by David C. Peters II
Often younger and younger children are encouraged to join formal martial arts classes. There are Thousands of schools throughout the United States that cater to young children and offer everything from the promise of teaching your unruly and hard to manage child how to become calm and disciplined to installing a sense of overbearing confidence in your shy or withdrawn child. Martial arts training is certainly no panacea. However, there are tremendous benefits which can be derived from early consistent instruction in the Martial Arts, from the discipline and self control that such training imparts, and from the calm rational manner in which the follower of the martial way approaches his or her life. Many martial arts schools make impressive claims about the results they receive from their students and many parents more than willing to throw good money after their children, believe them. Martial arts heros are portrayed in movies that are frequently viewed by young children and often one of the first questions that comes shouted out of a new group of young students is "when do we start learning how to break boards?" The glamourous portrayal of Karate in the United States causes an unfortunately high attrition rate especially for children who are forced into martial arts training before they are ready.
This paper will answer the often asked question of when a child is ready to begin formal instruction in the martial arts, proffer a theory based on Dr. Jeanne Piaget's Stage Theory of Child Development, offer tips on teaching the Martial Arts before formal training is appropriate, offer tips and explain in theoretical terms the reasonable expectations for instructors attempting to teach kids at various ages and developmental levels, and end with a formal description of the expectations, policies, and procedures in the Bloomfield Hills branch of the Karate Institute.
First, however, we should briefly look at the different styles that are available and examine the concept of the "Martial Arts."
Modern Martial Arts styles can be divided into various categories. Grappling Styles include; Aikido, Judo, and Ju Jutsu. They focus primarily on throwing, control, and joint lock techniques. Striking Styles include; Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Kung Fu. They focus on straight line or circular motion punching, kicking, and blocking techniques. Both grappling and striking styles emphasize varying degrees of power or technique and definition or strength so it can be helpful to further divide styles into hard or soft. For example Wrestling and Judo are both grappling sports that have evolved from earlier martial arts styles. While many of the moves are virtually identical, Wrestlers attempt to use strength and endurance to overpower an opponent while a Judo match features two contenders attempting to gain control by absorbing and redirecting the force of their opponent. Similarly Tang Soo Do and Kung Fu are both traditional striking styles. Tang Soo Do is a "Hard" style where practitioners defeat opponents with overpowering kicks and punches that feature a set up and a full body motion into the strike while Kung Fu is a "Soft" style where practitioners go into battle using wide circular motions to block punches and short strikes, often to sensitive pressure points.
The Bloomfield Hills branch of the Karate Institute teaches traditional Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do. Grand Master Hwang Kee started the school of Moo Duk Kwan in 1945 in Seoul, Korea. Moo Duk Kwan means the "Institute of Martial Virtue." Master Kee studied martial arts for several years before starting the school, and in so doing he incorporated techniques from martial arts practitioners from all over the world. Now Moo Duk Kwan contains several different styles from Kenpo to Tang Soo Do. Tang Soo Do literally translated from the Korean as "China Hand Way." It is similar to Tae Kwon Do in the emphasis on powerful kicks and has always been traditionally taught primarily as a striking power style. The China Hand Way refers to the open hand blocking and striking techniques that are an integral part of Tang Soo Do training. Traditional Tang Soo Do training required students to spend hours marching up and down the floor to the count of the instructor, executing the same technique over and over again. In addition to these traditional training methods (which have less appeal to adults in our push button instant society and no appeal whatsoever to the early Nintendo generation as we shall see) our school has incorporated many self defense techniques from various Grappling styles into the training. Typically we begin each class with the traditional basic actions that have been taught in one form or another for hundreds if not thousands of years. Later we break into smaller groups to practice grappling and self defense techniques.
The term "Martial Arts" is a direct translation from the Japanese word "Budo." Early Japanese writings used the term "Bujutsu" or Bushi-Jutsu by referencing the character for "Jutsu" or "Arts." Later writers replaced this character with the character for "Do" which means "Road or Way." The translation of the meaning of the Martial Arts, therefore, evolved from the concept of a group of self defense techniques (Jutsu or Art) into a philosophy for approaching life (Do or Way). The Martial Way referred to the philosophy of the warrior and eventually evolved into formal code for the warrior to use when conducting his life. The "Bushido" or "Code of the Warrior" incorporated the characteristics of honor, discipline, moral development and a readiness for combat at all times into the warriors every day life. However, training was a means to achieve readiness for combat but was not the focus. The focus was the moral enlightenment that could be achieved by following the Budo- the way of the warrior.
This esoteric consideration is lost on most students and parents and results in the common, totally flawed question of "When can my chid begin training in the Martial Arts." If the parent understood the concept of Budo, they would not need to ask the question and would understand that Martial Arts training can, and should, begin at birth and does not end until death. The Martial Way, the Budo- the way of the warrior, and the Bushido- the code of the warrior, are not a set of rules or commandments but rather a philosophy for dealing with the joys and adversities of life. Just as the philosophy that arises from the Martial Arts can and should be taught at a young age, actual physical "training" can begin for young children long before they are ready for formal Martial Arts training. Infants unable sit up can begin to learn rudimentary break falling. They can begin training the muscles by having their feet placed in proper foot kicking position. Even a newborn can "stand" with assistance and have their foot placed in proper side foot kicking position. Even a newborn who cannot roll over yet need not learn the technique on his or her own. With just a little encouragement from the parent and their little arm placed in proper position above the head and parallel to the body it only takes a slight nudge for the newborn to roll over naturally on their own.
As the child grows older and muscle coordination increases, they rapidly move from rolling over assisted, to rolling over by themselves (often at the most unexpected and worst possible times). Before the parents even realize what is happening they have a mobile baby on their hands. As the child advances from creeping to crawling to coasting around the furniture and finally to walking, they find that falling is a far more natural motion than walking. The head of a young child or infant in relation to their body makes it difficult for the infant to learn proper break falling technique which requires the head to be tucked and the spine curved. Still it certainly does not hurt to start early with a newborn by gently placing their body through the motions of a proper break fall. When instructing a young child or infant, typically two to three repetitions per session is more than sufficient. Children who can stand unassisted can be taught a forward break roll with patience and time and many find great pleasure in rolling forward in this manner. The technique is done correctly when they break out into a hearty laugh at the newfound game.
I do not believe infants and toddlers should be taught any striking, kicking, or piercing techniques. Parents will find that all toddlers need to be closely monitored when around other children and in fact usually need to be taught not to hit (often in the strongest possible language) at the toddler age. As children grow from stimulus response immobile blobs of flesh to mobile exploring and ultimately rational thinking individuals, what had formerly required direct hands on assistance can be done with less and less physical intervention. By the time they are two or three years old, most kids can execute a forward break roll upon request.
The less commonly asked but far more appropriate question of "When a child can begin a class in formal martial arts training" is far more difficult. The easy answer is that it depends on the individual child. However, that certainly begs the question of what a parent should look for when deciding whether their child is ready to take a formal class in Karate. A martial arts school requires many of the same skills needed by a child in any school including attention span, the ability to follow directions and mimic physical motions, the ability to stand in one place and concentrate on one task, and, importantly, the ability to conceptualize abstract concepts at least by reference to personal observation and experience. These are minimal prerequisites to beginning formal martial arts training. Before the child develops these basic skills and most likely for some time thereafter, any formal attempt at martial arts training will be an exercise in futility.
In this writers opinion and in the opinion of a strong plurality of Karate Instructors in several Michigan branches of KI, the minimum age at which a child will be able to successfully join and advance in formal martial arts and Karate training is 7 years. This is certainly not an arbitrary cut off and there are certainly examples of children younger than 7 successfully beginning and advancing in Karate. This is particularly true when one or more of the parents are also in the class and in a position to directly supervise the child throughout training.
Some martial arts schools even cater to children as young as 3. However, it is hard to imagine what a Karate instructor can teach a 3 year old that cannot be taught just as easily, more effectively, and with better long term results, by the parent at home. This turns martial arts training into just another activity device used by some parents to avoid having to teach their child at home. We all know children with busier schedules than most adults- Sunday afternoon piano lessons, Sunday night church, Monday Karate, Tuesday Soccer, Wednesday Swimming and so on. The problem is that if you start a child too young in a formal martial arts class, particularly in a power style such as Karate they will quickly become frustrated and bored with the required repetition. In this writer's observations most of these children end up quitting after a short time.
To understand why this occurs requires some understanding of child development and psychology. According to the noted biologist Dr. Jeanne Piaget, children go through 4 developmental stages:
1. Sensorimotor (from Birth to about 18 months)
2. Pre-Operational (18 months to about 7 years)
3. Concrete Operational, (7 to 12 years) and
4. Formal Operational (beginning just before puberty).
Before Piaget's early 1960's theories of child development, Developmental Psychology researchers assumed that children thought in the same way as adults think- albeit with far less knowledge and sophistication at their disposal. Dr. Piaget disagreed. In observing his own children he developed the theory that children do not think like "little adults." Furthermore, there were clear stages of development that he was able to observe and describe.
Dr. Piaget's theories on child development have been correlated strongly with imaging studies of the child's developing brain. Researcher, Epstein, found evidence of significant increases in neuronal growth and a corresponding geometric increase in the number of synapses in the developing child!s brain. He also found an extension of myelin sheaths along the axons of the central nervous system. There were also significant increases in arterial blood supply to the brain which corresponded with what he calls "brain growth spurts" occurring between the ages of 3 to 10 months, 2 to 4 years, 6 to 8 years, and 10 to 12 years. These ages correspond very closely to the stages in intellectual development that were identified by Dr. Piaget. Therefore, Piaget's theories and observations have been verified with hard physiological evidence.
According to Piaget, Children from age 0 to about age 2 were in the Sensorimotor stage of development. In this stage, the infant develops and coordinates a large variety of behavioral skills and begins rudimentary development of verbal and cognitive schemes which allow him to communicate. In other words, the baby learns enough about the world to figure out how to think in symbolic terms and this lays the foundation for the beginnings of language. At this stage, the primary behavioral task is the development of the concept of object permanence and a rudimentary understanding of the physical laws of the world. The thinking in the early stages is entirely egocentric. That is to say that children in the Sensorimotor stage of development are unable to separate themselves from their environment and view stimuli as merely another facet of their existence. The world is cold, wet, or tired and other people exist only as a part of the infants own immediate sensory input.
Before Pre-Operational thought, the words and symbols used by the child are nothing more than examples of classical conditioning (i.e. pairing stimuli with a reward to elicit the desired response). After Pre-Operational thinking comes into being, children begin to be able to guide their actions with imagery based on memories of previous experiences in the same or even similar situations. They gain the ability to retain images in memory. Learning becomes more rapid and cumulative and no longer depends on immediate perception and concrete experiences.
For example, a child in the Sensorimotor stage of development may be able to learn that a ball thrown down the stairs will fall down the stairs but they cannot understand that a toy- or for that matter their own body (who they have never observed falling down the stairs) will also do so. They may be able to learn to put together a puzzle but will do so only through trial and error or as a function of Operant Conditioning. There will be no logical thought processes to aid them in putting together the puzzle.
I have observed my own son 1 year old son with great amusement as he throws a temper tantrum after falling. He will cry and strike the ground as if to say: "Why are you in my way." Of course I explained to him that his temper tantrums only influences Mommy and Daddy, they are not going to have any effect on gravity; no matter what you do or how long you complain, you're still going to be attracted to the center of the Earth at 9.88 meters per second squared. For several months he just became angrier at my teasing until one magical day when he was almost 1 (and within a couple of days) he left the Sensorimotor stage of Development and became Pre-Operational.
Obviously Pre-Operational thinking is a vast improvement over Sensorimotor responses. A Pre-Operational child can generalize observations about the world and come to logical conclusions (my book falls down the stairs, my toy falls down the stairs- maybe I need to be careful so I don't also fall down the stairs). They can look at a simple puzzle, study it, and learn that the circular block goes into the circular hole- even when confronted with an entirely new puzzle. By 1 to 2 years of age, the infant finally grasps the concepts of object permanence and basic physical laws (like gravity). He will understand that a ball thrown downstairs will bounce to the bottom and that when Daddy runs into the next room and closes the door, he is just on the other side of that door. The rule is no longer "out of sight, out of mind." The child moves very quickly from the simple reflexive stimulus response behaviors of the Sensorimotor Stage to the more goal directed behaviors of the Pre-operational Stage.
Despite the vast improvement in Cognitive skills and the delightful change in a young child when they enter the Pre-Operational stage of development, there are still a number of cognitive tasks that need to be solved. Pre-Operational thinking remains primarily ego-centric and children at this developmental stage are unable to consider things from other peoples perspectives. They act and think as if everyone else thinks exactly as they do, know exactly what they mean, and understand what they need. Such children often are distressed by indications that their assumptions about the world are incorrect. For example, it is common for a Pre-Operational child to refuse to line up properly, fidget in place, throw themselves on the ground or even jump on other students as they are lining up. Such behavior can be changed quickly with proper class discipline, it re-emerges as soon as new variables are introduced such as taking a small group of kids into the hall. Children at this stage of development and maturity level may become markedly distressed when forced to line up properly and stand in place and be wholly unable to hold position at the end of a form.
While even young Pre-Operational children can learn how to do a form, say Geicho Hyang Il Bu, to a Pre-Operational child the form is nothing more than a series of moves. They are incapable of abstract generalization or understanding. They are unable to infer that every move has a purpose. They have no ability to relate the moves to an actual life situation. A form is more than just the sum of all of its parts. It is a Gestalt- an integrated whole that cannot be understood merely by understanding the individual moves. Geicho Hyang Il Bu begins with a sharp turn of the head to the left towards an imaginary opponent, followed by a twist into a left front set stance, and a left low block as the first move. The next move is a step into the left of the forward facing direction into a right middle punch. The pre-operational child can certainly learn these basic moves through the process of repetition but will most likely have to go through the form by the count, executing one move with each count. The whole of the form is completely lost on them. It is interesting to watch Pre-Operational children and see how easily confused they can become if the instructor is cruel enough to vary the cadence or timing of the count. They can usually be made completely unable to get through a form by taking away the pneumonic device of counting. Some sharper Pre-Operational children can mentally count to themselves in that situation but even the brightest Pre-Operational child cannot visualize an imaginary opponent kicking at him, and then execute the block, and counter attack. He or she can only learn the move and, with enough repetition, make it (usually barely) through the motions of the form. Pre-Operational children are wholly unable to reference the practical applications of those moves to an actual real life or even simulated situation. As a consequence the techniques will frequently be delivered almost like an automaton with minimal power and maximum clumsiness. The turning of the head to the left is only the first in a series of seemingly unrelated moves that have no Gestalt. There is no reasoning or logical construct behind the moves in a Pre-Operational child. A pre-operational student who is able to get through Geicho Hyang Il Bu without assistance or even prompting from the instructor can be completely confused if they are told to do the first moves of the form with an attacker. The simple look, block, and counter attack technique of the first two moves results in a missed block and the child standing in an incorrect position.
Inherent in Piaget's Theories, or any stage concept of development , are the concepts of maturation and readiness. An infant cannot learn how to walk until they are physically ready and able to walk and no amount of training can change that or, according to many researchers, even accelerate that process. Most studies consistently show that special training for an infant or child who does not have the necessary maturation or readiness will yield little or no benefit. In the early twin studies, one twin was given special training and practice in acquiring new physical skills such as climbing stairs or walking while the other was not. The special training had almost no effect on the timing of the development of the new physical skill until almost the time that the ability being taught developed naturally. Once that point was reached, the twin who was not given special training invariably caught up with the other twin.
The development of physical skills in infants and toddlers requires Maturation and Readiness. Until the child develops (Matures) and shows Readiness- that is the capability of learning it with relative ease, there is little or no point at attempting to teach them. Therefore, it becomes readily apparent why most Black Belts in the Michigan branches of the Karate Institute seem to believe that children will most likely be unable to become successful in formal martial arts training before the age of 7. The Pre-Operational stage of development extends from 1 to 2 years of age up to age 7. Children in the Pre-Operational stage of development will have great difficulty with many of the concepts in Karate.
Due to this problem, I believe it is helpful to separate Pre-Operational children by dividing the class into smaller groups as soon as it is practical after starting class. I think that in light of the Psychological findings, it may be time to reexamine how karate is taught to young children perhaps with less emphasis on forms, fewer repetitions in moving down the floor and doing basic actions, more emphasis on break falling and matwork, and more repetitions hitting and kicking bags. However, it is extremely important to remember that a young child's body has not fully calcified. As a consequence their bones can easily become deformed and warped if they are striking hard and heavy objects repeatedly. Soft, well padded bags held by a partner are usually the best solution. The physical limitations of the student should always be kept in the front of the instructor!s mind. These suggestions, of course, would only apply to the attempt to teach children in the Pre-Operational stage of development. I believe that children in the Concrete Operational stage of development can begin to benefit from more traditional Karate training.
Starting at the age of 7 and continuing until just before the child becomes a teenager, thinking and problem solving skills become organized into concrete operations representing the Concrete Operational stage of development. In this stage, thinking becomes operational and the child is able to form mental representations of potential actions. Children are able to organize both cognitive and physical operations and classify them according to skills and types. For example, as we have seen, to a Pre-Operational child, the execution of any technique is a series of moves learned by rote. To a child in the Concrete Operational stage of development, it is possible to learn that a low block is in fact a low block that can be used to stop a low kick or a low punch. A Pre-Operational child can certainly be taught that a low block can be used to stop, for example, a kick and you can work on that technique, blocking kicks all day with them. In virtually every case they will be unable to generalize the new skill when confronted with a low punch.
There are a number of developmental tasks the concrete operational child must achieve in order to fully develop operational thinking. These tasks include an understanding of conservation, seriation, negation, and identity. Conservation is the classic psychological experiment where colored water is poured from a tall thin glass into a short thick glass in front of the child. The Pre-Operational child who is unable to accept and understand the basic physical principle of conservation of matter will always decide that there is more liquid in the tall thin glass than there was in the short thick glass. The pre-operational child, will often become angry and argue with the researcher or instructor who challenges his world view and assumptions. The Concrete Operational child may still need to learn the concept of conservation of matter but the important factor here is that they are able to learn the concept.
Upon learning the basic concepts such as the ability to place objects in order from least to most in length (seriation) and the concrete operation that an action can be negated or reversed to restore the original situation (negation) along with conservation and several other operational concepts, the child will be able to think logically in the same way that (some) adults do. Still the concrete operational child is unable to handle purely abstract concepts such as: Is democracy the best form of government or In what ways is Karate a more effective method of self defense than Judo without referencing specific examples from their own memory.
Finally, at about age 12, the child begins the Formal Operational period of development. This final change represents the development of the ability to think in completely symbolic terms. Formal Operational children and adults can comprehend content meaningfully without requiring physical objects or even imagery based on past experiences. Formal operations are logical and mathematical concepts and rules used to advance abstract ideas about events that are theoretically possible but have never occurred in real life or in the child's life experience.
Just as it is virtually useless to teach a child in the pre-operational stage of development a basic form, so it is useless to attempt to have a child in the concrete operational stage of development explain the meaning of Bushido. Certainly they can be made to memorize a definition just as a Pre-Operational child can be made to memorize the moves of a form. However, they are unable to understand that definition. Abstract concepts and ideas that have no physical objects or imagery associated with them are beyond the child's understanding until they reach the Formal Operational stage.
In sum, infants in the sensorimotor stage of development are obviously not candidates for formal martial arts training but can benefit from good examples assuming one or more of their parents incorporates the Martial Way into their everyday life. They can possibly learn how to execute a break fall and hold their foot in proper kicking position but such "training" should be thought of as a game to the child. Children in the Preoperational stage of development may be candidates for some formal training in the later stages, especially if the parent is willing to participate in class or if there is an available class devoted to teaching young kids. Such children will be able to get only a very marginal benefit from learning forms and, in this writer's opinion, it is counterproductive to focus such training on a young child. At the Pre-Operational stage, learning a form requires constant repetition and quickly leads to boredom. The common result is one less student in the class. At about age 7, when children enter the Concrete Operational stage of development, they become viable candidates to begin learning the Martial Arts in a formal class.
In the Bloomfield Hills branch of the Karate Institute, the first goal of the instructor with a new class of kids is to teach them to line up. This can often be the most difficult part of class with kids of varying stages of development, attention span, and cognitive abilities running here and there, talking, grabbing each other, and wrestling around. One martial arts instructor noted that it is interesting to watch children play in situations that are not rigidly structured. When unsupervised, children run around with each other like a bunch of puppies. The young children constantly challenge the older leaders. There is rarely punching or kicking that occurs but rather the children will grab, tackle, and try to climb on top. Some of them will jump on the older kids back, hang from their arms, and so on. Sometimes, younger students will try to mimic what they have seen on television and assume fighting stances and yell. However, when they attack one another they almost never punch or kick. Instead they grab and tackle just like the rest of the children. According to this instructor, children apparently instinctively know what actions are acceptable and what are not acceptable. The problem becomes how to convert this group of frolicking puppies into an orderly class lined up according to rank with straight rows and aisles. Often during the first few sessions, the instructor will have to physically place the (Pre-Operational) children into their proper place in line.
Once that is done, the first command, I believe, that should be taught is Chyret. It should be emphasized that Chyret means come to attention and once this command is given, there is to be no talking in the ranks and no moving from the assigned position. After the class is able to come to attention upon command and retain the proper line up (more or less) the instructor can briefly take them through the formal procedure for opening class. In the Bloomfield Hills branch of the Karate Institute we begin class with the head student calling out the command Chyret, followed by the command Torah (turn)face the head instructor, Kinyet (bow), Muk Yum Chunbee (ready position for meditation), and finally Muk Yum (meditation). Our club meditates by kneeling with head bowed, eyes closed, and fists slightly in front of and outside of the knees with the two knuckles into the floor. The student should breath in through the nose and out through the mouth in deep controlled breaths while clearing the mind. This can all be explained while the position is assumed. After the formal beginning of class it is very helpful to take any new students into the hall with an assistant instructor to begin learning Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do. I believe that children at markedly different stages of development should be separated after the beginning of class.
The first thing that I was taught and the first thing that, I believe, should be taught to new students of Karate is how to make a fist. This is an excellent time to review Muk Yum briefly with the students. I believe the next thing that should be taught is how to stand in a proper front set position. This can be done with a good amount of physical contact between the instructor and student so as to demonstrate the power and stability of the front set stance. The instructor should not be surprised at the Pre-Operational students throwing themselves to the ground as soon as they are pushed from the front. I believe that only when the child is able to stand in a stable front set stance position with two closed fists should they be taught how to do Ha Dan Mahkee.
Class discipline with a group of unruly children particularly where a class has children at several different developmental stages can be a significant challenge. However, even the most active and hyper-active kids understands there are certain times when running around in a circle and throwing oneself on the floor is acceptable behavior and sometimes it is not. I believe that control over the class can be greatly assisted if the kids understand and immediately respond to Chyret and Chunbee. If that is the only lesson that the instructor can convey on the first day (or even the first week) of class then he or she has taken the first step on the rewarding, long and difficult task of teaching kids Karate.
Footnotes
1) Some theorists have criticized the "Stage Theories" of intellectual development. They have argued that development does not always proceed in a sequential manner and prefer to view development as an Aongoing process@ rather than a series of breaks and stages. Obviously I disagree, though the purely intellectual argument would not change the conclusions of this paper.
2) However a recent study on Newborns should be mentioned as an exception. In the first few weeks of life the infant has a AWalking Reflex@ and will take steps if he is moved around the room with his feet on the floor. The study found that infants who were encouraged to "Walk" as newborns later learned to walk much earlier than infants who were not encouraged as newborns. This is not inconsistent with the premise that Maturation and Readiness are required before an infant can learn new behaviors. The newborn demonstrates an immediate Maturation and Readiness to assisted walking by virtue of the Walking Reflex. Therefore, obviously there will be Amuscle memory@ benefits that can yield fruit later on when the infant is ready to walk on his or her own.
3) Some researchers argue there is a 5th Stage of Development sometimes called the Abstract or Analytical Operations stage where the adult learns to analyze and apply abstract or complicated mathematical or scientific theories such as Calculus or the Theory of Relativity. Most agree that only a small minority reach this stage of development.