Quote:
Cliff Judge wrote:
I have read some warnings about bone growth plates in children being an issue for martial arts - too much trauma can really be really detrimental to a child's lifelong joint health. The problem is, i have seen Aikido, Judo, and Karate each get singled out as the "worst." Aikido because of joint locks, Judo because of hard falls, Karate because of the impact of striking.
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With Karate - I would be concerned most with the snapping of elbows during punching exercises.
I used to coach kids Judo in Japan (read volunteer at the village dojo) and those kids never really fell that hard - lots of grab, teeter, fall over, and wrestle on the ground. Of course by the time they got to the teen years the throws started looking more awesome.