************************************************************************
			TEACHING KIDS
Collated by: Mickey Tibbetts <mickey@MAIL.UNM.EDU>
************************************************************************
>I have always found jo work to be great for kids, expecially in building
>up their body and footwork.
>Just get them doing all the cuts thrusts and blocks with the jo.  It doesn't
>have to be in any kata.  In fact, you can make up your own kids' kata!
>
>Rock
>========================================================================

>     One thing I've been doing recently is a relay race around the edge of the
>mat.  Depending on how many kids you have to work with, you can put one at
>each corner or just space them out regularly around the mat.  You time it with
>a stopwatch and they have to make a good solid tag before the next person can
>start.  You can have them do it irimi, tenchin, shikko, or some combination.
>The last person tags you at the starting point and you stop the stopwatch.
>Then have them do it again to see if they can beat their time.
Non-competitive,
>energetic, and fun all at the same time!
Marc

>========================================================================

>
>In our kids classes, we don't do any games, it's almost exactly like an
>adults class (and we have kids from ages 6-7 up to 15, so this is
>something of an accomplishment). Anyway, the closest thing we do to a
>game is different kinds of ukemi.
>
>Front Roll Variations:
>
>Roll with fingers interlaced
>Roll with arms crossed
>Roll on opposite arm (front foot is left, then roll on right arm)
>Roll over person curled up on mat  (this one is pretty popular)
>
>Back Roll Variations
>
>Come up in same hanmi
>Come up in reverse hanmi
>Stand forward and pivot around and do a back roll (roll in the direction
>you're facing)
>
>
>Other than that, we do line practice, which the kids also like. I gotta
>run, but let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck.
>
>Peace,
>Jae.
>========================================================================
>>My daughter is attending children's classes at our dojo (West Fla.
>Aikikai, Frank Calhoun Sensei, ASU).  The kids range from 6 to around
>12 years of age.  One technique Frank uses (often as a reward for good
>behavior) is "shikko tag" i,e, tag in shikko.  Basic tag rules except
>that the tagee has to take a roll before he/she can tag someone else.
>The kids love it.  Sensei also does some things with the Jo - parts of
>the kata as well as connectivity exercises.  On a more practical
>level, he demonstrates some evasion techniques to aid the child in
>avoiding being held by another person (e.g. dropping to the knees and
>crawling through the legs as well as tenkan-and-run).  One of his
>comments to me early on was that one of the most valuable self-defense
>techniques a child can learn is how to fall properly and roll.  He
>related an anecdote about his own daughter.  When she was 8 or
>thereabouts, she took an ugly spill on a skateboard.  She fell into a
>forward roll and ended up with only a few scratches.  Frank was
>convinced that if she hadn't fallen properly, she would have broken
>bones.  The self defenses angle makes sense - a kid is a LOT more
>likely to take a bad fall than get grabbed by someone.  For those
>parents unfamilar with Aikido, this is a good "selling point" (at our
>dojo, I am the only parent who is also an Aikidoka).  Of course you
>have deal with a bunch of kids who all want to be power rangers and do
>kicks and the like ;^).  My observation is that the kids' attention
>spans present some challenges as well.
>
>BTW, there is at least one book out on teaching children Aikido (by
>Homma Sensei, I believe).  Hope this helps.
>
>Ken Sargent
>ksargent@pjc.cc.fl.us
>========================================================================
>Mickey:
>
>You mentioned meditation - there are a couple of books out by the same
>author (whose name escapes me): *Meditation for Children* and
>*Meditating With Children* (I think).  One is specifically for use in
>classroom exercises or with groups of children.  You may find it
>helpful.  I can get the particulars if you wish.
>
>regards
>Ken Sargent
>ksargent@pjc.cc.fl.us
>
>===========================================================================
>Hi Mickey!
>
>     The only one I could suggest is an exercise one of my classmates
>brought from another dojo.
>     In this exercise, two people partner up, uke then attacks with either
>a specific attack, or any attack.  The only technique nage is allowed to
>do is to move.  Out of the way or into uke. There is no throw.  Nage learns
>to move safely out of harm's way or enter in to uke's space where uke can
>not attack (ie. behind).  Again, nage does not throw uke.  Depending on
>how you want to do it, nage can use his or her arms to blend with the attack
>or not.  To make it a little harder, allow the uke(s) multiple attacks so
>nage has to think about the next attack that is coming.
>     This exercise works well in the regular classes and would probably do
>well in Kid's classes.   My apoligies if the description is a bit vague, it
>is hard to describe with out seeing the exercise done.
>     A couple of other things to keep in mind during the exercise is the time
>limit.  If done at regular speed, people tend to tire quickly.  Also make
>sure that nage(s) is keeping good balance, breathing regularly, and relaxing.
>The last thing is always make sure nage thinks about where the next attack is
>coming from.
>     I hope that helps.
>
>Peace,
>
>John Corro
>Penn State Kokikai Aikido.
>===========================================================================
>Carl Verdonck writes:
>>None of these :-) But I'm really interested in the kind of games you have in
>>mind, seeing that the kids are a bit left on their own in our dojo.  Maybe I
>
>All kinds of great games.  In fact just about any team game is great.
>The thing that you have to be careful about is that you want to
>encourage cooperation instead of competition.  This means that you work
>on "fixing" the games and selecting teams so that everything ends up in a
>tie.  Not only does this save hurt feelings and discourage bullying, but
>it makes the games more exciting because they are always close.  The
>team that is behind is always within reach of catching up.
>
>One example of a game that the kids really like is what I call the
>"Samurai Bath Game".  It is set up as follows:
>
>
>          1
>   *             *
>    *             *
>     *             *
>      *             *
>       *             *
>        *             *
>         *             *
>          *             *
>           *             *
>
>
>          3               4
>
>
>           *             *
>          *             *
>         *             *
>        *             *
>       *             *
>      *             *
>     *             *
>    *             *
>   *             *
>          2
>
>The asterisks are jos, old belts, or something that mark the edge of the path.
>
>One team lines up at 1 and the other at 2.
>
>This is a relay race where each side shikkos (knee walk) one at a time
>down the path toward the center.  They aren't supposed to touch the edge
>of the path.
>
>At the middle there is a break in the path that is where the path
>crosses a stream.  When you reach the middle you do a back roll on each
>side of the path (3 and 4) to take a bath.  Then you continue to the
>other end of the path.
>
>When you get to the far end of the path, then you turn arround and
>shikko back, taking the required baths again on the way back.  When you
>reach your own line again, then the next samurai goes.
>
>The really interesting part of this game is that the only place that
>there is room to go by the other team's player is during the bath.  This
>means that this game has an inherent tendancy to remain a tie.  I always
>require that the simultaneous baths be conducted in harmony without
>collisions or pushing.  If a pushing math starts, then I pull the both
>participants and allow them to watch the rest of the game.
>
>I suggest that for this and all other games that you have a strong
>signal that begins and stops the game for both safety and control.  I
>use the wooden clappers.  If the children hear them at any time, then
>they have to stop immediately.
>
>Other good games (team and otherwise) are games like tug-of-war for
>building a strong center and sense of balance and tenacity.  Try
>variations like a rope (or belt) in each hand.  You can set up teams of
>smaller children against a single larger child.
>
>Follow-the-leader works good too.  I usually start out as the leader and
>do things like shikko, crawl, slither on my back or chest (no hands),
>slide with my back to the wall, whatever I can think of.  Then after a
>while I give up the lead to someone else.
>
>As you can probably guess I have not waited to start playing games with
>a class of 3-6 year olds, but I usually work in atleast one game into
>every class of 7-12 year olds.
>
>    Scott Hawkins
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I trained at  Aikido West in 1980/81.  Foster Gamble was teaching
>the childrens' class and would often use similar games with the
>adults.  One of the few that I remember was a great centering/balance
>game.
>
>I stand with the end of a(n extra) belt in one hand.  The belt
>goes around my koshi and then diagonally to my partner, around
>their koshi, with them holding the other end.  We both hold our
>respective end with the same hand (i.e. right/right or left/left).
>    _____
>   | o o |
>         /
>        /         The circles are supposed to be feet.  Participants
>      /           can stand with feet shoulder width apart, or in
>    /              hanmi, but they should both do the same.
>   | o o |
>    -----
>
>     Stand back so that the belt is taught.  The object is to
>     unbalance your partner, without being unbalanced, using only
>     the hips.  The hand holding the belt must stay anchored against
>      the hip, not used for yanking.
>
>     Both people are moving at the same time, so strategy can
>     sometimes backfire.  Different heights present different
>     challenges (just like in technique!).  Bending knees and
>     sinking weight helps enormously.  Getting too caught up in
>     the competition tends to bring up the shoulders and then
>     the person loses balance! (Feet must stay in one place.
>     Losing balance is defined as movig the feet.)
>
>
>     Debbie Kranzler
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Marek,
>
>That is a complicated question!  I am guessing that you have a dojo space
>already, and adults regularly training.  If that is true, I would start by
>asking who is going to teach the children.  In order for a kids program to be
>successful, the teacher has to be really dedicated to teaching kids.  Many
>dojo make the mistake of delegating the kids class to some black belt who
>isn't really interested but feels obligated because Sensei asked them to
>teach.  This is a formula for failure!  The teacher also needs to be
>consistent across time.  The kids, I find, develop a personal relationship
>with the teacher.  If they like the teacher, they stay.  So it is important
>that the teacher have a long term commitment to the project.
>
>When I started my program, I started with two classes.  One class was for
>children ages 6 - 12, and the other for older kids and adults.  This worked
>pretty well, until the numbers of bodies got too big.  Then I divided the
>kids along the lines of school grades.  Now I have 1st and 2nd graders
>together, 3,4,5th graders together, 6,7,8th graders together, and my high
>school kids train with adults.  Start with wide ages, and make it narrower if
>you have lots of kids, or the kids are clustered in certain age groups.  If
>you have a lot of young kids, 6 or 7 year olds, they need much different
>attention than the older ones.  How to split the class will make itself
>apparent.  I recommend that the children be in first grade to be able to
>start training.  If they are younger than that, they have a hard time making
>it through a class.
>
>Make sure that you schedule the classes when kids can get to them.  If they
>need to have mom or dad bring them, they have to have class at a time when
>mom and dad are available.
>
>Also be clear about the rules for your dojo.  Make the consequences of bad
>behavior clear, and be firm.  I am not strict, but I do make the boundaries
>really clear.  Children need clear limits, especially in the dojo for safe
>practice.
>
>I also play a lot of skill games with young kids.  They like learning to be
>fun, and playing games is good for that.  For example, you can play soccer
>while walking on your knees in suwariwaza.  Almost any game that kids play
>with a ball can be adjusted to fit some aikido skill.  Tag games are
>especially good for rolling practice or shikko.  I always keep on hand a
>couple of foam balls (soft, about 20 cm diameter), a blindfold, and balloons.
> If you are interested in games, there is a good book out here.  I know the
>man who wrote it, and he also teaches kids a lot.  If you are interested, you
>might write to:
>Michael Friedl
>Aikido of Ashland
>P.O. Box 33
> Ashland, Oregon 97520-0002
>U.S.A.
> The book is called Ah...To be a Kid and is full of aikido games for children.
>
>Martha Levenson
>===========================================================================
>Sorry to be so late with a couple of ideas.  I'm rarely involved with kids'
>class at our dojo, and I only remembered seeing these "games" when I read
>your compilation of people's suggestions.
>
>1) What's the name of the old game where kids line up along opposite sides
>of the gym and throw balls at each other, trying to hit someone, thereby
>"removing" them from the game?  A version of this is played occasionally.
> We use pillows that are sitting around the dojo (for guests' comfort).  The
>kids must throw the pillows along the mat, that is, _low_.  To avoid getting
>hit, a kid must _roll_ out of the way.  Naturally, this game is sort of
>wild, and care must be taken to avoid pillows thrown high and kids rolling
>into each other.  But, under control, it works and is fun.
>
>2) Obstacle/circuit course.  Each kid goes around the mat, performing a task
>at each "station."  Some examples of tasks:  picking up a bokken and making
>several kinds of cuts in reasonably decent form; taking a forward roll over
>a jo; performing a specified technique on a teacher/helper; dodging or
>jumping over a bokken/jo that is being wielded by teacher/helper.  Lots of
>things can be thrown in.
>
>I'll relay your compilation to our kids class instructor.  If he has any
>comments, I'll get back to you.
>
>Jayson Chung
>===========================================================================
>The children (age 6 to 12) in our dojo (Ken
>Mon Kan in Shropshire, UK) love to play a game called "Sensei Says"
>which is based on Simon Says. All the children line up in the dojo
>and perform the exercises Sensei calls out eg. "Sensei says Forward
>Ukemi", "Sensei says Backwards Ukemi", "Sensei says Backfoot Irimi
>Tenkan".  The children concentrate very hard because if Sensei calls
>out "Tenkan" without the prefix "Sensei says" there must be no
>movement - anyone that moves is out and sits at the edge of the mat
>in seiza until the game is over. Also if you do a different exercise
>to the one called out - it's the end of the game for you.
>
>There will be anything from 10 to 30 children on the mat and a game
>will last about 10 minutes.
>
>I find it best to adjust my perception of movement to the standard
>of student, a twitch is enough to dismiss a high grade junior
>whereas a beginner gets quite a few chances. The children expect
>this and show the same tolerance themselves which I always find very
>satisfying.
>
>"Sensei Says" really helps to keep the childrens' attention focused
>and rewards them after a long session of Ikkyo which they don't
>find quite so much fun.
>
>Best regards... Paul Castle
>======================================================================== 35
>Marc writes:
>>      Basically, it comes down to attention span -- for the most
>> part, they have very little.
>
>The club here doesn't have a separate class for kids (although we do
>occasionally get one or two kids in the class), so my experience with
>kids in MA is mostly from karate classes I used to teach.
>
>I'm curious to see if anyone else has noticed this or tried it in an
>aikido setting.  I found from watching other instructors that if you
>run the kids right into the ground at the beginning of class, they pay
>attention a lot better when you start trying to teach them actual
>technique.  They recover pretty quickly, but it gives you some time to
>get them involved in what's going on.  The higher ranks are generally
>better conditioned as a result, and this is okay since they also have
>better self-discipline.
>
>The other nice thing (from the parents point of view) is that all they
>want to do when they get home is sit in one place and relax. :-)
>======================================================================== 31
>The main teacher of our kids class has the kids do a little meditation.
> They sit in seiza, as still and quiet as they can.  The teacher often gives
>them some idea for focusing their minds, so they're not sitting there all
>hard and tense and itchy.  It's just for a minute or two.  Sometimes he asks
>them to give him another 20-30 seconds where _everyone_ is perfectly still
>and quiet.
>
>Most of the class is pretty, well, kid-paced, but this exercise is a useful
>counterbalance and certainly gives the kids a unadulterated look at a
>fundamental part of martial arts.  It's part of the teacher's expectation of
>what the kids will practice, so the kids just do it, though for some it's
>not easy.  I get the impression the parents love it.
>
>Jayson

From: Alan Shumak <04004-6@MSN.COM>
-------------------------------------
Glen Smith Said:

>I have been asked to teach school children aged between 7 - 11 on a regular
>basis, although I have been teaching adults for the last 5 years, I have had
>little experience teaching Aikido to children. I am delighted to be able to
do
>this but I need a little assistance. The question is, does anyone know of
any
>books dealing with this subject or, has anyone already established a
teaching
>programme for children that I might take a look at.....please?!?!

>Thanks in advance  -  Glen Smith


We've had a great time teaching children's classes for the last three years.
There is a book about teaching children the martial arts (Aikido). I will get
the info and forward(it's at the Dojo) once I have it.

IMO the best ideas with children are:
1. Keep the classes short (1-1 1/4 hrs)
2. Keep them moving as much as possible.
3. Keep it fun.
4. Finish with some sort of educational game - (Sensei Says - like Simon
Says)
5.Keep the ratio of instructors/assistants to students high
6. Keep it fun.
7. Don't be afraid to try different things kids love it and are usually
extremely flexible.
8. Oh yes... have fun.

From: Claudia Wollstein <100670.430@COMPUSERVE.COM>
----------------------------------------------------
Dear Jim,

there are a couple of things I'd like to say:

  1) Joint manipulations may be bad for kids, but while they may be less
  frequent in Karate, they are all the more intense where they are applied.
  I don't think that Aikido can do more harm to a kid's joints than other MA's.
  (The only safe thing might be Tai Ji Juan where I could imagine the hardest
  problem is to motivate the kids.)

  2) I'm much more concerned about a different kind of manipulation:
  Please do not overlook the possibility that although you like Aikido to be
  a father/son (what about your daughter) thing, your son might not be
  so enthousiastic about it! You can spoil much more than you could ever
  mend forcing him into a certain direction. Bring him in touch with Aikido
  (not Karate, if you aks me) and see if he likes it, but don't say "I'll have
him
  practice Karate until he's 13 and move him to Aikido then." or you'll
  have lost him (not only there) pretty soon.

  From my own experience: My parents had me practice Judo when I was
  a kid. I wasn't conviced it was my thing, so after a short period I went
  against my will and under constant fighting with my parents. (You will go!
  I don't want to! You will go anyway! [repeate a few times]...) I quit soon.

  3) You mentioned a daughter at the beginning of your mail. Don't you
  think Aikido might be good for her, too?

From: Mickey Tibbetts <mickey@alcor.unm.edu>
---------------------------------------------
This is another great book for kids classes. I'm sure someone out there will
be able to help with where to get the book. I think I got my copy from the
ATM book service.

Friedl, Michael.  Ah... To Be A Kid: Three Dozen Aikido Games for Children of
All Ages.  Gandee Printing Center, Inc., Medford, Oregon 97504, USA.  1994.
 ISBN 0-9638530-1-5.
>At 06:53 PM 6/12/96 -0400, you wrote:
>>the book is called "Children and the Martial Arts" by Gaku Homma
>>
>>ISBN#1-55643-139-2
>>