Karate

Know of a case where a person with ADHD enrolled in a Karate type class and became more aware of a kind of (at that time) undiagnosed perceptual difficulty involving the perception of motion/the continuity of thought required to perform a medium to long sequence of ~ Karate type moves.

There’s a lot of variability among those with ADHD and it’s quite possible some persons will benefit in some way from Karate type classes vs others who will not. That’s my view.

My son has been taking Karate for just a month so can’t comment much. It clearly requires bilateral coordination which is the primary reason I signed him up. I have read stories of martial arts helping kids in terms of focus and discipline. I asked about karate versus tae kwon do about a month ago on the parenting bulletin and got lots of stories of good effects that you might like reading.

Beth

YES!!!!!!!!! We enrolled our 10 year old son in karate a year ago September, and are so thankful we did! Eric was diagnosed with ADHD in 3rd grade and began taking Adderall. Around that same time we enrolled him in our community ed karate class. It is Shotokan Karate, which supposedly one of the best forms of karate out there. The students practice twice weekly, and are part of a club that competes against other Shotokan karate clubs in the state and surrounding states. In just over a year, he has advanced 5 belts, and is now working toward his 2nd purple. It’s amazing how much better coordinated he’s become, more disciplined, more focused, etc. It was the best thing we did for him. His coordination has improved 10 fold. He is more self-confident. And, disciplined. There is no fooling around in class. If you do, it’s down and the floor and “give me 10 pushups”! He competes against other kids regularly at scheduled tournaments. I really can’t say enough about it. I hope you consider it for your child. It’s something that parents can get involved with too.

Karate was one of the best things we’ve found for my son’s ADD and apraxia which makes it difficult for him to coordinate his movements. He started 4 years ago and almost has a 2nd degree black belt. It has improved his coordination, attention, and self-confidence. There are other ADD kids in his class and their parents have reported similar improvments. By the time the black belt class is held in the evening, his medication is gone. He is learning how he can pay attention even when “the Adderall is gone”.

Much of it is finding the right instructor. His instructor insists on academic success and “listening to parents and teachers”, more so than being able to do the moves. He doesn’t put up with any nonsense. If a kid isn’t paying attention or laughs at another kid, it’s pushups. He rewards perseverance and courage to try even if a move doesn’t turn out as expected. He teaches these kids much more than karate.