has a realistic appreciation of violence.
Yeah, Jeet Kune Do due to it's full contact drills, sparring, and other factors isn't really for kids!! Then again, neither is most of the systems in Martial Arts, but for some reason those are acceptable? Hmmmm???:Aegis:
I think jkdbynik is right my son attends the same jkd school I do But the drills and techniques are much simpler and less aggressive concentrating more on movement building awareness and confidence through sparring he was quite shy to begin with but is coming out of his she'll loads now and he loves the kali with sticks
None of those are reasons JKD is not suitable for kids as you identify yourself It is a conceptual art and is less tangible than most. It can be taught but cannot be standardised, and that is an issue with kids who need a bit more "specific guidance" when they are learning an art. It isn't that they CAN'T learn it, just that they may be better served elsewhere. As I said above, Jun Fan is great for kids because it can be defined as one thing - JKD cannot
JKD isn't suitable for kids. Those are EXACTLY why JKD isn't suitable for kids. Someone mentioned boxing or wrestling. You have to remember that in Boxing and Wrestling for kids, things are really broken down, and full contact isn't actual full contact. For example, you don't normally see a kid with bloody face after a youth boxing match or wrestling match. Hannibal, fyi I am a Jun Fan Gung Fu/Jeet Kune Do instructor under Taky Kimura & Dan Inosanto Linage. Those are exactly the reasons why they typically won't let kids train in JKD. Now Jun Fan Gung Fu is different. Jun Fan Gung Fu is a hybrid of Wing Chun and other Gung Fu systems. It's good for kids because it relies mainly on direct and simple approaches rather then concepts such as JKD. Also, Wing Chun is considered a "soft" system of the Gung Fu systems as opposed to say Hun Gar which is regarded as a "hard" system. But I'm curious, Hannibal, care to explain your response to my qoute?
Oh it was you Blindside lol. I don't think we typically see kids in Boxing and Wrestling walking out with bloody and bruised faces, do we? lol
Are those full contact? Yep Do they HAVE to be? Nope Can you easily teach kids? Yep https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIa1O7Uipzg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwPX0vnKDXA There are HUNDREDS of videos showing similar levels of skill and kids compete in them all the time I am a Senior JKD Instructor in PFS and JKDAA and the JKDAA Canadian Director and Law Enforcement Training officer and if they teach Jun Fan to kids (which they do) and Muay thai to kids (which they do) then there is ZERO reason not to teach JKD to kids, because 9/10 the drills are identical and there is no additional contact in JKD that you do not find in the others.....in fact there is actually less in many cases. That argument lacks cogency Which is precisely the point I made No it isn't; It is still classed as an "external" school - especially from systems such as the big 3 IMA (not that those definitions mean anything as they are largely just snobbery by people who don't know better) Done
I couldn't find you on any instructor list and you don't mention it on your Facebook page. Are you a full instructor?
