What is the VERY youngest a child should be allowed to take Martial Arts?

I think a child can start martial arts as early as 4. I think by age 4 they have good coordination (or good enough at least) and are at a good age to start learning about self discipline and structure. At such a young age they don't compete so they aren't in any danger.

MARTIAL ARTS IS A NON CONTACT "SPORT"..SO KIDS DO NOT KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO GET HURT SO GO ABOUT WHACKING OTHER KIDS..
WHEN KIDS LEARN BOXING THEY GET HIT OCCASSIONALLY AND THEREFORE ARE LESS LIKELY TO BECOME BULLIES AND ARE MORE AWARE OF THEIR SKILLS AND ITS DANGERS,
GOOD LUCK!

My son, who was 5 at the time, took tae kwon do. He did fairly well but because he was the youngest, the Master let him get away with things us other students wouldnt dare. Its good discipline and they learn respect that can be applied in every day life. When my son got older we also spent two years learning Escrima which is open hand and weapons. When you find a studio, ask other parents how they feel it is going for their child. Good luck!

usually sincere martial artspractitioners,like jet li, brandon lee started training from the age of 4.
honestly that would be too early, but rigourous practise from that age can be a boon in the future, if your child takes it up. his flexibility, strenghth would be superior to thodse who just start it.
it would also be a good sort of pass time. i doubt u are gonn asend your kid to do martial arts for self defence, it doesnt make sence at that age.
in the shaolin temple in china, kungfa practitioners usually start from the age of 4, by the time they are 10 or 12 they have mastered a lot of difficult technioques, which even grown ups have difficulty in doing.
it actaully depends on your child, if he or she is truely interested, honestly instructors dont expect much from kids below 7 years- . martial atrs is not wat u see on tv. its not all gore and blood. if your apprehensive that your child will be more prone tro violence, dont worry thats not gonna happen

Wekk in my area,,They can start as 3,and i think it deoends on mature the child is at that age..but persoanlly i think it shoud be 4..Skylar wants to so very bad..he sees movies and copies everything he sees..and yet he knows he cant do that to other people, unless hes in class for it..and I feel hes really ready...and it also gives them a way to get aggression and energy out in the winter time instaed oof being all cooped up in the winter..

AS SOON AS THEY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE DOING IT FOR, BUT YOU SHOULD MAKE SURE THEY'RE DOING IT BECAUSE THEY ARE INTERESTED IN IT NOT BECAUSE YOU WANT THEM TO

To my small son not flat the martial limbs. It prefers to make other sports

I think children should start Martial Arts at the age of 5/6. I started practising karate when I was 6 until I had 14. Karate is a sport where the focus is to learn self-defense so it's not a sport to train fighting as many people usually think and so I think there is absolutly no problem for a young child to start learning any martial art. I started young and I can say I never had a fight with anyone so it isn't a martial art what makes us violent.

Well I used to think that my brother started his son too early at 6 years old, but I have changed my opinion since, as he explain that the very first and most importand thing that they teach the young ones is respect and disipline and they are taught never to use it for anything but defense.

my son took some karate lessons at the age of 4, that was the youngest they let him in at the place i took him, but they taught him some karate moves but they also taight him what to do if a stranger would grab him and they also taught him never to use the karate punches and kicks on siblings and other children.