Tips for children in martial arts. Aikido is a self defense type of martial arts that teaches honor, loyalty, and respect to children. We've heard the horror stories on the news - children being abducted...
We've heard the horror stories on the news - children being abducted as they walk home from school. What can we do to better prepare our kids out in the world? Would it give you more peace of mind to know your child knows self-defense techniques that can save his or her life? Sensei Michael Stabile, the Head Instructor at the Aikido School of Self Defense in Conyers, says Aikido martial arts training can help your worries disappear.
One of the main tactics taught to children in Aikido self-defense is how to prevent an attack. Instructors constantly remind students of the realities of life.
"In our dojo, we teach our children how to defend themselves from a punch that's being thrown at them. We don't deal with sparring or punching back. We teach a few techniques, so it's "one, two, three, situation over." The longer you spar with somebody, the more likely you are going to tell your secrets. Don't let them get your timing. If you ever watch a boxing match, that's what they are doing there. The longer you play with somebody, the more danger you are giving yourself. So you want to get in and out of a situation quickly to get on with your life. That is what martial arts is all about. Martial arts is not about getting the trophy and putting it in my dojo window. It's about being home at night with my family. It started with the peasants and warriors to protect the village. In this country and all over the world now, it's all about winning a trophy," Stabile says.
Aikido martial arts is a weapon your child can use for street self-defense, but it also teaches a child how to be a good person. Moral codes are strictly practiced in the training of Aikido martial arts.
"Children need to stay focused on what they are doing. They have to learn honor, loyalty, and respect. They have to learn to use their training for the good of mankind, rather than to show little Billy what you know how to do. Some places teach aggression, but we don't. They'll have an eight-year-old or ten-year-old with a black belt. My daughter is 11 years old now. She started when she was three. She has to wait until she is 16 to get a black belt, because mind, body, and spirit must be one," Stabile says.
Stabile says you have to look at Aikido martial arts as more of a training for life. Sure, it's a sport, but children learn verbal and physical self-defense techniques. They learn your tongue can be your most formidable tool in self-defense.
"The best thing that I can say for children is to train well and keep on going. A lot of times in today's world, children are looking for instant gratification. I always say they want me to cut along the dotted line on the top their head: open it up, pour all my knowledge in, sew it back up, and now they are black belts. They want it one, two, three. We need to teach the children from the beginning like they do in Japan, that this is part of your life and not an extra-curricular thing. We need to teach them respect and honor. The Japanese and Chinese bow to people when they meet in the street. That is respect. I grew up in the Bronx, New York, where if you look at somebody and say hi, they punch you in the face," Stabile says.
Aikido can teach you how to fight, how to get from one black belt to the next, and even get you numerous awards. However, Stabile says the Aikido philosophy is what gives children the best tips for life. After taking Aikido, your child will know how to use his or her self-defense techniques out in the street and in their everyday way of thinking.
