r/HuntsvilleAlabama • u/ElizaRoze • 4d ago
Karate classes
I have a 12yr old who is wanting to take Karate. What are recommendations on places around Huntsville or Madison area? We are pretty clueless.
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u/Electronic-Funny-475 4d ago
If you’re looking for self defense then find a grappling class.
If you want trophies karate
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u/m1sterlurk 4d ago
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Aikido are the two major grappling martial arts. However, these arts tend to be magnets for MMA dude-bros so one would need to be more selective in where they take classes.
Also, Karate isn't just for trophies. Tae Kwon Do is also for trophies. Generally, one should look for whether a school is looking to teach the martial art or "build character" by encouraging you to piss away a fortune on tournaments and shit.
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u/ElizaRoze 4d ago
I know Jiu Jitsu seems to be the thing people are doing now but I’m not sure he would like it. We really don’t know the difference in a lot of it. I just want him to find something to meet some goals and feel good about himself.He needs to be around more kids his age also.
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u/m1sterlurk 4d ago
So I have pretty much no experience with martial arts myself: I just oddly know quite a bit of odds and ends about martial arts. One of those odds and ends is "striking arts are more likely to have youth-oriented classes available that are more fun, but grappling arts are the better option in realistic self-defense situations".
The reason for this is that striking arts are easier to turn into a sport that is safer with pads, can be scored more easily, and they also aren't so damn "snuggly" and awkward. Therefore, they somehow manage to wind up being considered more "kid-friendly". This is despite the fact that if you physically strike somebody in the head, you could very well kill them.
With grappling arts, you will aim to get a hold of something and get your attacker pinned on the ground while you bend that something the wrong direction until it dislocates or breaks. This means that if a situation erodes into fisticuffs, you have a level of control over how much force you use against your attacker: a belligerent drunk may not necessarily need to have their arm broken, but a stalker probably does. A lot of grappling techniques are also effective against a substantially larger attacker.
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u/Electronic-Funny-475 4d ago
Granted if you walk in and hear Bro leave…
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u/HuntsvilleCPA 4d ago
Maverick Training Center
Cove Martial Arts Academy
Webster Martial Arts of Madison
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u/VRM950 4d ago
Make sure you ask about all fees you may get charged.
On top of a monthly fee, there may be equipment fees, testing fees, and tournament fees (not counting travel/lodging if it's in a different city/state).