My kid is in karate right now, I think they baby him way too much. They need to teach the kids discipline with consequence. The way they are doing it now is a watered down version of what many of us went through. We did full contact sparring with no pads. I want him to know how it feels if he gets struck by an actual opponent trying to hurt him. I think teaching the kids to take a punch is helpful as well. Am I being too harsh? I just want to prepare him for the real world.