That's awsome. I know your very proud. I hope he sticks with it. Watch for burn out. My son was in Taekwondo when he was younger and fought in tournaments for two years. After nationals, he quit competing. He just got burnt out with all the extra practice.
Exactly right, and the biggest reason we're careful not to push too hard to attend every single class... if it's pretty outside, and he's got friends out playing we'll let him miss karate to stay and run around with everyone, things like that. That way he doesn't begrudge karate as something getting in the way of him having fun, but it's just another way to have fun.
Nice job to your boy Greg! That's impressive!!! My 6yr old son just just took up TKD this past year - and he really likes it (just purchased all his sparring gear last night). I had zero clue about it, and wasn't crazy about him joining, but now that I've got to watch him earn belts and to see just the basic respect and rules they learn - I'm all for it!
Last year was his first full year of tackle... absolutely CRAZY about it. He played tight end and middle linebacker. He LOVES to hit hard. Last summer before the league started, he attended a camp with about 200 other kids from around the area and was one of six recognized for their efforts throughout the week. We're thinking wrestling is going to elevate his football game even further, and he's excited about it from that aspect.
Greg you are one helluva father I know the time commitment it takes and you wouldn't have it any other way. Congrats to you and your son! Tony
That's cool Greg,congrats to him and you too.:D I wish my son would have had time to compete when he was getting his BB.(earned it when he was 7 in TKD)He was a little terror and even the older kids in class hated sparring with him.They knew they would have to hurt him to stop him.
Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the comments. I'm going to let Matthew read them all later tonight. bz, you're right... there's some VERY nice underlying messages that they pick up from such a discipline. I can tell you the biggest thing I've enjoyed is watching my boy learn how to overcome... The night before one of his big tournaments up in St. Louis, we were playing basketball out in the street together and he turned his ankle bad. He immediately dropped to the ground as if he'd been shot and whimpered -- something he just doesn't do; I knew it was pretty severe. I scooped him up in my arms and carried him inside. He lay on the couch the rest of the night with it elevated and iced. I told him we wouldn't go to the tournament the next day, but he insisted on at least seeing how it was in the morning. The next day, he rolled out of bed, put pressure on it, and sank to the ground. Again, I said no, we weren't going. He talked me into driving up and we'd test it again at the tourney. We wrapped it up tight to support it, he limped out into the ring, and exploded on his opponents, barely losing a point the whole tourney. He limped away with two more first-place trophies, and the confidence that comes with perservering.
My son didn't quit Taekwondo. He just stopped competing in tournaments. Regular classes were two days per week and had tourament practice 2-3 days a week. It was just too much. He continued to train for about ten years after that and received his second dan black belt.
Good to hear. We've actually set a goal for Matthew that if he earns his 2nd degree Dan by the time he's 16, I'll help buy his first vehicle... That way, like you guys, we can make it a long-term fun ride by placing stretch goals to look forward to later on as well as some of his more immediate ones.
Thats too cool man. Thats alot of acomplisment for a lil guy. I was much like him as a kid. Dad got me into hapkido to help me defend myself. I was a army brat and everywhere we moved I got picked on.. Until they seen me in the local paper!! Its great for kids to learn respect and discipline.
