I'm in the process of making a "Hapkido-like" curriculum for kids. I'm interested in reading feedback of others that teach kids Hapkido.
We don't teach Hapkido to students under 14. However, as part of our self defense classes for Taekwondo students, we do teach some basic tumbling and breakfalling (good skills for TKDists and HKDists alike) as well as some basic self defense awareness, avoidance, yelling for help, breakaway techniques, and such.
Thanks, J.B. I have never tried teaching Hapkido to kids. I am reluctant to do so because others kid's classes I have seen in Kuk Sool & Hapkido have had most kids just going through the motions without grasping the precise angles of the techniques. If this is the case, I'd rather teach something they can get. I'm talking about 5 and 6 year olds here, not older kids. My kid is six, so I wanted to start a class he could participate in. What has your experience been with this age range specifically?
I have been teaching hapkido to kids for years with great sucess. I don’t teach kids younger than six years old. Just like adults I have had many children that don’t catch on and many that do. Like you said many younger students don’t understand theories and principals so it is important that children learn through imitation of good technique. I have also found that many of my students are much better with some techniques like kicking and falling when they start training in hapkido as a child. It is NOT my goal to turn a six year old into a black belt by age nine! It is my goal to teach them all that they are able to learn.
Thanks, JB. This makes me think that I can make a good go of it teaching kids Hapkido. Are you ever worried about the kids hurting each other with wrist locks?
Supervision is very important while teaching children. It is important that kids understand the "tap rule" and have a clear understanding of what is and is not acceptable on the mat. A precaution that I use while teaching is to avoid pairing beginners up with each other. This is a great policy not only for children but good for adults as well. You can teach joint locks to kids if you teach it responsibly and cautiously.
I'm not a huge fan of teaching Hapkido to kids, mostly because there is not a lot of hard information on the effects of stress and strain on joints in pre-puberescent students. I'm suspecting that there may be some consequence to over-stretching those cartilagenous (pre-calcified) joints, the tendons and the ligaments. I'd feel better if I knew that someone had dug around a bit and found out that all would be well. FWIW. Best Wishes, Bruce
There are consequences to strain on the body for young people. That's why it is so important that the instructor maintain safety and control at all times. Teaching children is not for everyone, but if done responsibly, it can have a tremendous long term benifit.
Little Ninjas & PeeWees I go to a Hapkido studio, and they do programs for all ages. There's four classes: Little Ninja, PeeWee, Kid, and Adult. Little Ninjas is the preschool program, which, if you ask anyone, isn't really martial arts. I mean, it helps the kids learn some discipline and stuff, but they really can't do that much. PeeWee is a little better (age 6-9). They still can't do that much, but they actually begin to do martial arts. You can teach more real techniques/motions to these kids, but you have to make them shorter and easier for them. I know it's still not perfect, but if you wanna teach kids that age it's what you have to do. Kids class (age 9-14) is real martial arts. I mean, the motions are usually made a just a tad shorter and maybe they'll do one or two fewer techniques, but really they do very well. 9-14 is a pretty big age gap, and obviously you'll see a wide variety of ability. But over all the kids class does very well (as I was a part of it for like 3 years) Over all, you can't expect as much from kids as you would adults. But they can be taught Hapkido, and many end up performing exceptionally well.
is anyone worried that kids may not have the appropriate control and potentially hurt their partner? just wondering how you get around that. yeah sure, teach them to tap and understand what that means, but there's a fine line, no?
IMO 21 is the perfect age to start your hapkido/martial arts training. Young enough and not too old yet. These days the goal of many kids programs seem to be things like fitness, discipline, respect etc. etc. The means are watered down ma programs. Nothing wrong with that. don't understand me wrong. But don't sell it for something it is not. Gyms where the goal is to learn a ma with the added benefits of becoming fit, disciplined and respectful are harder to find. IMO
We've had a children's curriculum in KSW for a long time, You can see the testing form here to compare the age testing... http://www.kuksoolwon.com/site/about-kuk-sool-won/testing-requirement-chart Master Sims continued this concept into his UMSF art and has descriptions for each age group and shows his curriculum for each group... http://unitedmartialsciencefederation.com/family-martial-arts/ http://unitedmartialsciencefederation.com/syllabus/
Thanks Xanth, I was in KSW for 10 years, before switching to my current Hapkido org. I saw most kids just going through the outside motions without grasping the finer points of the techniques. Not saying it can't be done, but that is what I saw where I was. I'm looking for ideas, as I'm trying to avoid a repeat of this kind of situation.
I think while teaching kid's it is important to see the long term benefits and not just the short term benefits. The question should NOT be just HOW MUCH can they learn RIGHT NOW, but how much can introducing them to good technique early benefit this young person in the long run. The path of hapkido is a very long one, and there are many types of success in our art. When I read some of the earlier posts in this thread it seems to me that some of our fellow MAPers are extremely reluctant to teach kids hapkido, as it is unknown territory for them. This is quite understandable and I can appreciate, and can even respect this reluctance. If you don't know how to teach kid's hapkido, then for heaven's sake please don't teach hapkido to kid's! Teaching hapkido to children is a very rewarding experience and a HUGE responsibility. This responsibility is not just limited to preventing injury in the dojang.
I practiced hapkido techniques with kids for years, never saw anything bad happen. I think kids can understand the idea of control if you simply teach them to let go when tapped. Talk about the potential broken arms or w/e is involved with the technique, and kids will be surprisingly careful. Cheers!
Very well said Lea! As I stated earlier, I don't think everyone is cut out to teach children. Different strokes for different folks, right? I know of a hapkido "master" not to far from me that has injured (in several cases seriously) many of his adult students. I cringe at the thought of this person teaching hapkido to children.
Mixed feeling on this from me. Of course I have run across some really serious and mature kids who I think can get the full benefit of HKD, and adults I wouldn't trust to hold a pad.
Within the better schools I don't think this is a problem....with one proviso. IMHE I have seen more than a few "teachers" who feel the need to make a point at a student's expense. I'm not altogether sure why this is. Maybe its a matter of demonstrating "how rough/tough I am" or maybe its a way of putting someone in their place who is acting-out. I don't know. What I do know is that I don't use my practice on students to make a point at their expense. Then again, though, I don't use exercise as a form of punishment (IE. "Drop and give me ten push-ups!") which can also be a pretty common practice. FWIW. Best Wishes, Bruce
The school I used to attend had a great kids program. We had the younger kids (4-6 Yrs Old) and the (7-12 Yrs Old). When I would teach the kids classes I found that you had to mold the curriculum to their ages. With the (4-6 Yr Olds) I found that working on strikes, kicks and falls over technique worked very well. We would teach some techniques to the kids. But most of the curriculum would not be taught until they progressed in age. With The (7-12 Yrs Old) you start to develop more techniques. Still you reserve certain techniques until the student it ready. I have had younger students who are mature enough to learn advanced techniques. It really also depends on the individual student. But when you teach the basics (strikes, Kicks, Falls Ect) to all the students (regardless of age) first I find that when its time for techniques that it is easier.
