Little kids & Aikido
I used to teach in a parks and recreation program where the children were as young as 4 years old. Once a year I teach a workshop for a local Athletic Club where the children range in age from 4.5 years to 12 years of age.
In my private dojo, I do not let in children younger than 7 any more. Here's why:
1. Mental focus or lack of. The younger children actually need a shorter class 35 - 45 minutes and they need to be kept in constant motion. This puts a strain on the curriculum.
2. Skeletal structure. Younger children still have not developed the rigidity in their collarbone and other long bones that a child of 7 and older has. This sometimes can lead to "greenstick" fractures which can go unnoticed unless the child has an X-ray. Since rolling the way we do in Aikido can put stress on the collarbone, this is a risk I choose to live without.
3. Lastly, I see far too many children being brought in to the martial arts for "discipline" when they most likely should be running around outside like "wild indians" and just playing and being "kids".
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