I've convinced my sister to put my nephew in karate (or any martial art for that matter) to learn discipline, etc. Can anybody here recommend, from personal experience, a good dojo or sensei for kids in the Houston area. She lives just south of Bellaire so it has to be within a reasonable driving distance. He's 4 years old.
My buddy who has been in martial arts since he was a kid and now teaches SWAT said: "It's just like buying a car, you gotta shop around. Look for credentials on the wall, i.e. Trophies and plaques from 10 years ago. If you have a good Aikido or Hapkido school, I highly recommend them, but a good one is a rarity. It's just as important to check on the instructors. Make sure he doesn't have sex offenders working for him (that happens alot). The most important part is that they have some sort of moral teaching too. My school made us make decent grades and didn't tolerate misbehaving at home. The main problem is they just give these belts away nowadays, so a 20 year old black belt that's been there 2 years is NOT an instructor. An old guy that looks like he's had his ass kicked 100 times is the way to go. I recommend waiting till the boys around 12. When they hit puberty they tend to lose interest in a very character-building trait. And for the love of God, stay away from any type of franchise school."
I did Shorin-Ryu Karate for 7+ years in Houston. My instructor was RJ Keller (a 7th dan) who I believe ended up in jail for molesting his step-daughter and the dojo closed. I'll be doing back ground checks on all the instructors. I can't stand schools that are "jr black belt" factories. I'm a big believer in teaching kids discipline, chain-of-command and focus at a young age.
*I will preface this by saying that I am one of the only 5% of the people in this BBS that know what the DCFTF is, and that I can successfully imitate the Derrick Chievous FT face (your username). I laugh every time I read it, sir. This is a successful username. * You know, Bellaire is a long street, man... it might help if you say what area of town or what the other large intersection is with Bellaire. Just saying, is all.
4 years old is really young, the school that my oldest son and I go to is Mu Sol Wan, if there is one near you they have a really good program for kids. DD
You are correct. More specifically the Meyerland area. And yes... 4 years old is very young, but he's old enough for some programs.
Put him in a kids Jiu-Jitsu or Judo class. It's a better form of self-defense and definitely safer for a younger kid. Plus if he sticks with either there is actual real world application as far as self defense.
Yeah I was looking at Hoger MMA off Richmond/Chimney Rock. They have a kids BJJ/MMA class, but I haven't looked into their staff.
To save you from trouble head instructor Sam Hoger is a former TUF contestant and has fought in the UFC against the likes of Lyoto Machida,Vernon White,Rashad Evans,Stephan Bonner, etc.
Ask them if they use ASF International for collections, and if they allow people to cancel if they stop going, or move out of state.
I haven't heard much about the Hoger MMA kids program. I know the Gracie Barra on Westheimer is a great school for kids. Although I think the best kids Jiu-Jitsu program I've seen is at TX 3rd Coast MMA down in Sugar Land. I know that's not in your area but it's a great school for kids.
