Is Aikido a good martial art for children?

Adults may practice Aikido for stress reduction, relaxation, self-defense, its many cardiovascular benefits, or for many other reasons. But these are concepts that most kids don’t even think about or care about. So why is Aikido a good idea for children? What can you bring to their lives and yours? (assuming you are a parent)

Below are 10 reasons to try Aikido if your son or daughter has shown any interest in physical activity and specifically martial arts training or if your child has shown signs of attention deficit disorder or ADHD.

1) Aikido is a “non-aggressive” martial art. What does this mean? Basically that the fundamental principles of Aikido do not encourage self-defense at all costs. Generally speaking, Aikido classes are not taught with a kick-and-punch mentality out of conflict. In essence, you don’t really start a fight with Aikido, but you can certainly finish one. Aikido does not encourage children to emulate the Power Rangers or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by hitting and kicking their friends, siblings, dogs and cats. Technical Aikido begins when someone else “breaks the rules”, that is, attacks. More importantly, Aikido teaches children that fighting is the last resort in dealing with conflict.

2) Aikido emphasizes remaining calm, relaxed, and balanced. Of course, children cannot and should not be quiet all the time. But Aikido teaches them that they have a choice. Whether they need to sit still in school or focus on homework or stay focused during sports, Aikido teaches them the fundamentals of “going within” and gives them tools to help them when they need to be quiet. This is completely different from keeping your emotions bottled up. On the contrary, the calm of Aikido feels good and, in fact, the study of Aikido is the study of communication.

3) Aikido teaches children “hands-on” self-defense. I put “practical” in quotes to indicate that practical for a child is completely different from practical for an adult. Shocking arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do, while very good for health and well-being, provide children with a primary tool for dealing with conflict: aggression. If your child only knows how to kick and punch his way out of a conflict, he will have a very hard time dealing with the most frequent “attacks” that life faces: stress, bullying, verbal abuse, and disappointment. You see, if the real attacks in life don’t look and behave like the attacker in the dojo or dojang, your child won’t have the proper tools to identify and then deal with the situation more effectively.

4) Aikido gives children a positive view of the world. It teaches that in order to create something worthwhile, you must have goals, a clear picture of the desired outcome, and then practice, practice, practice. Aikido teaches the law of reciprocity or what goes around comes around. If you start having problems, you’ve lost. But if your mind is correct, calm and positive, you can do something good with whatever life throws at you. In fact, Aikido training for children teaches that it is the responsibility of each person to actively seek ways to make something good out of every situation.

5) Aikido teaches to enjoy every experience of life. Kids have it tough enough with increased homework, peer pressure, demanding standards, and increased dangers all around. A serious approach to life doesn’t always feel good and usually doesn’t produce the best possible results. Aikido works best when you relax and feel light, and having an outlet for your child to “let loose” and be a kid while learning valuable life skills can be a tremendous character-building experience.

6) Aikido helps children in and at school. By training in Aikido, children develop a calm, clear and balanced mind. As a result, they absorb knowledge more easily and can think and concentrate more clearly. Aikido emphasizes the development of all human potential and since children spend most of their formative years in school, it is one of the most important places for this potential to be realized.

7) Aikido for children helps with sports. Aikido classes focus on the same things that almost all sports require: endurance, sport-specific strength and skill, relaxation, focused mind, proper breathing, centering, and being able to visualize the outcome. Unfortunately, most youth sports only emphasize the limited sports aspect of whatever game is being played. While most youth sports encourage fun and teamwork, very few amateur coaches (usually moms and dads) have the proper educational training to teach kids the other more important fundamentals listed above. Nearly every parent of youth who trains weekly at the Grand Rapids/Toyoda Center Aikido facility comments at some point on the amazing transformations that occur in their sons and daughters over time that they directly attribute to the Children’s Aikido program.

8.Aikido is for everyone. Aikido does not require talent or specific athletic ability. In fact, athletic prowess can sometimes be a hindrance to understanding and executing Aikido techniques. The key to progress in Aikido is to simply relax, move effortlessly, help others, and cultivate a positive mind. Is there a better message for children?

9) Aikido works for people of all shapes and sizes. Since Aikido is not based on size, strength, speed, weight, or reach, it can be effectively applied by children to adults. In fact, it can be quite amazing how much power your kids can muster when they throw at the adults. Some of the most effective and powerful practitioners of Aikido have been the smallest individuals. Aikido uses an understanding of basic universal principles and emphasizes the non-containment of force. Aikido teaches that there will always be someone bigger, faster and stronger and not all “attacks” will come in the form of a bad person. Aikido for children gives them a huge toolbox of skills to draw on in a variety of situations for the rest of their lives.

10) Aikido class for children is a good physical activity! Plain and simple, we take them out! Children who have ADD and ADHD show amazing results when they leave an Aikido class tired.

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