Posts by Chris Bailey93

brightbadger37 said:Hey there
I guess my best advice would be to just take him down to watch a Kyokushin training session meant for little ones. There are plenty of kids right around his age there, and I suppose the whole setup is pretty great—they have an excellent instructor when it comes to working with children. The kids learn all the techniques, they get to hit the focus mitts, and they pick up discipline, but I think it all stays within the realm of play so it’s actually fun for them. There are quite a few kids his size, so he’d probably fit in pretty quickly. Just so you know, I’m talking about the Sosai Kyokushin club. You should probably check out a few other places too, though, and maybe let the little guy decide which one he likes best. I’m just sharing this as a suggestion, really; the main reason I mentioned it is simply because the kids and parents seem happy and the group is well-established.

ant.masaza,

Thanks for the reply. Sounds solid—striking techniques, kids his age, and a decent coach? Hard to beat. We’ll definitely swing by to see how our little ninja reacts🙂.

lonecyclist3 said:Alright, in that case, I don't have much to add... Unless you want to check with the club to see if they're going to fix this or if it’s just staying this way, considering how much everything else seems to suit you guys...🤷

Also, Tae Kwon Do is a Korean martial art and sport, so I'm not quite sure it's appropriate to use the Japanese title 'sensei' for a coach... It might not be an issue here in the States, but Koreans aren't exactly big fans of the Japanese, sooo.... 😬

Thanks a lot for the correction—clearly, I'm a total amateur here.

lonecyclist3 said:@Chris Bailey93 - hmmm... Don't get mad at me, but maybe it’s just the simple smell of a sweaty gym... 😬

People who aren't used to the "musky" scent of a local MMA gym or weight room often mistake it for dampness... Try hitting up some other clubs nearby to see if it's the same thing, then you'll know for sure... 😉

Actual mold and mildew have a totally different vibe... I know because I lived for years in an old house without proper insulation, so all those plastic joints on the exterior walls would sweat from condensation during the winter and grow mold everywhere... 😬

If we're talking about mold, then nope, the air definitely isn't healthy if it's full of spores... But if it's just sweat, hey, there's no winter chill here, and honestly, that's exactly what you want to smell in a gym... 👍

I'm not angry 🙂, really. I actually wish it were just that—we thought the same thing at first since the training room doesn't have windows, so the "scent" just lingers... but that massive green stain on the wall tells a different story 😁. I hit the gym enough to know what sweat smells like 😢, but I'm pretty sure this is something else. It's a shame there aren't more parents here to weigh in; I'd love to be wrong, because like I said, we both really liked the sensei—our son included 😁.😁.

DoomsdayST,

I hope nobody holds this against me—but the humidity here is just brutal. It feels gross. In my opinion, it’s not exactly a healthy environment for training, but hey, that's just how I feel.

DoomsdayST, Jericho,

Thanks for taking the time to get back to me. That’s actually the crux of it—we’re looking for a gym that offers more than just daycare; we want actual striking technique, at least for now. We checked out Dan-Gun and really liked the sensei’s 🙂 approach with the kids, but honestly, the facility itself—specifically the training space 😢—is a bit of a dealbreaker.

My 4-year-old is basically a living Ninja Turtle—constantly practicing his moves everywhere he goes 🙂. We’re looking to get him into a real martial arts class, but we’ve hit a bit of a wall with age requirements. We’re based in Chicago. Does anyone have recommendations for a club (TKD, Karate, etc.) that actually takes kids this young? So far, our only lead for Taekwondo is Dan-Gun. Thanks in advance!