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Ultimate fights expand to include kids

By Marcus Kabel

March 27th, 2008

CARTHAGE, Mo. - Ultimate fighting was once the sole domain of burly men who beat each other bloody in anything-goes brawls on pay-per-view TV.

But the sport often derided as "human cockfighting" is branching out.

The bare-knuckle fights are now attracting competitors as young as 6 whose parents treat the sport as casually as wrestling, Little League or soccer.

The changes were evident on a recent evening in southwest Missouri, where a team of several young boys and one girl grappled on gym mats in a converted garage.

Two members of the group called the "Garage Boys Fight Crew" touched their thin martial-arts gloves in a flash of sportsmanship before beginning a relentless exchange of sucker punches, body blows and swift kicks.

Read on...

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Defending Oneself: Students Learn Values, Have Fun in Area Martial Arts Classes

By Sean Golden
Monday December 10th, 2007

Lancaster Eagle-Gazette

FAIRFIELD COUNTY - With the hard work and dedication that is required to become proficient, learning martial arts can instill an important trait in the youth who participate: Discipline.

There are several local locations where martial arts instruction is offered, giving Fairfield County a strong foundation where the arts of self-defense are concerned.

John Ward has been instructing students at Jay T Will Kenpo Karate in Baltimore for 18 years, and said there are numerous benefits for young kids who try martial arts. "The camaraderie, the team spirit, dealing with winning and losing, all those things build character," Ward said.

With the instruction of children, sometimes it's helpful to soften the idea of physical confrontation.