I have been teaching juniors Aikido for many years. Obviously we have to adapt some of the techniques due to the age of the Aikido. I started Aikido as a 14 year old and continued to practice for over 36 years. We teach the juniors kata kakarigeiko & ninindori. What are other instructors thoughts on teaching juniors. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sk5TQTARCtE"]YouTube - Tomiki Aikido with Shaun Hoddy Junior students practicing Randori No Kata January 2011[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLM4R8ikYPs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL"]YouTube - Tomiki Aikido in Canvey Island with Shaun Hoddy 6th Dan[/ame]
I also started as a junior and run a junior class of about 15-20. It's great fun, keeps me on my toes and has improved my instruction drastically. To me why not teach kids - you can learn a lot from doing so.
Wish I had started at a younger age Looks like a really good class you run there Shinkei. Some of those kids would put me to shame!
Well ... children and knife defense is a no no in my opinion in general. Teaching children in a fashion that will get them killed well I would be unsure I could sleep at night. The Bear.
Dunno, Bear, I can see where you are comming from, but to not have taught the skills you posess given the same circumstances, and outcome and I'm not sure I could sleep at night. Not sure about the neighborhoods you live in, but a knife attack by one child attacking another is a real possibility around here. Of course, firearm safety is a good thing to know, but I'll leave that for home based education...
I live in the knife capital of the western world and the stuff taught in that video will get you at best a good scar and at worst dead. The Bear.
right, but in a knife fight, should one choose to stay and fight, or be completely off guard, one can be expected to get cut, or killed. Not everyone that weilds a knife and attacks someone else with it is an expert knife fighter, and to hold back teaching the skills that may one day save that kids life is a mistake, especially if you already live in an area known for knives. I remember a story koyo once relayed how he went to the defense of o young woman, and her attacker had a knife. Well, we know what happened to the attacker, but as I recall, koyo himself was hospitalized with many lacerations to both his arms. Not every knife fight is a knife fight, as there are other inherent principles also being taught. Also, since you have a pretty strong opinion about what these juniors were doing, then perhaps your expertise in teaching bladed defense would be more practical, of more use, and likely to save that kids life in a situation in which he is attacked with a knife weilding assailant. All the more reason for you to teach it, to at least give your students a chance, than to have lost sleep over what you haer in the news the next day. And, finally, despite even the best training in the world, some soldiers never make it off a battlefield alive.
I think we may be getting the wrong idea when we start talking about knife fighting. Tanto is more about knife principles in Aikido... actual knife fighting isn't the purpose. There are plenty of things that might be age appropriate for say a 16 year old. I think 16 year olds can be black belts in many schools so tanto would be age appropriate, IMHO. You can still teach principles of tanto such as never let the knife point at you. How to hand a weapon to your uke, such as I was taught to point the blade at uke and they had to reach around to grab it... you never just handed the weapon to them. Although there were times when a weapon might be thrown somewhere for them to go and pick it up. Also when uke grabs the weapon, they don't grab the cutting part but along the flat of the blade, then you just let go, you don't pull the blade, because the motion can cut one of you. Stuff like that. Real knife fights is a whole different dimension. You got to not overreact to movements, especially the first movement because it can be a feint to get you to react and then they got you. Of course it could also be a real attack... so you got be prepared for both. etc. Just make sure people know what they are getting into... tanto training for learning principles is different than real knife fights.
Rubbish. If someone is going to stab you, they aren't going to show you the knife first. You people have some strange ideas about how it goes in the real world. There are very rarely one on one fights. Either the guy stabs you in the back or a couple of his friends hold you down while he stabs you. How do you train for that? The real world isn't a 70s Kung Fu movie. Bill was a man. He took that choice as a man. I don't teach children. period. Also I don't teach self defense. The Bear.
The tanto is used for kakarikeigo, we use a rubber tanto, in Japan they use a soft cloth training tanto. We only use these as training tool for free play, the practice has nothing to do with knife fighting or knife self defence. After 36 years of Aikido I am fully aware that teaching juniors knife self defence would be irresponsible. This method of practice is used in Tomiki, Shodokan, Shidokan ,JAA clubs around the world. Tanto Kakarigeiko and tanto hikitategeilko is a part of the syllabus. The tanto tsuki is used as a simple way to practice taisabaki, kids can relate to the attack without getting hurt from the odd stray blow. I tend to use a very simple approach with the kids I call it the ABC principle. Avoid, Balance break, Control. I am also very lucky to have a well established club with lots of dan grades assisting with the junior class, normally one dan grade per pair of juniors. I also had a good instructor and technical director in Dr Lee ah Loi.
When teaching juniors they have to be treated in a different way to adults. Without an element of enjoyment the tatami would be empty. I take the view that get the kids into Aikido at a young age, as they develop into adulthood they then can move towards what they want out of their Aikido. Some may wish to do competitive Aikido, some may wish to practice Martial Aikido. My hope is that exposure to this wonderful martial art kids will make Aikido a life long pastime. regardless of style. I started at 14 in 1975, I still enjoy Aikido as much now as I did back then. I also know that Philip Smith started young as well from a past thread.
