Karate for kid to reduce weight

Chaby · White Belt

Is Karate a good way for kid to burn some kilos? 13YO boy with problems with weight is determined to loose weight and become healthy. He is also a huge martial arts fan that's why his choice is Karate, but there are no cretainty that will help him. Anyways can you recommend any place in London that you have experience with? There are several sites like this: https://zoptamo.com/uk/s-karate-c-uk but there are no opinions on any school. Thanks for any help.

JR 137 · Black Belt

Welcome to the forum Chaby.

I don't know London (I'm in the States). I also don't know what is easily accessible, but I'm quite confident that London is a pretty large city and not everything is equally easy to get to.

People ask about which art is best all the time. There is no best art. There is only best fit for the student.

Find out all the places that accessible. Eliminate places that conflict with your schedule. Eliminate places you can't afford.

With this narrowed down list, visit these schools. Some will have great teachers, others will have not so great teachers. Some will have ideal students to train alongside, others won't.

When you visit the schools, you'll get a sense of the atmosphere, the work rate, and so on. Basically, you'll know which school is the right fit.

Forget about styles, pick a school. Let's say Judo burns more calories than karate (not an unreasonable assumption). Where will he burn more calories, the Judo club that he hates to go to and quits after 1 month, or the karate club he loves to go to 4 nights a week and stays at for years?

DWx · Black Belt

Welcome to the forums Chaby.

Whereabouts in London are you? I know of a few places but will depend on where you're located.

Any exercise will be beneficial and if he is interested in martial arts them karate would be a great choice. From personal experience the martial arts tend to promote healthy lifestyles as a whole and most schools are incredibly supportive of you trying to better yourself.

As JR said, choosing a school is more about the people and atmosphere than the style. He had to enjoy going if he's to stick with it. You might find the following helpful:

http://www.karateforums.com/dwx-s-guide-to-choosing-a-martial-arts-school-vt44262.html

I would also say support needs to come from home too which I'm sure you're keen to do. Weight loss will come from changes in diet as well as exercise so it would be good to start making simple changes at home too. Phase out the sugary breakfast cereals in favour of high fibre low sugar alternatives. Cut back on juice in favour of water or sugar free squash. nhs website has loads of tips

https://www.nhs.uk/change4life-beta/be-food-smart#
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"Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it." ~ Confucius

Chaby · White Belt

Heyy, thanks for all of advices you posted here, they are super useful

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

For maximum benefit to health and overall wellness, whatever the choice may be should be made into a daily habit. If it is karate, then train and practice some of it every day. Even if it is just a few minutes, making it the most intense few minutes of the day. Results will come in time

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

To loose weight of course everyone knows about diet and exercise; if it was just that easy.

Keep in mind "The after burn effect"

It is not enough to just burn calories while exercising.

TABE will burn calories while not exercising.

The difference is like jogging and sprinting.

With jogging burning calories is slow while sprinting calories burn up quicker.

Tapping a punching bag vs heavy hard hitting.

Cars burn more fuel if a person accelerates fast compared to driving slowly.

The story of the Turtle and Rabbit, which one burns more calories in any given day?

Moving fast with weights burns calories fast, even while resting with the help of TABE.

singularity6 · Pre-Black Belt

One of the primary reasons I chose to take up martial arts was because of physical fitness. I'm pushing 40, and I was getting close to 200lb (at 5'10", that's not bad, but I was softer than I preferred to be.) Before taking a break, I was down by about 15lb, and way stronger than before. I'd highly recommend it to anyone for fitness, but please realize that it's not a magic bullet. Just going to class for 2 or 3 hours per week is a start, but it won't be enough. Practicing outside of class, as well as other exercise routines, combined with an appropriate diet will help yield faster and better results.
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5th Geup Jidokwan Tae Kwon Do/Hap Ki Do

(Never officially tested in aikido, iaido or kendo)

Spartacus Maximus · Black Belt

A general rule is find something interesting and enjoyable and do it as often as possible. Whether it is a martial art or a sport; if it requires regular practise to be good, there will be results. The rest depends on making the necessary changes in lifestyle and eating habits.

Lupin1 · Black Belt

It'll definitely help him get stronger and healthier and help his self-confidence which can lead to even more healthier habits, but remember that weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Cutting out sweets, soft drinks, and sugar will go much further.

Alan Armstrong · Black Belt

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