Best Martial Art for Children

What's the best martial art for kids?

It's a constant debate both within as well as out side of the martial arts community which art is best suitable for teaching kids martial arts.

Most of the times you will be recommended arts like karate, taekwondo, judo, aikido and ju jitsu (or jiu-jitsu). One example is this latest post from scifighting.com. And to be frank, there is absolutely nothing wrong with listing or recommending certain arts like this - we can certainly all agree that these 5 chosen arts (or 6 arts, depending on your point of view) can be absolutely great for children of all ages.

Are you picking an art or a school?

The way I see it, there is something vital missing in the approach of picking an art (or several arts) and stating that "these are the best martial arts for kids!". It is a general statement that may, or may not be true.

The point is that you may have a perfectly suitable art being taught in a way that is not at all beneficial to your child or even children in general. To me, the teacher and the whole environment at the martial arts academy/school/club is absolutely pivotal.

I will argue until my last breath that almost ANY serious martial art can be perfect for a child as long as it is taught the right way - adopted to children in a safe and caring environment.

Agree or disagree? Feel free to comment!

Best Martial Arts for Kids?

Poking Fun at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

The Simpsons is a brilliant TV-show. Here's Homer being challenged to face his doom with Brazilian  jiu-jitsu.

Just to be clear, in case there are any haters out there - I love BJJ and grappling (as well as The Simpsons). In fact I train BJJ myself.

No Olympic MMA

No Olympic MMA - From Flickr.com

Whether you find it OK/fine, or you really get mad at the idea, here's the thing: There will be no Olympic MMA - or Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) for that matter.

Let me rephrase that a little bit before the hard-core mixed martial arts fans gets a full-blown seizure ... these sports will not be included in any foreseeable future.

Sure, the current fighting arts in the Olympic games are about as exiting to watch as drying paint - in other words extremely boring unless you're into that particular art/sport.

And sure enough, MMA is - whether we like it or not - a massive force to be reckoned with on the combat sports arena. It's action packed and intriguing in ways that say taekwondo or judo can never be.

Still, the chances that MMA - or other sports like BJJ - will be a part of the Olympic family any time soon is close to zero.

And no, I'm not the one saying so. I love BJJ (been doing it myself for some time) and I can't see why a modified version of MMA shouldn't be made to fit the Olympic program. There are others - people with more knowledge than me who says so.

Read more about it here.

Confuse-Us Speaks #26

BJJ - Illustration from Flickr.com

Before we go on to the subject of being confused - I'd like to remind you all about the new Martial Arts News site. Check it out!

The site/blog you're on right now will definitely be updated from time to time, but not as regularly as before. The main attention is going to be on the new site as far as martial arts news stuff is concerned.

Any way, lets bring master Confuse-Us on...

Silly me, I thought BJJ was a part of mixed martial arts/MMA, but hey, what do I know... At least this online article apparently states otherwise.

Chef Marc Vetri likes to fight. "As a chef you have to have an outlet to let off some steam," he says. Nearly two years ago, Mr. Vetri took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a mixed-martial art that focuses on ground fighting and self-defense.

"Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a mixed-martial art"... Okay... We all learn something as we go along I guess.

Jiu-Jitsu Choke Demo

Here's an "oh sh**" moment during a jiu-jitsu choke demo - could we possibly file this under the martial arts fail category?

Wonder if the uke (the guy getting choked) is too polite or respectful to tap...

Former Ju Jitsu Coach Indicted

Jujutsu - From commons.wikimedia.org

A 20-year-old Woburn, Massachusetts man was arrested in February 2012 and presented with child pornography charges.

The suspect - a ju jitsu instructor, Little League coach and a part-time employee at a church in Winchester - was indicted on the child pornography charges by a Middlesex County grand jury in april 2012.

It was later said he was a jiu-jitsu instructor, but that is apparently not correct. You probably shouldn't blame reporters for not knowing the difference between Small Circle ju jitsu and jiu-jitsu?

Below is an excerpt from the article posted in woburn.patch.com - you can read the full article here.

A Woburn man was indicted on child pornography charges by a Middlesex County grand jury today, reported Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone Thursday afternoon.
Raymond McAllister, 20, of Woburn, was indicted on charges of child enticement, dissemination of matter harmful to a minor, possession of child pornography, and posing a child in a state of sexual conduct.
A former Woburn Little League coach, jiu jitsu instructor and volunteer at St. Mary's Bible Camp in Winchester, McAllister was in Woburn District Court on these charges in February. But, due to the "serious" nature of the charges, the district attorney's office chose to move the case to Superior Court.

Feel free to comment below. Also remember to tweet and share the content. Finally, please check out our other news related site, Best Martial Arts News here.

Used Jiu-Jitsu to Protect Sister

Honolulu - Illustration from Flickr.com

It's always great to have a big brother protecting you, as case here from Hawaii is a shining example of :-)

11-year-old Jonah Yano used his years of jiu-jitsu training - as well as his brotherly love - to help fight of an attempted carjacker in Honolulu.

The incident occurred in November 2011, according to kitv.com. Go there to read the whole story and watch the video.

Jay Yano didn't have the day after Thanksgiving off, so he planned to take his two young children towork with him. As his kids loaded into his truck, parked right outside their home in Honolulu, Yano left the vehicle running as he quickly walked to the truck's rear.
"That's when I noticed the guy walking from across the street, coming over," said Jay Yano.
Yano said within a split second, his truck began to pull forward, with his 9-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son inside. He ran to the driver's side door.
"(When) I opened the car (door), I saw my son holding the guy down with his left hand," said Yano.

Apart from the happy ending and brave actions of Yano, the case clearly shows how quickly bad things can happen.

Drunken Attack

New Zealand -- A fighter who won a world title in Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2006,was reportedly not proud of the fact that he hit a man twice his age and breaking his teeth in the process, according to stuff.co.nz.

A court was told how the 23-year-old defendant was drunk in a New Plymouth bar, about 1:20 a.m. on October 2 when he punched a nearby man (aged 49) and chipping his teeth in an unprovoked attack.

Cage Fight and Children?

Dailymail.co.uk and other ill informed British newspapers have been all over a "shocking" revelation of children doing "cage fighting" recently.

All though there are some things that were not good decisions about the two young lads fighting, one really has to wonder if the sensation seeking press has totally lost their collective marble...

Yes, the fight was held inside a one of the cages used for cage fighting, and yes it was during an MMA event. But had the half-wits of the press done any basic research they would have discovered that A. this was not an MMA fight, and B. not a "cage fight".

In fact it was nothing worse than a regular wrestling, grappling, judo or BJJ (Brazilian jiu-jitsu) match - something children all over the world are doing with great success day in and day out.

Yes, the setting and arrangement around this "cage match" should definitely not been handled the way it turned out. But one should also hope that the nitwit press representatives and the sensation seekers (some of which probably want children to wear a helmet indoors to avoid being hurt - poor things...) could refrain from talking about things of which they have absolutely no frigging clue what so ever.

Am I a great fan of young children fighting? Nope. How about MMA? I do find some parts of that questionable as well. Still I do find passages like the ones below (from said newspaper) very offensive and totally laughable really:

"The spectacle of grown men punching the life out of each other in public was stomach-churning enough. But the behaviour of the crowd as two young schoolboys were led into the cage set up in the centre of the dingy room, was sickening to the extreme."

"As the boys began to pummel each other into submission, the baying chants of the 450 adults could be heard in the streets beyond."

For your information - this was a grappling match - no punches or kicks to be seen anywhere...

"Footage of that awful fight, which had all the aggressive hallmarks of a backstreet brawl, provoked a wave of outrage this week when it surfaced on the internet."

"(...)But the British Medical Association (BMA), the NSPCC and the charity Safechild have all reacted with fury, branding the spectacle 'disturbing and sick'. They are calling for a police and social services investigation. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt has also condemned the 'sport' as 'barbaric'."

Let's hear it - what's your take on these ill-informed representatives and sensation seekers of the press? Are there any hopes of educating reporters about what martial arts is about, and finally - what's your take on MMA fights and children fighting in particular?

Feel free to comment below.

Accused of Assault on Students

Canada -- York police said a A 57-year-old Richmond Hill judo instructor has been arrested and charged after being accused of assault on four of his students, according to cp24.com.

It is reported that the investigation began in May 2010 when investigators received information that led them to look into alleged abusive behavior at the club.

The alleged victims are four boys between the ages of six and 15. The charges against the instructors indicate a weapon may been used. The charges also include a single count of uttering death threats.

The instructor - who reportedly served as the "Vice President of Karate-do" in Ukraine during the early 1990s - allegedly holds a black belt rank in judo, karate and jiu-jitsu.

Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Saves Officer

Stories like this make me all warm and fuzzy - great going Mr Arrigoni, great going in deed!

California -- When a seemingly crazed fare evader began pummeling a San Francisco police officer, it was probably more than just a bit fortunate the attack happened outside a martial arts academy.

A 24-year-old jiu-jitsu instructor named Pedro Arrigoni came to the officer's rescue, controlling the attacker with a choke hold and forcing him into submission, according to sfexaminer.com.

Police said the 23-year-old suspect assaulted the officer while trying to avoid a fare evasion citation.

Here's a video of the situation - low quality unfortunately - and beware of some rather strong choice of words...

Chokie-Dokie

New Zealand -- A 40-year-old man - trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, recently claimed he had to choke his girl friend in self-defense and that his only other option was to hit her. Yea, right...

The "crappler" said the reason he choked his 26-year-old girlfriend three times until she passed out on March 20, 2010, was simply to stop her attacking him, according to stuff.co.nz.

Instructor Charged With Sex Crime

Maryland -- The 24-year-old owner of a martial arts studio in Edgewater is accused of having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old female student he met while teaching in Stevensville, according to hometownannapolis.com.

The Chester resident, who claimed to be not guilty to the charges, allegedly assaulted the victim sexually at his home in March and April of 2010. The man was an instructor at a martial arts school in Stevensville at the time.

The accused is reportedly a black belt holder in taekwondo and open style karate, as well as a purple belt in (Gracie) Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Back, Deported Molester

California -- A 39-year-old Brazilian martial arts champion/fighter and jiu-jitsu instructor deported after being convicted of inappropriately massaging four boys in Half Moon Bay in December 2006, has been accused of illegally sneaking back into the U.S.

The man - a third-degree jiu-jitsu black belt veteran at the time - pleaded no contest and was sentenced to jail in April 2007, according to smdailyjournal.com. He was also ordered to complete a sex offender treatment program, register as an offender for life and not re-enter the United States illegally.

Armed and Dangerous

New York -- State Police said they were searching for a 27-year-old, of Brushton, wanted for his involvement in a kidnapping which occurred on Octover 5, according to northcountrygazette.org.

Police said the wanted man has been involved in mixed martial arts training and that he should be considered armed and dangerous. He has a "Gracie Academy Symbol" (jiu-jitsu school) tattoo on his right arm, according to reports.

Rear Naked Choke

Nevada -- A martial arts instructor and police officer from Sparks recently testified about a choke hold he taught the man who is charged with abducting and murdering a 19-year-old college student and sexually assaulting two other women near the University of Nevada, Reno.

The officer said he contacted police out of concern that the jiu-jitsu move he taught the defendant was used on one of the victims.

The officer said the move, a "rear naked choke" he taught the defendant could render a person unconscious in seconds, according to lasvegassun.com.

Jiu-Jitsu Instructor Arrested

Canada -- A 27-year-old jiu-jitsu instructor has been arrested and is facing sex-assault charges after a police probe into an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 13-year-old female student, according to ottawacitizen.com.

A female instructor at the school found out about the alleged relationship and notified the school's head teacher, who in turn notified officials.

A Number of Charges

Canada -- A 51-year-old, well-known martial artist from Niagara Falls is facing a number of serious charges after a recent incident.

What began as a dispute at a residence Tuesday morning ended with a car crashing through the front doors of a casino in Niagara Falls, according to thepeterboroughexaminer.com.

The former UFC fighter, karateka and world heavyweight jiu-jitsu champion had allegedly been involved in a dispute at a local residence that resulted in a man and a woman being assaulted with a weapon before the 51-year-old man fled in his vehicle.

Police said a man drove his car into the front doors of the casino at about 2 a.m., after a series of incidents in the city.

Punk Learning a Lesson

UK -- Here's a sweet video showing a British punk (hopefully) learning a lesson - skillfully handed him by a St Helens Gulf war veteran.

Just watch the total control the 35-year-old veteran shows when the idiot street punk tries to pick a fight. And oh, do he ever get his cowardly bottom spanked when the "victim" -- skilled in karate and jiu-jitsu -- unleashes one swift technique.

It is indeed utterly satisfying to see this sorry excuse of human waste crawl away. Mr Smith - you have my utmost respect.

The Strongest MMA Fighter

Snicker, snicker...

According to examiner.com and Ted Gambordella, Mariusz Pudzianowski has it all. It is said he has big arms, huge chest, small balls and no MMA talent.

It is referred to the point that he has reportedly practiced karate for 11 years and made it to green belt. This leads to the conclusion that in another 22 years he probably will be a black belt in karate and 25 years a purple belt in Jiu Jistu.

And what's this talk about the use of steroids in MMA? Nah ... it can't possibly be?