Nowadays, more and more parents are consciously treating children and are trying to give them not only education but also physical development or some useful skills. When it comes time to choose where to give the baby, you will certainly get information about the aikido section, which is available in almost every city.
Types of Aikido
In all forms, the common principles of aikido are observed - a counterweight to the meeting of force by force. However, in different forms there are differences:
- Aikido Yoseikan . It is a mixture of Aiki-budo, Judo throws and karate punches, which makes this martial art many-sided and beautiful.
- Aikido Yoshinkan . Perhaps the most rigid style, designed to apply aikido in life, is taught in Japanese police schools.
- Aikido School of Ueshiba . Great attention is paid to working with weapons.
- Seidokan Aikido. The style is distinguished by a minimum of movement during the execution of receptions.
- Tomiki-Ryu Aikido . The founder of this kind believed that it was important to enter a real fight in the competition.
There is still as much, if not more, types of aikido, each of which has its own characteristics. In any case, the child will not have to fight, he will only learn techniques that will not only raise his self-esteem, but also allow him to feel more confident and calm.
What will aikido give to a child?
Before deciding that a child should go specifically to aikido training, parents tend to learn as much as possible about a section with such an unusual name and highlight the potential benefits for the child. And there are plenty of positive moments in such training.
Many parents choose children's aikido from the simplest of reasons: the child will be attached, disciplined, strong, able to stand up for himself, gain positive friends and most likely not be interested in bad companies, idleness, smoking and all the others, which often enthrall those children who do not have hobby. Yes, teaching aikido does give all these positive moments, but this is by no means the main benefit.
Aikido as a sport originated in Japan, where famous sensei take this teaching very seriously. First of all, in aikido they see social benefits, not physical ones: children attending such sections become polite, courteous, disciplined and more socially adapted than their peers.
As a rule, most aikido sections for children avoid competitions, and the main opponent of the child is himself. It is this approach that brings positive results, because the child should not be the "best" or "loser".
At its core, aikido is not only an impeccable technique and confidence in the physical forces, but also a correct attitude toward life, which is useful in a much larger number of situations than the combat skills themselves.
Modern groups recruit children, starting from the age of 4-5. However, it is not too late for schoolchildren to come to aikido.
Aikido form
To practice, the kid will need only a special form - keikogi, although often it is habitually called "kimono". Keikogi for aikido are very similar to those needed for practicing judo or other Japanese types of training.
Keikogi is a white suit, consisting of a jacket and trousers. The jacket is thick enough and it trains out of 2-3 threads, because in technology there are tricks of taking over the jacket. Traditionally, the shoulders, knees and armholes are stitched with additional reinforcing material.
Pants are usually released with lining on their knees or simply with a solid double front part. The length of such pants is about mid-calf.