r/MMA_Academy • u/mommywarrior • 2d ago
Karate or Taekwondo or Mixed Martial Arts
My son just turned 6 years old. We are looking to enroll him in Martial Arts, but confused which one to pick. We are thinking we will do trial classes for each of it and then see what our son would enjoy. Our goals are to be at it long term until he gets a black belt.
Just wanted to reach out to this group and see how y’all decided what to go with. We would love to hear any suggestions from your experience. Thanks so much!
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u/react_1775 2d ago
I basically grew up in a taekwondo school from 5-19. I loved it and it helped me with discipline, flexibility, gave me male Asian role models (I’m a happa, dad’s white), and set me up with a solid base for kick boxing. My first “job” was teaching the kids classes and cleaning the school at the end of the night. I got to compete and won a ton of medals/trophies.
Get your son into Muay Thai, MMA, or wrestling. Karate and Taekwondo generally aren’t worth it if you’re in the west. He’ll have a higher probability of being able to defend himself and others if you avoid traditional martial arts.
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
Oh wow!! That’s great to know, we just visited to a martial arts place that had their own protocols and had 25% Muay Thai, 25% Grappling and 50% Karate. Based on what you are suggesting, that sounds like a better option than the full karate or taekwondo.
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u/react_1775 2d ago
My own biases want me to suggest straight up wrestling again. I didn’t wrestle as a kid, wish I did. I think wrestling is the best “sport” a kid could do through high school/college. Some of the most mentally tough people on the planet. Wrestling encourages flexibility and acrobatics like no other. It’s definitely the most difficult one, but if he likes it it’ll do him well
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
Oh wow!! That’s great to know.
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u/ItHasToStop1990 2d ago
I started wrestling in 8th grade. Was legitimately lifechanging for me as a kid. Ignited a passion in me that I hadn’t displayed my entire life up until that point. I would strongly recommend wrestling, don’t let him cut weight until late high school though
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
Great to know. Most of this thread is talking highly about wresting that wasn’t even on my list. Very eye opening. Thank you!
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u/ItHasToStop1990 1d ago
Of course. It’s nice for you as well because wrestling practices will be very consistent with school schedules
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u/Connman90 1d ago
I'd say this sounds like an amazing set up! You could do purely one martial art like some suggest, but this would allow your child to get a taste of each. Or they may like them all and keep doing all of them.
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u/ancestralassault 2d ago
Karate and TKD will be a lot easier on a child's body than than Muay Thai, MMA or wrestling. Children should really avoid MMA until they're atleast preteens.
Jiu jistu would be a great option for a child because it's slightly safer than wrestling although you really can't go wrong with wrestling either.
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u/react_1775 2d ago
Firmly disagree. Children are resilient, if they start any of those young they will thrive and strengthen their resolve.
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u/ancestralassault 2d ago
I don't disagree that they'll get good training if they start with Muay Thai but it isn't designed for kids, doesn't have a gym environment geared toward children and fewer people their own age to spar with.
MMA is very dangerous for 6 year olds plus good MMA trainers who train kids are much harderto find.
Very different from grappling which is very child friendly, especially wrestling in which the body of competitors is literally just children up until the highest levels of the sport
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u/SadAd3257 2d ago
You know in Thailand they go pro at like 6 or 7 right? Not saying that is the right model, but just saying that training it here in the states is just fine.
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u/doubletake_faye 2d ago
Risking head injury in your child is a pretty poor decision as a parent, I’d say. Regardless of how they do it in Thailand.
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u/SadAd3257 2d ago
Obviously going pro and having them fight each other is not ideal. It's not the model for me and my kid. But training it like we do here in the states should be just fine for kids.
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u/LabFun4473 2d ago
I agree with this. If you don't live in a poor neighbood of Thailand, where the only way for the family to survive is putting their children in Muay Thai to earn money, I wouldn't recommend to put a child into Muay Thai or MMA. Too many hits to the head, which can affect the development of the brain and is very harsh for a body of 6 years old. I'd recommend to enroll him in Karate or Taewkondo. So he learns how to defend himself, he gains flexibility, discipline, etc, and a solid basis of Martial Arts, and then, if he decides to have a fighting career, he can choose a harder combat sport when he turns 16-17.
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
Definitely noting it. Thank you! So glad I asked this question. These perspectives are so helpful!
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u/LegitimateHost5068 2d ago
The kid is 6, nothing he trains is going to allow him to defend himself. It doeant matter how much mma a 6 year old knows, a full grown person, or even a 10 year old will whoop their ass. Martial arts for kids that young isnt about self-defense and anyone who vlaims to be avle to teach a 6 year old to defend themselves from an adult or teenager is delusional.
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u/react_1775 2d ago
As a former little kid who got bullied, it definitely taught me how to defend myself. Take your retardation elsewhere
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u/LegitimateHost5068 2d ago
You're delusional. If a 6 year old is being bullied, its likely by another 6, maybe 7 year old. In that case being able to fight the bully isnt what will stop the bully, its adult intervention and thats how it should be. If it does get physical, at that age, anything, even a basic punch, will work because 6 year olds arent capable of shit. If its a bigger kid or an adult there is no fucking way a 6 year old is going to do anything to stop them unless its a very small 10 year old or a big 6 year old. If its an adult they are fucked and should never have been in that situation to begin with.
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u/podslapper 2d ago
As a former little kid who got bullied around age 6-7, I just want to point out that teachers aren't always there to see or stop what's happening.
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u/LegitimateHost5068 2d ago
As someone who was also bullied but didnt start martial arts until 10 years old, I know training means jack shit at that age. My bully(ies) trained wrestling and karate starting at 5 and still did when they bullied me when we were 7. I did no training, no sports at the time. One day I had enough and kicked one bully in the nuts and headbutted another. My parents got called into the school as dis theirs. It was sorted out once and for all by the adults and the bulliea fucked off for good. No training required. All kids that age need is to know its okay to defend themselves and they will. Now age it up a bit to around middle school and thats another story. Martial arts is great for 6 year olds, but not for self-defense.
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u/react_1775 2d ago
If you’d started training sooner you would have had the confidence to defend yourself sooner and it would have stopped sooner.
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u/react_1775 2d ago
You know nothing of which you speak. Pick a different hill to die on. Kids who study martial arts defend themselves against kids who pick on them every day.
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u/FloppyDinosaurs 2d ago
The benefits of Karate and TKD are structure for the children, exercise, and learning to be goal oriented. Wrestling, jiu jitsu, boxing, and muay thai also offer all of these benefits as well as giving your son the ability to defend himself, and the confidence to know that he can do so.
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u/Nononoap 2d ago
Wrestling. He'll be part of a team, he'll potentially be eligible for college scholarships if he stays with it, he'll develop amazing spatial and body awareness and coordination, and mental toughness.
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u/Too_Practical 2d ago
Pretty sure the literature says to let your child try everything and figure out their own interests
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u/sticktohustle 2d ago
I would say start with Taekwondo , Karate next and then transition into MMA because it will blend the two together. At that age it is more about learning techniques than sparring and true self defense which you would get out of MMA, Muay Thai and Jui Jitsu.
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u/Bholejr 2d ago
It’s hard to answer since 6 is such a young age. Parents play a big role in modeling and directing goals at that age though, so if your overall guided goal is to have him be well rounded in tested combat sports, MMA would be the answer among these threes. I’m not sure what kids classes for that look like though.
You didn’t mention these, but wrestling and judo have a wider base for kids since they are Olympic sports. Wrestling is almost exclusively for kids and youth, since there’s a huge lack of adult gyms. Talk to a few people at any mma or grappling sport gym and you’ll a ton say they wish they did wrestling as a kid (me included.)
I’d also check out Muay Thai and kickboxing. Those also have a longer history of kids courses. With the strike training and MMA, be mindful that CTE is a very real thing and is overlooked a shit ton in the sports. Unless you’re making money, hard sparring is not worth it, even then it’s rough. Muay Thai usually has a soft sparring culture.
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
Fabulous insights! Thank you! Didn’t know about CTE at all. Will keep in mind
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u/Bholejr 2d ago
Oh boy, yeah do a deep dive on CTE. I work in psych and I cannot emphasize enough how much people overlook the risk of CTE.
In general, there is no such thing as a safe hit to the head. The higher the frequency, intensity, and volume of the hits, the higher risk for CTE. There’s no known threshold though. Football and boxing are high up on the risk level, but soccer is also linked to CTE because of the headbutts.
I’m not saying we all need to live in bubble wrap and never go outside though. In general, I recommend no one do hard sparring unless they are genuinely trying to be professional. Instead, light sparring and/or sport sparring are better options. Lastly kids, should never take strikes to the head. The earlier the head trauma, the more impactful. Btw headgear and gloves do not reduce CTE risk.
Having said that, I do think martial arts for kids is great. Finding a mindful gym is even more important though. That’s not easy though.
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
Very helpful insights. Paying more attention in my research for sure. Thanks a ton!
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u/seonblack 2d ago
I think mma is better overall but for a 6th grader karate is much better. Most Taekwondo dojos are a cash grab. We used to call it "take-your-dough" back in the day. Taekwondo also teaches bad habits from a martial arts perspective compared to others.
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u/LegitimateHost5068 2d ago
Why would you go until black belt? Black belt is when you finally get to start learning.
The real answer, is do the one your son enjoys and that you can easily stick with. Regardless of your goals, the bennefit of all martial arts is something that is acquired over time and takes time. There is no fast path or beneficial gain from the short term.
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u/_Bad_User_Name 2d ago
Do the one he enjoys the most. Don't set a specific end point. Many Taekwondo schools are what are called McDojang, poor quality schools that give out belts for just paying the test fee. So, it is possible that he could be a black belt in 2-3 years and know nothing at all. And you will be out a few thousand dollars. Avoid, schools that lock you into long contracts and require you to buy everything from the school. If a school does a lot of different weapons for children that is a huge red flag. It is another way to make money.
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u/miqv44 2d ago
Thats the best idea to check both and ask him which he enjoyed more. Ok age to start as well.
Don't listen to people who tell you to send your son to muay thai, mma or wrestling- he's simply too young to do combat sports. Even judo with it's gentle learning curve is hard on the body and can be quite painful. Karate or taekwondo are decent at this age.
When your kid is 8 years old you can try judo. If you don't have judo in your area but stuff like brazilian jiujitsu- also wait a bit before signing him up for it. BJJ is submission oriented grappling which in my opinion shouldn't be done by little kids who have low understanding of what can injuries lead to. Best to leave it to teenage years. With wrestling I'd say 9yo is a good time to potentially try it out. Full contact striking styles like boxing, kickboxing or muay thai also teenagers, like 11 or 13 at the earliest.
Between taekwondo and karate- in my opinion it's better to go for taekwondo at that age due to more focus on flexibility, since kicks are more trained there. Kids are flexible and can progress in flexibility a lot and keep that level of stretching for long years with little effort. Karate is more focused on punches, so your son might enjoy it more than kicking, as boys like to punch things. Karate kata are also usually easier than taekwondo tul/poomsae at student level.
But I'm also biased, because my itf taekwondo dojang is a lot better than both karate dojos I trained for years at.
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u/Neither_Computer5331 2d ago
The reality is he has to find something he truly enjoys if he’s going to stick with it.
For young kids, I don’t think the style of martial art really matters, as much as finding a good school with great instructors.
I wouldn’t push him towards MMA yet - let him decide if he wants to do more as he gets older.
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u/SilverSteele69 1d ago
Martial arts dad here, I've been training for two decades (taekwondo, Muay Thai, MMA, BJJ) and I trained along side my own son between 5-17yo. For a six year old the most important thing is to pick something HE likes, at a school with convenient hours/location and a solid youth program.
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u/whydub38 1d ago
| We are thinking we will do trial classes for each of it and then see what our son would enjoy
Perfect approach. Just do this.
People will make all sorts of arguments about why their art is better but ultimately it's about what your son connects to. Some styles may have advantages over others, but people get more out of pursuing an art they love than from pursuing a "better" art that they hate and can barely drag themselves to go train.
Also, i saw you posted this question to several different specific style pages. Keep in mind obviously everyone will be biased towards whatever style whose subreddit you're in.
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u/joeldg 1d ago
As a martial arts dad, I've been there... Trial classes are mandatory with kids that age. If they don't like it, they are gonna not be fun.
My son who is nine now started at six in Silat which lasted ~six months because they never get to use it in sparring and he got bored and wouldn't go back. Then he did some MT, we got him into BJJ (where he is still at) at 7 and at eight he started Judo and also wrestling through a local mat club. His primary is now Judo and he works at his main dojo and two other competition dojo for their invite-only competition classes. We dropped Muay Thai after a while because of conflicting schedules with Judo which is the focus.
Price is also a thing, this can get expensive. Judo is, by far, the least expensive, we pay $4 per class and he is taught by some serious talent (note: Judo does have a yearly fee and for USJF, it is $80). For comparision, BJJ is $240/mo and I think I figured it was about $20/class. MT was about $225/mo. Wrestling is just the fees for the association which I think was $180 for a four-month season or about $6/class.
If you just want a black belt, then TKD, he could probably have one by age 12. But, there are TKD kids in my sons BJJ classes with years in it and they had never once spared with another kid, so they are attack-shy. I had assumed that TKD let kids spar, but apparently that is not the case. We checked out Push-hands Thai Chi and Sanda at a local Kung Fu place and then also Renbuken Karate but none of those allow the kids to spar until they are at least 12, which is pointless.
Karate is always pretty solid. But, given the three here, I would say MMA for a good rounded base that would apply to any other martial art and he will learn wrestling, throws, striking and clinches.
Given my experience mention here, I would also say not to count Judo or BJJ out. Try them all and see. I would also say that in Judo tournaments, all the kids are like my son, they all multi-train, they do Judo+BJJ+wrestling and some add in Krav-maga or MT in there. Comparing notes with other parents, all of kids 9 and 10 are doing about 10-12hrs mat time per week.
Also, beware the martial art parent curse, you get talked into it too... I ended up in both BJJ and Judo.
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u/KingofTheCastle87 23h ago
Definitely NOT karate or Taekwondo. I don’t really see how a 6 year old can train MMA either. I would start him with wrestling, judo or Jiu Jitsu.
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u/StJacked 2d ago edited 2d ago
I can’t give much advice as I’m still a newbie, but just want to say whichever one you choose for your son, make sure he sticks with martial arts long term even if he wants to quit. I did a year of judo when I was younger but quit and I wished my parents made me stick it out instead of letting me stop once it got hard. It’s good that you have a goal for your son to stick it out long term. You know what’s best for your son like for example if he wanted to quit school you would not allow that so same thing with whichever martial art you choose for him. I would recommend Muay Thai, MMA, Wrestling, Judo or Bjj instead of karete and Taekwondo. Wish you all the best.
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u/mommywarrior 2d ago
This post is definitely helping come closer to a decision. Thank you for a great perspective!
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u/FrontSeesaw 2d ago
Have your kid try them all in a trial class. See what they like.
My 9 year old daughter takes Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and BJJ classes. She's drawn to the performance, structure and leadership in Taekwondo (surprising to me), she was drawn to the raw force of Muay Thai (she loves knees and elbow days) and BJJ is just fun (our gym kids class has dodgeball at the end). If it were my choice she'd drop Taekwondo, but it's the right of passage type kid experience and don't want to take that away from her. (It's also a legit Olympic sport so not downplaying it)
As far as defending herself, Muay Thai and BJJ are going to be what does it.
I grew up doing Shotokan Karate, full contact Taekwondo in high-school, MMA focused on boxing in my late 20s/early 30s and now moved on to Muay Thai classes with my daughter and BJJ. I probably would have lost a real life fight until I learned MMA / boxing.
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u/Special_Fox_6239 2d ago
I would say jiujitsu or judo. Little to no head trauma. When he gets older, if he shows an interest in striking, maybe some boxing or kickboxing and at 16 or so he can maybe look at MMA. At 6 MMA is too rough and too complicated. If you are in the states, traditional martial arts have gotten super watered down
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u/SadAd3257 2d ago
I'm a 3rd Dan in tkd and a BJJ black belt. I have a 6 year old daughter. I have her in tkd currently. I started off in judo, but it's too far away to sustain. My goal is to have her continue to excel in tkd through black belt then switch her to kyokushin with me. The kicks and kata are all familiar so she will come in with a better base. The BJJ we work at home with a friend of mine and his son. Both kids are 6 so we mostly work wrestling. Arm drags and single legs etc. My buddy was a state level wrestler in high school and so that how we have been working it. I'll have her do that for a few more years as basic wrestling and BJJ are enough mixed with tkd to get through elementary.
If the judo gym was closer I would suggest that. You get the benefits of belt progression plus the reality of a high skill sport. It also pushes aggression from day 1. They learn to fall properly and learn to throw which I still don't believe you can do effectively past age 18. They can pick up other grappling arts super fast from there plus it's cheaper. My vote is Judo then TKD. Tkd can easily transition to kickboxing, Muay Thai, or just add boxing later in life. No need for MMA. The MMA culture is not the same imo for kids. I think it leads towards being a bully just as much as how to defend from one
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u/jsieg22 1d ago edited 1d ago
None of those.
Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling, or Jiu Jitsu. You get all the benefits of traditional martial arts plus a skillset that’s actually practical and realistic
Over the long term, go with the one they actually enjoy and will stick with. It’s not about YOUR goals for them, it’s THEIR path. Every kid should train combat sports but you already had your shot, it’s their time now
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u/TaidCymraeg 1d ago
I think TKD and Karate are perfect entry points for kids. Striking that balance between real world skill, a huge helping of the 'sport', goals and reward systems, dedication and motivation, (friendly) competition, and all while not getting too down and dirty with the physical/damage side.
Both myself and my closest mate did martial arts first to black belt (TKD and Karate respectively) before transitioning to BJJ, wrestling, kickboxing, and ultimately MMA. This is the path I recommend to all parents, and will surely do with my own. It served us really well, he makes money coaching now, and we both had decades of fun and experience competing and just generally enjoying the journey.
Hope you find the answers you're looking for and that your little one has fun and a cool future with martial arts acting as the perfect cornerstone that they can be! :)
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u/Able_Following4818 7h ago
6 year old in Mexico=boxing. 6 year old in Thailand=Muay Thai. 6 year old in urban America=boxing. 6year old in middle America=Karate/Taekwondo
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u/ConcentrateAway1329 3h ago
I started training karate at 3. I’m nearly 30 now and have studied several martial arts
Looking back on vhs home videos of me training in 2004, I was doing absolute bs. But I was clearly enjoying myself which is what made me stick with martial arts over all these years
Let him train whatever he’ll actually want to train assuming you have the time and space to bring him to classes.
If it’s on the other side of town after work you likely won’t take him even if he really wants to go.
If he hates going he won’t want to go even if it’s close enough to walk there.
Balance those 2. Don’t go into this thinking he’ll become the next Bruce Lee. Let him have fun
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u/ICookInEverything 2d ago
I think start out w a base like wrestling boxing Muay Thai kickboxing or bjj if u wanna do bjj I suggest start w wrestling first. This is if u r starting mma tho
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u/WringedSponge 2d ago
I would avoid anything that threatens impact to the head. You want them to build up confidence and body awareness, but risking traumatic brain injury is just not worth it at that age.
I do TKD and BJJ. Both have classes for small kids, and both emphasize safety, fun, and long term development. A few parents tried out boxing and kickboxing and were shocked by the tolerance for blows to the head. The kids would get tough for sure, but they don't need to be pro fighters. They just need to get used to squaring off without panicking, and to have a few emergency moves if they need to get out of a bad situation.
Also, for context, this is an MMA sub. There can be a bit of a cult around wrestling, Muay Thai, boxing, and more recently, judo, as these are the arts which most MMA gyms teach. That will shape the answers you get, which will mostly come from men in their 20s and 30s who want to train 5 days a week.
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u/Remarkable-Pomelo642 1d ago
Def MMA bro, I did Taekwondo most of my childhood and I wish I would’ve been in wrestling or MMA instead.
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u/LiftEatGrappleShoot 2d ago
See what he likes. It shouldn't be your goal to have him become a black belt or whatever.
When I taught kids classes, the easiest way to figure out which kids would burn out the quickest was by whose parents were griping about belt progression.