Welcome to AikiWeb Aikido Information
AikiWeb: The Source for Aikido Information
AikiWeb's principal purpose is to serve the Internet community as a repository and dissemination point for aikido information.

Sections
home
aikido articles
columns

Discussions
forums
aikiblogs

Databases
dojo search
seminars
image gallery
supplies
links directory

Reviews
book reviews
video reviews
dvd reviews
equip. reviews

News
submit
archive

Miscellaneous
newsletter
rss feeds
polls
about

Follow us on



Home > AikiWeb Aikido Forums
Go Back   AikiWeb Aikido Forums > General

Hello and thank you for visiting AikiWeb, the world's most active online Aikido community! This site is home to over 22,000 aikido practitioners from around the world and covers a wide range of aikido topics including techniques, philosophy, history, humor, beginner issues, the marketplace, and more.

If you wish to join in the discussions or use the other advanced features available, you will need to register first. Registration is absolutely free and takes only a few minutes to complete so sign up today!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-24-2005, 09:11 AM   #1
Pablo Tamargo
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7
Mexico
Offline
Aikido for kids?

Hi there,

My wife is looking into Aikido training, and my kids 11 and 13 want to train too. I haven't been able to find a school (near katy, Tx) that will take kids for Aikido, they will offer Karate or Tae kwon do, but I don't want the "sports" version of a martial art for them.

Is there a reason why not to teach kids? or I'm just not looking in the right places?

What do you think about Aikido training for the young ones ?
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2005, 10:07 AM   #2
Janet Rosen
 
Janet Rosen's Avatar
Location: Left Coast
Join Date: May 2002
Posts: 4,339
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Plenty of dojo offer kids classes. If you read around this website you will find many such discussion threads. It is not at all unusual for kids classes to be offered, often starting at age 6 or 7 depending on the dojo. In other dojo, there are no separate kids classes but older kids such as yours might be allowed in adult classes.

Janet Rosen
http://www.zanshinart.com
"peace will enter when hate is gone"--percy mayfield
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2005, 10:26 AM   #3
Pablo Tamargo
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7
Mexico
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Thank's Janet,

I have been looking into the diferent threads this morning, and found some info on that issue. I found one school that will take the kids, is going to be a long raid but if the instructor id good, it will be worthed.

Pablo.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2005, 10:36 AM   #4
Bronson
 
Bronson's Avatar
Dojo: Seiwa Dojo and Southside Dojo
Location: Battle Creek & Kalamazoo, MI
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 1,677
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Have you tried the DOJO SEARCH here on AikiWeb? You can do a radius search up to 75 miles from your city. When I ran Katy Tx it gave 16 dojo within 50 miles and 19 within 75 miles.

Good luck,

Bronson

Last edited by Bronson : 02-24-2005 at 10:42 AM.

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-24-2005, 04:57 PM   #5
Yuukanna
Location: California
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2
United_States
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

I would certainly even RECOMMEND Aikido for kids.

I started Aikido when I was in fourth grade. Of all the things I've done in my life, Aikido is one of the things that has made the greatest impact on me, and even after being away from it for nearly 10 years... it is still a great part of me, and I will be studying and practicing now until the day I die... and I like to believe, afterward as well.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 05:38 AM   #6
bogglefreak20
Dojo: Ki dojo
Location: Ljubljana
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 102
Slovenia
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

In our dojo (I train in Ki Aikido) we tend NOT to accept kids (say under 15, 16 yrs old) because our sensei feels it takes a person a bit more mature (by this I don't mean physically but mentaly).

There is a lot of talk about Ki, Harmony with nature, people etc. and usually most kids don't think too much about that since they've got ohter stuff in their mind - namely who they are, what they like to do and how they fit in their milleau (there are of course exceptions to the rule).

The policy isn't very strict though. There is one kid of about 12 who began training this year. He seem eager enough but I'm not sure how he feels about all that Ki stuff. I guess we'll see if he sticks.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 11:50 AM   #7
Don_Modesto
Dojo: Messores Sensei (Largo, Fl.)
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,267
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Quote:
Dustin Wills wrote:
I started Aikido when I was in fourth grade.
Did you teacher have you do small joint manipulation?

As a teacher, that makes me nervous re: developing joints. I'd tend to do a lot of KOKYU NAGE rather than, e.g., NIKYO or SHIHO NAGE for that reason. What say you with your experience at such a tender age?

Thanks.

Don J. Modesto
St. Petersburg, Florida
------------------------
http://www.theaikidodojo.com/
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 12:13 PM   #8
Yokaze
 
Yokaze's Avatar
Dojo: Five Dragons
Location: Sonoma State University
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 93
United_States
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Quote:
Don J. Modesto wrote:
Did you teacher have you do small joint manipulation?

As a teacher, that makes me nervous re: developing joints. I'd tend to do a lot of KOKYU NAGE rather than, e.g., NIKYO or SHIHO NAGE for that reason.
You are absolutely right here. At such a young age, I would think it would be a good idea to have the kids do a lot of kata (self-practice) with the bokken and jo, as well as focusing on extension and tai sabaki rather than joint manipulation.

The various kokyu nage are wonderful, as well as endless tenkan. Ikkyo and Irimi nage should be okay as well, so long
as they go slow and are careful. Heck, even Koshi nage and Kaiten nage should be acceptable for the advanced kids.

As well, childhood is the perfect time to develop correct ukemi, so that when the harsher joint-manipulating techs come later, they are capable of keeping injury-free.

Respectfully given...

"The only true victory is victory over oneself."

Rob Cunningham
3rd Kyu

Icon courtesy of Norbert Knoll http://www.aikido-verein-hannover.de
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 01:05 PM   #9
Yuukanna
Location: California
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 2
United_States
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

I believe you are right (Don Modesto & Yokaze), and I also believe that is the majority of what we practiced.

Regarding talk of Ki energy... I remember being tested and having to explain the meaning of Aikido... I remember trying to memorize words, rather than an understanding. Something about the way or path to harmony (whatever that means) with... the essense of the universe? or something like that. I got to where I could recite it, but not really understand what I was saying.

I can certainly credit Bogglefreak's comments in that respect. However, it wasn't long before that meaning came to me, and the words were understood and I came to my own deep understanding of it.
Regardless of the words also, the technique learned, and the common principals and the example shown by my sensei, showed me the same, on a level that I could understand. Actions speak louder than words, it is especially true with children whose understanding of vocabulary is not as great.

Also... back to the technique practiced as children, we certainly did do alot of Ukemi! I was proud at that age to be able to leap over car size mounds and ukemi correctly... LoL

Last edited by Yuukanna : 02-25-2005 at 01:07 PM. Reason: added more comments
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 04:13 PM   #10
Jorge Garcia
Dojo: Shudokan School of Aikido
Location: Houston
Join Date: Jun 2001
Posts: 608
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Paul,
I teach at the Shudokan School of Aikido and we probably have one of the larger kids groups in this part of Texas with over 30 kids in our program. We have a preteen class that runs from ages 10 -13 from 6 to 7 pm twice a week and they can come to a mixed class on Saturdays as well if they want. I also teach at the Shindokan dojo which is on Highway 6 which is a new program and is still very small but they are welcome there as well. Don't be fooled by the mapping distance. That feature on Aikiweb lists both my locations as 28 miles away but I know that's impossible since Shudokan is about a 15 minute drive east of Shindokan. I have students that come from Katy. It's a short 15 to 25 minute drive depending on which one you go to. We are the closest thing to you anyway. Hope to see your family soon.
Jorge Garcia
http://www.shudokanaikido.com

"It is the philosophy that gives meaning to the method of training."
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 09:54 PM   #11
Pablo Tamargo
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 7
Mexico
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Thank´s to all of you,

It is great to have people responding so fast and with interest.

Jorge, my wife and I were just talking about going to visit the Shindokan dojo tommorrow, and then I saw your mesage, I think we will be there tomorrow at 1100 hrs.

Thanks again,
Pablo.
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-25-2005, 10:31 PM   #12
bryce_montgomery
 
bryce_montgomery's Avatar
Location: Tupelo, MS
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 180
United_States
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

I think that doing a lot of kokyu nage, irimi nage, and other projections would be alright for the kiddos as long as they stay away from joint manipulation due to growing joints...

Bryce
  Reply With Quote
Old 02-26-2005, 10:19 AM   #13
Don_Modesto
Dojo: Messores Sensei (Largo, Fl.)
Location: Florida
Join Date: Mar 2001
Posts: 1,267
Offline
Re: Aikido for kids?

Quote:
Bryce Montgomery wrote:
I think that doing a lot of kokyu nage, irimi nage, and other projections would be alright for the kiddos as long as they stay away from joint manipulation due to growing joints...e
Pursuant to which: http://www.aikidoaus.com.au/dojo/index4.htm (the author has recently come onto the board; might direct questions to him...)

Scary.

Don J. Modesto
St. Petersburg, Florida
------------------------
http://www.theaikidodojo.com/
  Reply With Quote

Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Omoto-kyo Theology senshincenter Spiritual 80 06-10-2022 08:32 AM
Aikido in Amsterdam, Terry Lax style... tiyler_durden General 11 11-03-2008 08:31 AM
Mixing Aikido with other martial arts Guilty Spark General 146 05-04-2008 10:10 AM
Women and Everybody Else in Aikido George S. Ledyard Teaching 113 03-16-2008 07:27 PM
Aikido: Its Spirit and Technique TAnderson General 0 02-27-2007 07:50 AM


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 09:51 PM.



vBulletin Copyright © 2000-2024 Jelsoft Enterprises Limited
----------
Copyright 1997-2024 AikiWeb and its Authors, All Rights Reserved.
----------
For questions and comments about this website:
Send E-mail
plainlaid-picaresque outchasing-protistan explicantia-altarage seaford-stellionate