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Martial Arts
is a very broad term that encompasses a variety of
fighting and self defense practices from China, Japan
and Korea. It is important to understand the basic
concepts of each style to decide which would be most
beneficial for your child based on their strengths,
skills and goals. Listed below are the six martial
arts styles generally considered
best for children: Tae kwon do, Aikido, Judo, Jujitsu,
Kung Fu, Karate. Listed
below are the
six
martial arts styles. |
Kung fu
Kung Fu
which
means "hard task"
comes from China. Kung fu is a term used for hundreds of
Chinese martial arts, that focus on sharp blows, kicks, chops
and leg sweeps that are applied to pressure points on the body
of the opponent. It involves attack movements as well as
defensive techniques and engages in sparring competitions.
Tae kwon do
Tae kwon do,
meaning "the way of the foot and fist", is considered the
most competitive of the martial arts. This style displays
high kicks, fancy foot work and relies heavily on striking.
It engages in a lot of sparring and competitions. It originated in Korea and is the most popular of the martial
arts worldwide. In fact it became Korea's national sport
in 1955.
Karate
Karate
originates in
Japan, and means "empty hand." It is a system of defending
oneself by using defensive and aggressive moves to strike sensitive areas on the attacker's body with
the hand, feet, elbows etc...
It centers on building
strength and endurance and there is
limited weapons
training in this style of martial art.
Jujitsu
Jujitsu is
method of self-defense without weapons. It was developed
in China and Japan
and it means "the art or science of softness." This style
involves uses of defensive and aggressive moves and a lot of sparring and weapons training.
Jujitsu is the basis for many of the more modern arts, including
Judo, Aikido and some Karate styles.
Aikido
Aikido meaning
"the way of spiritual
coordination", is non-competitive and rather spiritual in
nature. It does not involve sparring or competitions. This style comes from Japan and strives to teach how to
disable an attach without causing serious injury.
Judo
Judo was
developed from the principles of jujitsu, a weaponless system of
self-defense. It originated in Japan and means "gentle
way." This style of martial arts emphasizes wrestling-type
moves, competition as well as mental and moral development.
This is a popular style for children because it is one of the
safest styles of martial arts.
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