Parents who have thought about teaching their children self-defense lessons should clearly understand the possibilities of these techniques. You should never delude yourself about their effectiveness in the case of children. Firstly, no self-defense techniques will help a fifth-grader to protect himself from an adult man who is two or three times larger, and secondly, in the event of a physical struggle with a group of people, even if they are of the same age, most of the defenses will not give the desired result. Please note that the effectiveness of Western and oriental martial arts greatly exaggerated by the means of the film industry. After all, all the tricks shown in the cinema have been rehearsed many times and performed by professional stuntmen using computer special effects. Therefore, parents who are thinking about how to teach a child to stand up for themselves, - you need to look at things sensibly and not think that the orange kung fu belt will protect your son or daughter in most situations.
Martial arts are effective only in the hands of an adult who has a certain level of skill. Here is the statement of one of the most famous masters of martial arts, who is perhaps one of the few who has reached the peak of perfection in our days - Bruce Lee. " Ninety-nine out of a hundred martial arts is complete nonsense. Everything looks beautiful from the outside, but in practice it does not work at all. If a fragile girl weighing forty-five kilograms is attacked, then all she can do is hit the attacker with all her might at one of three points on her body: groin, eyeballs or lower leg. And after that, you must immediately run away.»
We also recommend that you read our review "How to teach a child to protect themselves from hurt without getting into a fight." You may also be interested in our article on the existing safety standards in playgrounds, because these standards are usually violated, and in recent times playgrounds are increasingly causing injury to toddlers. Therefore, parents need to clearly understand what play equipment should be used for children.
We teach the child to stand up for himself - give him confidence in his abilities and a chance for success
So there is no point in teaching children martial arts, there is no point in teaching him to stand up for himself? Of course it does! Indeed, first of all, any active sport is a training of the spirit, secondly the body, thirdly, physical development and a strong character helps to gain credibility among peers, which is important. And also keep in mind that by combining a strong character and a trained body, you can achieve excellent results not only in protecting yourself from peers. Strength and active sports give the child the opportunity to overcome their weaknesses. To rise above your character, to expand the scope of your capabilities - this applies to both boys and girls. In fact, for this it is not necessary to choose martial arts, your child can be engaged in swimming and hockey and athletics, and, if you wish, in order to learn how to stand up for yourself, you can simultaneously send it for a short time to the boxing or self-defense section. Above all, don't do it too early. Practice shows that if you do not plan to make a fighter out of your child, but only want to teach basic self-defense techniques, then it is better to assign him to the power section after ten years, and even better even from 11-12. Children at this age are already more focused and patient, they are able to assimilate information, draw conclusions and not perceive missed strikes as a tragedy. Although if you are planning to "provide" your child with a black belt, and maybe the title of world champion, then, of course, it is preferable to start earlier, you can be from about six years old to give your child a head start.
Remember, just "waving your hands" is not so difficult, especially at the level of school skirmishes with classmates, it is much more difficult to cultivate such a character in oneself so that others do not even have the desire to enter into physical conflicts. And for this, it is necessary to train not so much muscles or learn technique, but to provide your child with the opportunity to learn the technique of social adaptation, teach him to stand up for himself without getting into a fight, help to gain psychological stability and self-confidence. Then most of the questions with protection will disappear by themselves. The best victory is the one achieved without a fight. And as we said above, it is almost impossible for a junior or even middle school student to physically defend against a teenager or adult. So if your son or daughter is offended and beaten by older children, this is already a question for the leadership of the educational institution and law enforcement agencies, where you need to apply with the appropriate statements and medical examinations.
What style of protection should you choose to effectively teach your child to stand up for themselves?
IN modern world there are many types of martial arts that help protect yourself. Almost everyone positions themselves as the best for development and protection, everyone says that with his help the child will be able to stand up for himself. But you should always take into account that training in the gym and a street fight are completely different things. On the street there are no protective equipment for the body, there are practically no rules, the fight can start spontaneously and quickly end with the help of one strong blow, and the fighters are exposed to strong emotional pressure that hinders them, be it fear or hatred. You also need to understand that there can be several attackers and they can use sticks, stilettos, knives and other dangerous items. Therefore, training in the halls, even with the use of wooden weapons, is often not able to prepare a fighter to face a real danger. Also keep in mind that many martial arts are designed for a long course of study (about seven years before the first master belt) and they are effective only at levels close to mastery. That is, even after practicing in the aikido section for three to five years, your child will not reach the required level to protect himself in a real, and not a training, confrontation.
In general, we will deal with martial arts in more detail and think about where it is better to teach the child to stand up for himself.
An example of basic punching technique with hands
To begin with, we present several schemes of striking technique, so that you can imagine that no matter what defense styles you choose for your child, in a street brawl it is unlikely to avoid punches in its address. Therefore, first of all, of course, the child should be able to resolve conflicts without fists and resort to them last.
Striking technique. Side impact.
Striking technique. Bottom kick.
Striking technique. Direct blow.
Kickboxing, boxing and muay thai
Boxing and its varieties are good for real defense in conditions street conflict, since in 9 cases out of 10 fights consist precisely of powerful short blows to the body and head. And this is where boxers and kickboxers are strong. The disadvantages are that their work does not take into account grips, throws, escapes and release from them, they work a lot with gloves, and when working with fists, the sensations change. Also, in boxing, the weight of the opponent often plays a decisive role, so a light teenager will have a significant drawback in this.
Thai boxing- This is a tougher version of the usual, with the use of elbows and knees, however, with the preservation of a certain part of the shortcomings of classic kickboxing and boxing. The Thai variety of boxing is a very tough sport, it is hardly suitable for children who can easily limit themselves to regular boxing, but the masters of Thai boxing are strong fighters.
That is, these combat techniques are quite effective for quickly teaching striking techniques to children aged 11 and older. In most cases, boxers have a win in the confrontation due to good reaction and the ability to quickly work with their hands, which in 90% of cases is enough for “showdowns” and protection from peers.
SAMBO and various techniques of hand-to-hand combat
The advantage of this style is that it was originally intended to protect oneself in extreme situations and nothing more. Therefore, a lot of "unnecessary" components of martial arts are absent there, there are no spiritual lessons and meditations, only the means to incapacitate the enemy. Moreover, SAMBO, which was developed by Soviet specialists for hand-to-hand combat in a combat zone and its softer civilian version, can be considered the most popular and one of the most effective methods.
But keep in mind that this is a very traumatic and tough sport that is not suitable for everyone and certainly not suitable for young children.
Wrestling - Freestyle, Greco-Roman and Judo
Wrestling schools are very common in the post-Soviet space. They require developed muscles and short distance to the opponent. From a practical point of view, the most effective technique is judo, where not so much emphasis is placed on muscle mass fighter, but it is precisely the possession of the technique of throws, grabs, etc. Although, all the same, in conditions of street confrontation, wrestling technique loses to shock and combined techniques, since the wrestler does not always manage to get close enough and capture the opponent. And in the case of an attack by several people, "fussing on the floor" is completely meaningless. Moreover, it is worth considering that wrestling exercises significantly affect appearance human, therefore, for example, not every girl will agree to become in the end like a "closet" with flat ears.
As a result, different types of wrestling are good for strong, stocky guys who like to "play" with muscles, from the arsenal of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling as well as judo, it is better to choose the latter.
Oriental martial arts
The widest class of martial arts, which became popular in our country after the collapse of the USSR, not least thanks to American militants. But, as we said above, their importance is often overestimated, especially of different styles in which there is a minimal arsenal of punches to the head with hands, for example, in taekwondo and some types of karate. Indeed, in street fight they mainly fight with their hands at close distances and with "beautiful" swinging their legs from a turn, you will knock out few of the trained opponents.
Martial arts, in which the emphasis is strongly shifted to working with traditional oriental weapons, are ineffective in practice. After all, you must admit that few people walk down the street with a samurai sword, staff or nunchucks - which means that the skills of working with them are practically useless. And therefore, for example, ninjutsu looks very beautiful, but in real fight may not be very helpful.
The soft style of aikido, although designed only for the technique of self-defense and for neutralizing the enemy without causing him significant harm, is well suited to "puny" children who can take not by force and rigidity, but by soft exits, throws and footrests. Although, of course, if we talk about the effectiveness in power confrontation, so that a child can qualitatively apply aikido in practice with trained opponents, he must practice for at least five to seven years. But to stop a presumptuous classmate, the very fact of attending a martial arts school and a couple of simple techniques are often enough. It is also worth knowing that the level of a student of this martial art will be lower than that of a fan of a harder style, with equal qualifications.
Also note that existing contactless technicians training in combat, for example, non-contact karate cannot give a student a sufficient level of feeling of real combat, which immediately affects the ability to stand up for oneself in the street. There are often cases when a child seems to be trained in technique, but simply cannot step over the psychological barrier and really hit someone in the face and the whole conflict comes down to passive defense, and skipping large series of punches.
As a result, it can be said that oriental martial arts are very diverse and differ greatly in their practical effectiveness. Therefore, parents need to understand for themselves what they want from this or that section, teach the child to defend himself in a street fight, or simply give him the opportunity to become calmer, more confident and physically more developed. They want the kid to become a master or just be able to learn a few basic stances, punches and blocks. And you always need to take into account the features physical development, age, gender and character.
Conclusions on how best to teach a child to stand up for themselves
Parents should take into account that for a child a psychological sense of confidence is more important than muscles, and confidence should be in their loved ones, in friends, in the adults around them. Practice shows that those children who have parents and support and support and are always ready to help are already reliably protected. If parents are ready not to condemn, but to provide support, then the son or daughter feel as confident and calm as possible, which in most cases is enough for a comfortable feeling of being in a team.
If you decide to send your kid to the martial arts section and teach him to stand up for himself, then try to take into account our brief recommendations given above.
Is your child frequently attacked by peers? Some of the older boys will take away the toy, some will call it a little thing, tripe it, or even hit it in the face. In such cases, many parents wonder how to protect their child? Perhaps the best way out of such situations will be self-defense courses for children in Moscow, which are held on an ongoing basis in sports club"Giant".
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For teenagers, this is what this article will be about. Adolescents are completely different people, unlike adult men or women, and self-defense techniques for them should be slightly different. Of course, the very essence will not change at all, but certain points will be completely different. Self-defense option depends not only on physical fitness, but also on psychological. I would like to note that during physical training, they significantly improve and psychological preparation, - no way without it.
Self defense for teens
If you are one of the parents, then I will allow myself to give advice. There are many options for self-defense, many tricks, cunning, dastardly blows, but at the same time it is very desirable, nevertheless, to have physical strength... If the girls, many, will not be taken to strength training classes, then the guys need to be trained, or sent to the appropriate sections in mandatory, I find. I could of course be wrong. At any age, a guy will not be damaged by a horizontal bar and parallel bars, other exercises with own weight which got the name. Even if there is no horizontal bar and bars, then you can corny push-ups from the floor. Fortunately, a lot. No training with a barbell, kettlebells and other iron is needed - ordinary horizontal bars and parallel bars, which are in almost every yard, will help a teenager and an adult become stronger.
Since we figured out the physical training, you can move on to the next item - psychological training.
Psychological preparation
Psychological preparation is very important role in any fight, and most often the winner is not the one who is stronger, but the one who is more determined. Physical fitness and psychological are very closely related. In any case, a person who plays sports will be more prepared psychologically. This sport can be either Street Workout or any martial art, it doesn't matter. Naturally, such a sport, for example, as chess, will not prepare psychologically. A person, in particular a teenager, when exercising, sees changes in better side, feels stronger, and as a consequence reassurance. It will not be easy to break him both in a street fight and in life in general.
Self defense for teens
Speaking specifically about self-defense, then it is probably worth dividing them into several groups - for the trained and the unprepared.
Despite the fact that there is such a thing as self-defense, do not forget that there is such a thing as running, which is excellent option self defense for teens. If you see that two incomprehensible uncles are walking at you in a dark alley, with clearly ill intentions, then you should not pose as a hero. In this case best remedy self-defense for a teenager, both prepared and unprepared - or more precisely -. By the way, running is also very good sport, - develops respiratory system and strengthens the legs at least. With your legs pumped up with the help of a sprint, it is a good idea to stop by an incomprehensible uncle.
If a teenager is prepared and knows how to carry out a particular blow, then he can use it, and most likely, he will use it automatically - this is the point of preparation. An unprepared ray can escape from incomprehensible uncles. Now, here are some universal recommendations.
A blow to the groin. Naturally, this is a well-known blow, and it is very effective. A shin strike between the legs will make any man experience a painful shock. You just need to find the right moment.
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the coach's guidance quickly acquired them. Hrachik Gegamovich showed himself to be a professional, reasonable, excellent teacher who knows how to motivate a student by teaching him the necessary technique step by step. The child was waiting for the coach's arrival with impatience and completely devoted himself to training, not turning into a fighter and a bully, but remaining a normal well-bred child. I will add that we live in the suburbs (80 km from the Moscow Ring Road). Getting to us is not always convenient and long enough. Hrachik Gegamovich was never late for the appointed training time, which speaks of his obligation and responsibility as a person. The cost of the service was fully consistent with the result obtained. I highly recommend this specialist for classes for absolutely any child.
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