Any experience anyone?

Sorry, no experience of pee-wee karate but I do attewnd a karate class with my husband and daughter. He is a 2nd Dan (black belt grade to most of us LOL) I hold a yellow belt and DD has only just started as a white belt. If you are looking for a martial arts class make sure instructor is a black belt, has a criminal records check cert and holds public liability insurance. If it is a kids only class make sure that there is more than 1 adult there and that you can stay and watch if you want. Go along and watch a class or two and get a feel for it, see if it is what you are looking for.

Hope this helps.

Thank you.
Have spoken at length with the woman who runs the company. Yes black belt and I can stay and watch as long as it takes for ds to feel settled. Insurance didn't occur to me.

Thanks

my dd whos 4 has just started taekwondo twice a week i was worried at first but after going along to the class with her felt reassured its only a small class they have a 7th dan master teaching them and a 15 year old black belt helpping him aswell. in there starting pack its got all there insurance details the instructors crb number for you to check and the parents are activly encouraged to stay and watch the classes. so a very proffesional outfit and it doesnt cost the earth. ot has helped my dd no end in the 2 weeks taht she has been going she has got speech problems and teh school have commeneted on how much more confident she is. its something i would definatly recommend if you dcs are interested in it and its a viable option for the parents to be able to afford.

I would recommend taking up a martial art for most kids as it really does boost their confidence and help with self discipline. The important thing to do is find a good class in a style that suits your child, be that Judo, Karate, ninjitsu, capoera (spelling may be wrong), aikidoor TKD.

Beware of instructors who want you to pay in advance by direct debit. Most classes should let you pay as you go. Also each person in the dojo should have a personal license which is their own insurance as well as somewhere to record their gradings and any outside courses they attend.

Can I also ask how old your child is? I have just visited one of the peewee websites and am concerned that they are saying it is suitable for children as young as 3.

Most clubs I know of will not teach children under the age of 5 for discipline reasons also you are limited as to waht you can teach children due to safety and also due to the fact that they are still growing.

most associations will not license children under the age of 5 and every karate practitioner should hold a current license regardless of age.

My dd went to one age 3 but it was a fun pre-karate class and was specially insured. Basically it was more games than anything but she enjoyed it, you do have to be really careful though as there are lots of dodgy martial art clubs and rip off clubs but lots of great ones too.

I am personally gutted as dd chose Karate over Judo (I am a black belt in Judo) and starts next week.

One club I visited for a taster session showed my daughter around and then said so how do you want to pay the 250 joining fee then after showing her around, she was 4 and i didnt even know if she would join in!