What is a good age to start Taekwondo?
We regularly get calls here at Team Carlo from parents wondering when their child can start taekwondo classes. Some parents are eager for their children to start as young as three. We understand where parents are coming from, because martial arts requires dedication and time, but at Team Carlo, we believe that this is too young. This is largely because of the developmental stage of a three year old child, at this age, children rarely have grasped the concept of consequences! For a child at this age, everything must happen immediately, so the dedication required to succeed in martial arts can display itself as frustration or rejection by the child. Whilst this is the main reason we caution against starting children too young, there are also physiological aspects that need to be taken into account. For example, children have larger heads (proportionally) than their arms or legs, which makes a number of Taekwondo techniques almost impossible to execute properly.
That’s why at Team Carlo we recommend for children to begin their journey from four years of age.
Why have we decided on this age? Mainly because at this age, children can begin to understand important concepts like responsibility, feel guilt, but also feel pride in their actions. These are incredibly important concepts that must be (at least on a basic level) understood in order to become successful in martial arts. Whilst Taekwondo is a fantastic martial art for children from the age of four to learn, it also encompasses a philosophy to guide your child’s life. Taekwondo is a Korean word, meaning the art (Do) of foot (Tae) and fist (Kwon). The art (Do) is central to everything that Taekwondo teaches, and this philosophy is centered on the five basic tenets of courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and spirit. However, starting children too young on their Taekwondo journey can lead to frustration within the child, and as well as we all know, young children aren’t fantastic at following instructions. If you start them too early, it might turn them off their journey, leading to many missed long term benefits.
We all like to believe that our child is an exception, because who wouldn’t! Many parents believe that if they start their child earlier, it will ‘pay off’ because they might get a black belt earlier, but this is the wrong way of approaching it. Everything at Team Carlo is centered on helping your child develop important life skills whilst having fun too.
Another important thing you must consider before helping your child start their Taekwondo journey, is to establish the aim. Many parents hope that their child might one day gain a black belt, but we would argue that this is not the goal of martial arts. The way we approach our training for children is centered on these central Taekwondo principles we spoke about earlier, but also focused on improving children’s self-esteem. We’ve all seen it in the news that children are now feeling more stressed at school than ever before, which is why our goal is also to focus on their development as people, not just on their taekwondo skills. Our Taekwondo programs at this level aren’t focused on self-defence either because that is just not feasible, our programs are more focused on helping your child develop hand-eye and body coordination, whilst also socialising with other children in a friendly and nurturing environment.
With our Taekinda program specially designed for children, it introduces the basic concepts of Taekwondo in an easy to understand, yet rewarding manner. Every week, small achievable tasks are set, and students can see their progress as they earn stripes on their belts, and work towards new belt levels. Team Carlo is headed by 6th Dan Kukkiwon Black Belt, Carlo Massimino, who has had one of the most successful careers in the history of Australian Taekwondo. Team Carlo understands how children learn, and knows how to make classes fun and hassle free. By understanding the development stage of four-year olds, we have specially crafted the Taekinda program. The Taekinda program focuses on eight age-appropriate skills, which will help build confidence, self-control, and teach them that dedication pays off. These skills focus on kicking, punching, blocking, crawling, hopping, rolling, running, and catching. You can see that some of these skills aren’t related to Taekwondo techniques, but are included because they are also fun activities that are important for children to partake in.
Team Carlo takes a whole-of-life approach to Taekwondo, no matter the age group. We are here to help children and adults learn more about themselves and to develop important life skills. That’s why Carlo Massimino, works alongside suicide prevention charities like Life’s a Ball, and works in schools around Australia to help children learn self discipline. Everyone at Team Carlo wants your child to succeed, in a fun, nurturing, yet educational environment, that focuses on courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and that never say die attitude. So contact Team Carlo today!
