Did anyone's child HATE karate??

my 3 year old is a very reserved kid. quiet, never cries, no tantrums.

loves his art school. loves library classes. loves playdates.

hated soccer. could not understand why some kids were picking wild flowers, not listening, just drills, he wanted to play a real game...so i figure we will try again in a few years.

he is very black or white. so i figure karate. only has gone to 2 real classes...hates it. cried today. then mortified that he cried. he thinks the teacher is a ninja who is going to chop him up. teacher is very patient, nice.
josh can't get down with the yelling. at all. i am not a yeller, dh is not a yeller. he has no idea why they are yelling.

i have told him no one is going to beat him up, they aren't yelling because they are mad, they are having fun. he does not see this as fun. dh wants him out. i never knew anything about karate, but while i am sitting in the classes, i can see the benefits.

I am also on this "he will never have a brother" kick...so the thought of him and 20 karate boys around weekend bonfires seems appealing as well.

thoughts? keep pushing? it is pricey.
tia!

Re: Did anyone's child HATE karate??

I don't know - I'm weird. If it were a team sport that he wanted to play and decided he didn't like after a few games.. I'd make him finish up the season. If you signed him up for a set number of lessons because he really wanted to do it - and then decided he didn't like it - I'd probably have him finish off the classes. BUT - if it is just a one off thing and you decided you wanted him to try it and he doesn't like it and you can get out of the rest of the classes with no penalty - I'd stop taking him.

Robbie and Noah both really liked karate at first - but then got bored with it because they figured out that you don't really 'fight'. Rob (who is a black belt) said that where we took them was really glorified babysitting. We will be letting them to jiu jitsu this summer.. we'll see if they like it any better!

The way you describe Josh reminds me a bit of Robbie. Robbie really thrives in the kind of environment where he can get some individual attention... so maybe try a smaller summer sports clinic? Or maybe he needs a different STYLE of martial arts - or a different teacher. Maybe some one on one training first before he goes into a class where they yell a lot?

Message edited 6/5/2010 7:24:15 PM.

Re: Did anyone's child HATE karate??

I agree about the different type of martial art. At my school, there is no yelling at all. The 3 and 4 years old have a much different type of class than the older kids. For the 3 and 4 year olds, it's more of working on balance, climbing over padded obstacles, listening to instruction, etc.

I've never heard of "karate bonfires".... was that mentioned in your school? Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have campfires, though. DS and I are in that as well.

Re: Did anyone's child HATE karate??

thanks for replies!

yeah, this is japanese-okinawa mixed with korean martial arts.

they hold class 4 nights a week. and an optional saturday class. i thought it would be great for him, one of his friends goes...but he has been on vacation, so we haven't see him there. he can't go to preschool due to class size, so i figure this is ideal.

but a lot of yelling. that is what threw him off the first night. we pulled up and could hear them yelling in the parking lot. he is a super quiet kid. talks a lot, but in a mousey voice.

also, it should not matter, but sensea(sp?) is a black man. last weekend, I took the kids to a bbq where I was the only white person there...Josh definitely was uncomfortable. Maybe that is why he thinks he is a ninja?
The guy gets great reviews, he is a pastor and not a business guy at all...just believes in the culture.

A new one opened a little closer to my house, seems much more commerical. maybe better suited for the climbing and jumping over things...which doesn't go on in my place at all.

bonfires.. ...it is NC. whoever isn't in a deed restricted subdivision is always going to be popular. One mom was telling me she hosts bonfires for the school every other Friday night during the summer. That since it is a small school all the boys really get to know each other and hang out a lot.

thanks again!

Re: Did anyone's child HATE karate??

I think you should definitely look into the new school. Your kid just doesn't respond to yellers... and there's nothing wrong with that!

If you were in NY I'd refer you to our dojo... best senseis EVER. 2 soft spoken brothers who have the perfect blend of encouragement and discipline. My kids love them and thrive there.

Re: Did anyone's child HATE karate??

Posted by PatsBrat

I think you should definitely look into the new school. Your kid just doesn't respond to yellers... and there's nothing wrong with that!

If you were in NY I'd refer you to our dojo... best senseis EVER. 2 soft spoken brothers who have the perfect blend of encouragement and discipline. My kids love them and thrive there.