About aikido for kids  :  Feedback  :  Gallery

Aikido for kids ! Wednesdays from 6:30pm to 7:30pm at the Langford Village Hall (see the Find Us page for location details)

20th October 2010

If you have a child that may be interested in learning aikido please email us for further information or call Graham on 07554 252021 .

About aikido for kids.

As well as being taught practical self-defence, the children also learn self-discipline and learn to think about their actions and the value of conflict resolution through non-aggressive means.

Aikido does not require athletic talent. Aikido works for small people since it does not rely on size, or speed, or weight and is based upon movement that originates from the 'tanden' or 'centre' (a dynamic point of focus in the lower belly), and this understanding of movement can benefit all types of physical activity with the development of coordination, posture and balance.

As a parent you will probably be grateful that aikido is completely self-defensive. It involves dealing with punching, kicking and aggression from others, not actually applying (and making kids better at) kicking and punching. Over time, children learn to sense aggression in others and develop a range of skills in diffusing aggression and conflict. Aikido teaches "how to be strong" and how learning to stay calm and relaxed can be much stronger than things like anger, force and aggression. They learn about responsibility, doing the right thing, even without reward and about treating each other with respect and kindness.

In the practice of Aikido it is necessary to learn the skill of Ukemi, the art of safe falling. We fall many times in our lives - from horses, bikes, skateboards etc. Like swimming, ukemi is a lifeskill that can, and has on many occasions, saved people from bad injuries.

The key to making progress in aikido is perseverence and having a positive attitude, what better lesson can we teach our children?

The instructors at Bicester Aikido Club voluntarily give of their time to facilitate this training. All fees are purely to cover costs of hall hire and insurances etc. All instructors are CRB checked.

Feedback

Below are comments received from ai-kid-do students' parents.

"As a parent, I was very impressed with the discipline and structure the course tutors brought to the junior session, and how they instructed their young charges in both the etiquette and ceremony of aikido.  The fact they then learnt how to tackle adults wielding sticks and (wooden) Samurai swords in a well rehearsed and supportive environment fully endorsed the training techniques used.  I can recommend aikido as an alternative martial art and the Bicester Aikido Club in particular as a safe and friendly introduction for the under 10s." JW

Gallery

Our first class took place on 8th October 2008. Here are a few pictures taken during the class :

A few photos from class on 11th March 2009 :

A couple of short YouTube videos of our kids practicing their ukemi (rolling) :

A video of the kids practicing ninin-dori and their 6-count jo kata :

The kids practicing the 13-count jo kata :

The kids practicing shikko :