Aibukido
Overview


Mark J. Norton

Sept. 2, 2002




Aikibudo is a weapons training program which draws on traditional Aikido principles and values for children ages four to ten years old. It is based on three operating concepts: safety, simplicity, and scaled weapons.

Safety

Any weapons program intended for children must have safety as its first consideration. Young children initially lack the coordination and control required to use wooden weapons safely. Safety is established via:

  1. Rules of Behavior
  2. Trained Supervision
  3. Parental Oversight
  4. Graduated Training Program
  5. Testing and rank indication

The rules of behavior will cover how students behave in class, respect for instructors and parents, when and when not to use weapons, etc. All instructors who administer the program are trained and certified at one of three levels. Parents are encouraged to participate in the program and support the advancement of their children. Students are tested and given visual indication of their ability level.

Simplicity

There are many weapons forms associated with the bokken and jo in the Japanese martial arts. Many are variations on the same theme, others are unique. The Aikbukido, Jr. program will draw on the traditional Aikido techniques in a simplified form. While the basics and fundamentals will be carried over into the training program, solo forms, and paired forms will be simplified for easy learning. Forms will be introduced gradually as the student masters basic technique and simpler forms and shows a readiness to handle more complex movements.


Scaled Weapons

One of the main reasons that weapon training has not been done traditionally is that the standard Aikido weapons (bokken and jo) are too heavy for small children. As such, this program will make available smaller versions (approx. 75% scale) of the bokken and jo. These weapons will be manufactured in lightweight, but durable wood. Scaled reduction of instruments has proven to be an effective approach in music training programs, such as the Suzuki Method of Violin.


The Goals of Aibukido

Aibukido is a program designed to help young people develop character traits that will serve them throughout life. By interacting with trained adults and their peers, students can be expected to:


Learning is a habit that needs to be instilled at a young age. Throughout life, we are called upon to learn new skills, master complex concepts, and deal with an overload of information. By grounding learning skills in body work, Aibukido provides a framework for children to explore new concepts and experience the satisifaction of accomplishment.

As techniques are mastered and demonstrated, self confidence grows. The participant learns that they are able to learn increasingly difficult techniques and that they have the power to do it.

The techniques introduced by this program are intended to foster an awareness of the body and how the mind relates to it. It improves coordination, flexibility, etc. The relationship between the mind and body is an esstential one which can be carried over to sports and recreation.

Finally, the program encourages physical fitness by providing an aerobic work out in a safe environment. Training is repetitive in nature, broken up by other activities, some of them intended to be purely fun.