Aikido is a modern type of martial art that is effective in terms of the method of self-defense, therefore it will allow you to confront the enemy. It is no coincidence that aikido for children received only good reviews, because it allows you to make the child's personality harmonious and holistic.
Unique features
Why are modern parents attracted to this particular type of martial art? This is due to some features:
- The emphasis is on self-defense, since the whole system is completely built on retaliatory actions against an attack that you do not expect.
- The energy of the attacker acts as a defense in aikido, that is, martial arts allow you to cope with a physically stronger opponent.
- To engage in this sport, physical training is not necessary.
- Aikido can be practiced by boys and girls.
So aikido for children of 7 years and even younger is an excellent solution that allows you to develop your child from the best side.
The main thing is the best techniques
Aikido is a unique sport, a martial art that allows you to solve several problems:
- improve in physical development;
- strong-willed qualities are cultivated;
- discipline and respect for elders are developed;
- children get used to a certain training regimen.
In addition, aikido for children received good reviews as a sport that provides unique opportunities and allows you to develop important personal qualities. This type of martial art is an opportunity for children to consciously and comprehensively work to improve coordination of movements, stability and concentration. These qualities are achieved during special Ki test exercises, when children can take different body positions, while controlling space and weight.
Attention to outdoor games
Such a sport as aikido for the smallest is just the perfect solution, since martial art seems to involve a lot of outdoor games during training. In addition, having given a child from an early age to such a section, you can provide him with a guaranteed active life. In most schools where this sport is practiced, there are instructors who have passed the examination and passed the relevant exams. Experts advise:
- Start training as early as possible, the optimal age is 5 years.
- Aikido is a safe sport, but still, before classes, you should consult a doctor.
- Encouraging your child's success in Aikido is the key to his future harmonious development.
Early group: 4-6 years old
Aikido is suitable for the smallest children, as the age from 4 to 6 years is the most optimal for teaching children new and interesting. True, you should not expect that your child will easily master all the skills and become a superman after a year. In fact, the classes are thought out in such a way that at first there is a preparatory stage aimed at general physical preparation. In addition, at this stage, children are taught the basics of Aikido, basic movements, and the main orientation is to learn how to safely fall, coordinate movements and breathe correctly.
All this will be taught to children in aikido for the youngest. Exercises (the photo shows that they are simple and understandable) are mainly aimed at making children more serious, improving their discipline, and making their behavior more balanced. At the initial stage, training for 30 minutes is enough for children, since it is precisely this time that they can concentrate and control themselves. In addition, the founders of this type of martial art themselves believe that it is best to start classes at the age of 12-13 years, when adolescents can consciously perform aikido technique.
Many parents prefer aikido for children 4 years old. Parents' comments suggest that exercises at this stage are designed for a large amount of general physical exercises during training, and direct aikido training begins only from 11 years old.
Features of the choice of exercises for kids
In the group for the smallest, all exercises are carefully selected so that they are the least traumatic and safe. All techniques are thought out in such a way that it is an easy and interesting aikido for children 4 years old. Parents' comments focus on the fact that all the “lead-in” and warm-up exercises are aimed at making the children aware of their difficulty and able to cope with them as painlessly as possible. During the execution of the technique, the child must understand that it can cause injury to the opponent and be damaged himself, so they learn to control the entire training process from the very beginning.
The main thing is not power
Aikido techniques do not require great physical strength, since the work is not done by the muscles, but by the ability to properly use the energy of the partner’s attacks, their weight and structure. True, in the training itself, many exercises are carried out aimed at the development of general physics. So aikido for children of 5 years, reviews of which are mostly good as a sport, is training without high loads, during which the child actively moves, becomes sturdy by performing strength exercises, develops basic muscles and is aware of the art and tactics of self-defense. In preschool age, only 10-12 people are recruited in sports schools who are engaged in only 30 minutes.
Aikido training for preschoolers are different:
- a playful manner of behavior that is understandable and accessible to children;
- laying the foundations of the most important and necessary motor skills, skills (walking, running, jumping, safe falling);
- the development of the necessary physical qualities in children;
- strengthening the musculoskeletal system and the formation of proper posture;
- the formation in children of interest and the need for regular exercise.
First level (7-10 years)
Children of the school group are invited to the first level group, which may not have basic skills in aikido techniques. At this stage, aikido for boys and girls is aimed at learning to behave in accordance with the etiquette of this martial art and begin to prepare the body for more serious training. In such groups from 15 to 20 children aged 7-10 years are recruited. This age is ideal in the sense that children become more meaningful, they know how to listen and hear the coach, performing their tasks. At this age, training becomes longer - it takes already an hour, which is enough for younger preschoolers.
Many parents confuse martial arts and for a long time can not decide what to choose - aikido or karate for boys. It should be noted that during aikido classes a lot of attention is paid to the extra-training activities of children. To ensure that the material learned is better absorbed, the instructor sets the children homework, which is mandatory. All tasks are performed in notebooks, which the trainer collects for verification after each lesson. Training is aimed at the following:
- mastering basic aikido techniques;
- acquisition of self-defense skills and the ability to get out of extreme situations;
- physical development of children;
- character formation - balanced, self-confident, taking into account aesthetic norms of behavior.
Second level
Aikido art for children is an opportunity for their harmonious development with balanced physical activity. Children of primary school age, who already have basic skills in performing techniques and know aikido etiquette, enter the second-level groups. At this stage, the goal is to continue to study martial arts techniques and prepare children for transfer to another age group. Training becomes more dynamic, but also lasts 60 minutes.
How to grow to the national team?
The next level of training is aimed at identifying the strongest students to be selected by the leadership of the Aikido Federation. Accordingly, training becomes more intense, training - more complex. And the children are selected in accordance with such parameters as the degree of activity in the classroom, the regularity of their attendance, the timely completion of homework and the successful passing of tests for the belts. All this contributes to the fact that reviews about aikido for children are only good, as they can achieve certain goals at an early age. As a rule, only 10-12 people are selected in such groups, therefore the quality of training and the level of attention to each student is much higher.
How to be with older children?
Aikido is an amazing sport, as both kids and adults can practice it. If you brought your child to the section later, it's okay: in most sports schools there are groups of 11-13 years old and 14-16 years old. The work in them, on the one hand, is carried out identically, and on the other, there are differences in the psychological, pedagogical, and methodological approach. The peculiarity of working with children of this age is that they are too dependent on the opinions of others; for them, determining their place among peers plays an important role. And to create the right microclimate an important role is played by the personality of the instructor - he must be the leader.
Sports without rivals
The martial art of aikido for children does not really teach combat, since the basis of this sport is self-development, not rivalry and competition. That is, the instructor sets the goal not to become higher than someone, but to develop himself. But many parents cannot understand what the essence of this sport is if there are no achievements measured in seconds or centimeters. On the other hand, to be the best, children do not need to have excellent physical shape and power. And therefore, a stubborn and attentive child can cope with the program.
Aikido for children only gets good reviews from parents and this is no coincidence:
- The child learns to be disciplined, as the sport itself is quite tough and “silent”.
- The coach puts forward fair demands on the students, to which both the youngest and the youngest obey.
- The technique involves sparing, so during the lesson the child has to establish communication with several opponents at once.
- Children become more balanced and calm, which is very important for many parents.
Aikido or karate?
Today, parents from all sides are attacked by offers from different sports schools - some call to practice Aikido, others call karate, and others call taekwondo in general. And many mothers and fathers mistakenly believe that all this is about the same thing, but under different names. But what to choose - aikido or karate for a child - they cannot determine. Let's try to figure out what are the differences between these sports.
To begin with, we note that both aikido and karate are martial arts. Aikido is a young sport and is not aimed at confronting the enemy and blocking him, but at conveying to the opponent all the meaninglessness of his actions. A high level and skill of an athlete is expressed in the ability to repel an attack without harming an opponent. All defense in aikido is aimed at determining the possibility of aggression, evaluating the enemy and retaliating against him.
To understand what to choose - aikido or karate for a child - you need to know some features of karate as a sport. It, unlike aikido, is fast and fast, since these are the indicators that tell about the great strength of athletes. The main task of karatekas is to keep the main stand on one leg as long as possible when attacking or defending, so the main feature of karate is primarily the ability to keep balance. The trained muscles also play an important role, since the impact force depends on them. And it can be achieved only by long training.
So if you do not know where to give your child, first evaluate his physical abilities. If aikido for children (parental reviews most often speak in favor of choosing this type of martial art) is safer and does not require a lot of strength in a child, then only the strongest and most agile are chosen in karate.
What do experts and parents say?
The desire to give your child to some section is commendable, but for a start it is worth asking himself what he would like to do. If you still tend to choose aikido, then it is worth remembering some features:
- Bring the child to training - let him see how the classes go, what are their specifics.
- Choose a section, the instructor of which has the appropriate education, as otherwise the training will be not only incorrect, but also boring for children who will not be interested in doing the same workout throughout the lesson.
- The emphasis in different schools is different, so before you give the child away, you should see what emphasis is placed on the classes.
- Classes should be regular - this is the only way children can achieve certain results, if you still want to achieve success in aikido for children.
Parents' comments about this sport are mostly good. Firstly, children become calmer and more balanced. Secondly, strong physical activity is not required, which is also important, especially if the child cannot boast of any achievements. Thirdly, children from 4 years old are allowed to take classes, so parents have the opportunity to accustom them to the basics of this martial art from childhood. Fourth, if a child was able to penetrate this type of martial art, then most likely his love for him will remain for a long time.
Most often, parents give their children to aikido, thinking that they will become strong and skillful and will be able to overcome any opponent. In fact, everything is not so simple, since behind this type of martial art is not so much physical development as self-improvement and a philosophy that a child will have to face sooner or later.
Listen baby!
Aikido for children received good reviews, because this art of defense does not involve attacks and harm to the opponent. The basic principle of aikido is not opposition, but victory over an opponent by his own strength. The founders of this sport initially focused on the fact that the main thing in a person is not his physical strength, but weaknesses that just need to be found in everyone. True martial art excludes fights and provocations, since you need to be able to live in harmony primarily with yourself.
Compared with karate aikido for children (parental reviews confirm this) it is safer. Karate is aimed precisely at victory, nurturing the strength of mind and body harmony, which are combined with masterful combat. And the goal in karate is the destruction of the opponent, while in aikido in front of the students there is no such goal.
What is the secret of popularity?
The number of parents who prefer to give their children to Aikido is growing. And the secret of popularity is in the combination of sports and game elements that are always interesting for children. The most interesting thing is that young students who were sent to the Aikido section since childhood, then remain in this sport and continue to improve.
An important role is played by the personality of the instructor, who should not only teach but guide, combining the skills of being a teacher and psychologist, feeling and loving children. Possessing the technique of aikido, the master must be able to convey basic skills to children, cultivating sincerity, harmony and love in them.
The methodology of teaching children is somewhat different than adults, but the basic exercises are the same, only simpler and more understandable. Preparatory exercises, insurance back and forth, moving and working on your knees - all these are the basic techniques that are necessarily given for teaching children. And the most important thing is etiquette! After all, aikido teaches mutual respect, attention to others, justice. And remember: aikido classes will not make children stronger, stronger, because in this type of martial art there is no violence, which means that completely different qualities in children will be brought up.