That said, 7 years old is to young for most children. They just don't have the maturity. Stop pushing your son. If you keep pushing it is likely that he will never want to train.
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You are a 2nd Dan in kickboxing? Your instructor is a sensei? Those 2 statements do not go together.
Historically the sport of kickboxing does not have a belt ranking system. There are some independent gyms that use a color belt but it is not recognized anywhere but that school.
Kickboxers have coaches not sensei. Sensei is a title that is associated with Okinawan and Japanese martial arts.
If a child does not want t learn martial arts, compete in sports, football, basketball, kickboxing, etc you should not force them. It is not fair to the child neither is it fair to the instructor or coach to have to deal with a child that doesn't want to be there. It is not pleasant for either of them.
Edit:
As I said Historically there are no color belt ranking system in place for Kickboxing. There are some schools that use colored belts. There rank is not accepted anywhere but that school. Basically they copied the colored belts from karate and other arts that use it. Often they are thought of as mcdojo. Notice i said thought of as.
Have rank in TKD or Karate is not the same as having rank in kickboxing. Having it origin from Seidokaikan Karate does not have anything to do with the issuing of rank. When K-1 began no one had rank in kickboxing. Yes some had rank in karate. But not in kickboxing.
It might be just because he doesn't like KICKBOXING. Not everybody likes every style of martial art, or maybe even the schools way of teaching it. Try putting him at a few different schools, different martial arts styles. Kids tend to want to do something that they can relate to, meaning the things he see's on tv, movies and video games. Since kickboxing isn't usually seen in those categories it's not something that he is interested in, as opposed to if he was in a kungfu school learning to use his fist and weapons because he can relate to the tv shows and video games that have that type of stuff.
Just something to consider,
"My child doesn't want to do martial arts?"
If he doesn't want to do martial arts, you're wrong to try and force him, and will only make his opposition to it even stronger.
Find a sport he does like...they all tend to be good for promoting discipline and fitness, and that combined with building trust with your son, and being a solid parent should also help keep him out of bad activities.
Short of that, you could go on to visit other martial arts schools, where different types of martial arts are taught...and see if he has any interest in any of those.
If needed, could you not teach your son some basic self defense techniques???
Then don't force him. If he doesn't want to do karate, then don't make him, either wise you're going to cause further embarrassment to yourself and sensei. Martial arts is not the only sport there is, there are many other options for your son. See if he has an interest in any other sports, or something like any activity that can get him physically involved and stay fit. I'm a first degree black belt and been in karate for 6 years, but it was my choice and I enjoy doing it. The importance is if the person enjoys doing what he/she does. If your son doesn't enjoy it or like doing it, you're just wasting your time and his. Let him decide what sport he wants to do. You shouldn't make someone do something against their will. Your son probably has different likes and talents than you do. Martial arts isn't for everyone. I've first tried out basketball, but didn't like it as much. I then started doing karate, and then stuck with it because I was good at it and liked doing it. Let your son decide for himself, and see what he's good at (his talents/hobbies).
If he doesn't want to do it, then don't force him. Martial arts or any other kind of activity, isn't for every person. Yes it can help in self defense, but if he's wise enough, he won't get into fights anyway. And another point to make across, is that even if you get into fights, half the time you don't use what you already know and act impulsively, unless you're a pro fighter. So just find what he likes to do and encourage him on that. You could of course give it a few more tries, but if he holds firm then don't make him.
There is an old quote which I cannot remember who said it but it has something to do with children taught martial arts is a strain on both relationships. There are various reasons why he might not be doing it. I remember a child I taught who was great and when he was told by a teacher that Martial arts was bad an just about violence, he started to refuse doing it until I showed him how most of us were actually never involved in fights. you may want to ask him why he does not want to be like his dad.
There is only one thing worse than a bad student....
A student who is being forced to train when they don't want to.
I think you will find (in my experience with teaching kids) that eventually in time your son will start getting curious and wonder what it is all about and may want to start training anyway especially if his friends start doing it.
Your instructor (kickboxing doesn't have sensei) should be aware that any child forced to train could in all likelyhood become disruptive and cause negative elements in the class.
I simply did not entertain children who did not want to train-i sent them home or if that was not safe or possible they were told to sit in the spectator seats until their parent collected them-if the child was continually disruptive their parent would be told not to bring them back-the same would apply to my own son-i would not take him.
As children grow older, they start trying to get out of their shell of childhood, like a baby chick. One way they do this is through individualization and creation of their own identity. Since the only way they can do this is to be different from the people around them, the only method they know to become their own individual is to rebel or go against the rules.
There are of course children who admire adults and wish to become like them, but there are also children who are more independent orientated and will hate being like the people around them. This doesn't just mean their parents, but also their friends and those at school.
This period of maturity seeking makes children seek out knowledge and abilities that other people do not have, in order to reinforce their own identity (that they are unique and not a clone of anybody else). In this fashion society benefits because the rarest skills will be evenly distributed as individuals seek to become better or different through acquiring unique skills, abilities, and experience.
Your best bet is to stop thinking about getting your son to do the "same things" as you, and start talking to him about him doing something you have never done or thought about doing. You'll have an easier time making things appealing to him if you don't make it look like you are trying to make him into a clone copy of yourself.
Martial arts should not be about cloning somebody else's techniques but creating your own way in the path of experience and battle knowledge. The "art" cannot merely be "copycat techniques".
As such, martial arts does not need to be from your style or the style of your fathers. If your son is interested in something else that may be a martial art, but not what you are doing, you would have better chances engaging him on a discussion about what interests him. Rather than trying to motivate him from your own experiences.
Also, you will find that teaching your family yourself will always work better than making someone else do it for you.
Don't force him into the role, or he'll just end up hating it, and the time he spends with you. What you might consider, though, is doing a little one on one training with him. I don't wanna force my kid into the disciplinary role yet, so I set goals, like 20-30 min of working on a couple techniques, then another hour of some kind of activity, like soccer or bike riding. That's how he earns his video games, and he doesn't complain about the deal.
I am 2nd dan black belt in kickboxing and I teach it. My 7 year old son refuses to do martial arts. He will not do it at all. My father started me into kickboxing when I was 6 I was the same as my son, I did not want to go but it was for my own benefit for self defence, discipline, to keep fit and to keep me out of bad activities. What can I do to get my child into this sport? I have tried everything but once he is in the Dojo he will try everything to get back out, it also looks bad on my Sensei as well when he visits and my son running away from me.
Wait and see. Once a child sets his mind like that, waiting is all you can do. Has he seen what a high level sparring match or class look like? If not try showing him that, but just watching! If he still doesn't want, then ASK HIM which martial arts he WOULD like to practise, if I were you I'd suggest karate as its full contact sparring is similar to kickboxing. If he tells you he doesn't want to practise martial arts, ask him why, and then wait a few weeks or months or years even. He might never want to practise and you have to respect that.
Just like my father once have tried to make me do "Tarung Drajat" self defense technique from Indonesia that used mostly physical strength...it end up I don't want to learn it because I don't like to train my body as fighting machine, I like self defense techniques that used for women, old person, and kids because it has a lot of strategies, and don't emphasize on physical development only.
Every child has it own talent and hobby, I myself like martial arts so my father was correct to guide me to that world, but he once have tried to asked me to learn guitar, keyboard or singing and when I tried it it was a disaster because I don't know anything about music and can't learn it even it had taken 6 months to learn, it is different when I learn any kind of martial arts from a book, I always feel eager to learn deeper to know it well.
Perhaps you and your father has the same hobby and talent but not your child, try to find what is your child's hobby than polish it let it develop. Support your child if the activity is positive and tell your child if your child done something wrong, you must guide your child to find his/her own path of life.
Learning martial arts sometimes it means you learn to find your own dao (do) or path not only how to kick and punch or making your opponents lose every time they meet you. It is better to make your child close to you than make your child looks like obedient to you but in the back of you your child done what you don't like and it is wrong
Maybe boxing seems more "bad ***" to him. If not, wait until he's a little bit older and maybe then he will be more interested in any martial arts you want him to cooperate in. But don't force him. It's ok to push him, but never force him, because if you make him do something he doesn't want to do , he might just give martial arts up for a Very long time.
@Pug and JW.
Seidokaikan Karate an offshoot of Kyokushin Karate was the founding style of K-1 kickboxing and a large number of K-1 champions train exclusively in Karate and Taekwondo systems. It's entirely possible to have a dan ranking in Kickboxing.
@ the OP
Don't force him, find out what activities he does like and try to incorporate some training into those activities, he might become comfortable with the idea of training or he might not but forcing stubborn people only makes them dig their heals in harder.
The world has changed completely since your childhood. What applied then does not apply now. If you've tried everything then the only thing left is to stop trying.
Don't force him, jeez. You're a coach? You should know this type of thing. I mean, jesus he's 7 man! Forcing it won't help, he won't remember anything. Well until he gets to the point when he gets punched in the face then he will urge you to do it.
You can't force someone to do these kind of things, it doesn't matter if he's young, you should still respect his decisions. And who knows, maybe he'll have a change of heart eventually.
Theres nothing you can really do if he has no intrest in it. The same goes for kids learning a musical instrument.
telle him that youll get him ice cream after every class of he does it make surevhe does join because learning self defence is very important
It's his choice. Don't force him. He'll end up resenting you.
if he really doesn't want to do it, you won't be able to make him, and you'll just weaken your bond with him, so maybe stop trying?
It's not his cup of tea. Try cheerleading
