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Curriculum
Directory |
Note
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submit their own content. In the meantime, just send your description
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|
| Name |
Age Range |
Skill Focus |
Description, Rules, Equipment, Variations |
Submitter |
select * from games
<%-- loop through the rows of your query --%>
| Hotdog Bowling |
8+ |
rolling, timing |
This exercise adds excitement and variation to rolling practice.
Two lines form about 10 feet apart, facing each other. First
person in one line does a regular forward roll towards the other
line, and then "hot dog" rolls the rest of the way
- trying to take out the feet of the first person in that line,
who has to roll over the incoming student. That person, having
rolled, continues to hot dog roll themselves towards the opposing
line, creating a challenge to roll over for the next person.
Variation - instead of two lines facing each other, two lines
can be side by side, and the person rolling then hot dog rolls
back towards their own line, and the two teams race to cycle
thru some specified number of times. Larger classes can divide
into multiple teams, accomodating any number of students, but
individual lines should have 3-5 kids, so they don''t wait too
long between rolls. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Kid-Lead Warmups |
10+ |
memory, respect |
Occasionally, consider letting the kids lead their own warmups
- either one or two stretches per student and then the next kid
has to think of something, or letting one kid, possibly as part
of their testing that day anyway, lead the entire class thru
all the warmups. All the kids will pay more attention if they
think they might have to lead someday. It is also empowering
to experience a group of people all doing what you tell them
to do, even if Sensei is still theoretically in charge. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Charity Project |
8+ |
Community |
As a means to teach kids the aikido values of connection and
compassion outside the dojo, pick a local charity and perform
a fundraising event or community service project. Stuffing donated
presents into holiday stockings for kids who might not otherwise
get presents, help build low-income housing, clean up a nearby
park or hiking trail, or arrange a visit and a demo at a local
nursing home. It doesn't matter what the project is nearly as
much as the spirit in which the project is performed. Many kids
believe that, since they are only kids, they cannot make a major
difference in other people's lives. Proving to them that they
can is an incredibly powerful lesson with important long-term
benefits. |
Mark Miller, Nashville Aikikai |
| Technique Spiral |
all |
lesson planning |
One way to simplify lesson planning, particularly in dojos
where there are multiple instructors - is to
post a
list of techniques - one technique for each
class session per month. Labeled "First Tuesday", "Third
Thursday", etc., each day is assigned a specific technique
- ikkyo, nikkyo, koto gaeshi, etc.. Since such a list is not
specific to any month, it can be useful all year round, and serves
to make sure all the major techniques get covered, and that students
get a chance to work on each technique every month - gradually
getting better and better at each one. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Balloon Blend |
all |
connection, flow, softness |
Using balloons filled about half full (so they are still reasonably
soft, and you need one for every two students), have students
perform otherwise regular katate techniques (tai no henko in
particular), except instead of one student grabbing the other
student's wrist, have the nage palm the balloon with their hand
pointing down into the hand of the uke, who's palm is up. All
contact, pressure, and interaction between them is therefore
forced to flow through the balloon - making any attempt to use
too much force obvious (and occasionally, serving to pop the
balloon). Same procedure can be used with shihonage, ikkyo through
yonkyo, and any other basic technique. Two balloons allow students
to try tenshinage. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Jiyu Waza |
all |
not panicking |
One of the most critical skills whenever facing a stressful
situation, on or off the mat, is the ability to stay centered
and able to flow with all the energies involved. A small taste
of this can be had during free training, or jiyu waza - where
nage does not know which attack uke will be using, and uke does
not know which technique nage will choose. Besides control of
pacing, instructors can tailor this exercise to each student's
level by limiting the variety of attacks and techniques allowed.
The fundamental benefit of this training is to help the students
experience, and overcome, the mind getting stuck. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| King of the Jo Rolling |
all |
Rolling, Conquering Fear |
Divide training area into four lines. Lay several jo down about
8 feet apart in the first line. Lay pairs of jo, about 1 foot
apart, with each pair 8 feet apart, in the second line. In the
third line - have the jo pairs about 3 feet apart, and in the
last line make them about 5 feet apart.
Students start on the easiest line, rolling over the jo. They
then advance to the next line, and the next, until they can no
longer jump and roll over the gap between the jo. Anyone who's
foot or hand touches a jo has to go back to the first line. Continue
until each student has rolled 10 times on each arm, or 20, or
30, etc. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Energy Variations |
8+ |
technique, movement, timing |
Most techniques can be performed at several energy levels.
I'm used to three divisions
1] static start (uke grabs firmly
or places stands hand-blade to hand-blade and then nage begins
movement). Training from static emphasizes power, position,
and posture.
2] Blend and Test (moving start with uke attempting
to grab firmly, but nage is already in motion, but the technique
finishes static, with uke checking nage's stance by pulling or
pushing). Training "Blend and Test" emphasizes timing
and extension.
3] Ki no Nagare, or "Ki-Flow" (movement is continuous
from the beginning of a technique thru its end and into the start
of the next). Training Ki no Nagare emphasizes connection and
movement.
All three are valid ways to practice, and it seems important
for students to experience each of them. Which variety to use
on any given day may be determined by experience (static for
new students, ki-flow for the most advanced, etc.) or simply
by the existing energy level of the class (train static to calm
a boisterous class, train ki-flow to energize the timid, etc.). |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Tai Sabaki |
all |
following directions, footwork, technique |
Footwork drills can be adapted for all ages and skill levels.
Students line up in a single row along one edge of the mat. I
use six movements: step forward, step backward, advance (slide
forward keeping same foot in lead), retreat (slide backward keeping
same foot in rear), pivot, and change positions (change hanmi).
Begin by teaching each movement separately. Next, pair movments
(step forward/backward, advance/retreat, pivot/change). Finally,
call movements in random order, increasing the speed. I usually
keep going until everyone messes up, including me and we all
start laughing. One can use Japanese names for some of the movements
- e.g. Irimi (slide forward on front foot), Tenkan (step back
with front foot), Kaiten (rotate on feet so you face the other
way), etc. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Energy Levels |
all |
technique, movement, timing |
It is important to blend not just with a partner's attack -
a punch, grab, or strike, but with the energy and pace of that
attack as well. Using a scale of 1 (slow methodical static training)
to 10 (full-speed no-hold's barred training) - have partners
train first at specific energy levels that you call out. This
lets them mutually "calibrate". The second part of
the training is to tell half the class what energy level to use
with their partners, and then have the other half of the class
guess what the assigned number was. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Guest Instructor |
all |
technique variations, enthusiasm |
No matter how good an instructor someone may be, it is always
a useful exercise to bring in someone else as a guest instructor
occasionally. Bringing a new perspective onto the mat helps kids
understand that there is no "one correct way" to perform
technique, and that they have not somehow failed if they cannot
seem to perform a techniques exactly how their regular instructor
does. Kids also learn more when they are pushed out of their
comfort zone just a little bit. It may well be that they have
been taking their regular instructor for granted, and will appreciate
him or her more after the guest instructor leaves. Bringing in
a guest instructor also allows you to plug the gaps, if any,
in your program - some instructors, for instance, may have the
experience, but not the knees, required to whip around the mat
in shikko or perform effortless and elegant suwari waza. If so,
bringing in a ringer for a class every so often exposes the kids
to suwari techniques without causing the regular instructor to
hobble around for days afterward. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Cross-Dojo Training |
9+ |
technique variations, enthusiasm, |
Kids, like adults, often learn more when pushed up to the edge
of their comfort zone. Training with the same kids in each week's
class is fun - but can be "comfortable" in the sense
that the level of challenge is damped down. Arranging with the
teacher of a nearby dojo to shake things up a little by having
the students of both classes train together allows everyone a
good mix of the familiar and the new. These cross-dojo training
opportunities can be a single class, a special one-day seminar,
or even a week-long gasshuku during the summer. Many adult students
go to seminars regularly, and find them enormously beneficial.
Seminars for kids have the potential to be even more valuable,
as so much more is actually new to them. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Halloween Training |
7-16 |
Fighting off Zombies, Vampires, Werewolves, and Knife-wielding
Psychos |
On the training day just before, or on, Halloween - encourage
kids to come in costume (or those parts of their costume they
can roll in without hurting themselves). Curriculum for the day
is how to respond to the various monsters they may well encounter
while trick or treating. Looking at the classic attack for each
kind of monster, choose an appropriate technique in response,
and train. In our dojo, we assume Zombies are staggering forward
trying to grab your neck or shoulders with both hands (ryo-kata),
and we respond with the basic randori blend. Vampires, as we
all know, are trying to bite your neck, so we train for Ushiro
kubi shime (one wrist grab and choke, from behind) - usually
responding with escape and sankyo. Werewolves usually attack
with a swinging claw, which can be led into shihonage, and Knife-wielding
Psychos usually attack Shomen or Yokomen - to which Ikkyo or
Gokyo are usually the best responses. Enjoy! |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Sword strikes |
8+ |
technique, posture, extension, focus, enthusiasm |
Weapons are inherently exciting, and care must be taken to
maintain appropriate levels of discipline and focus whenever
students have large wooden sticks in their hands. Because so
many Aikido techniques are derived from sword work, teaching
kids how to use bokken (or vacuum cleaner tubes or other safe
alternative), can help them with their empty hand techniques.
Besides learning to focus and extend power, how to move fluidly
without raising one's shoulders, and how to connect to one's
own center, sword work is one of the few parts of an aikido curriculum
that a motivated student can practice at home (assuming they
have high enough ceilings). Bokken also have a wonderful way
of telling you if you're moving correctly: If a student does
100 sword cuts, and their arms feel on fire and like they are
about to fall off, then they were not relaxed, nor were they
drawing power from their center. If each felt focused and crisp,
and their arms merely feel warm, then they were swinging correctly. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Unbendable Arm |
all |
focus, energy, power, confidence, rolling |
A basic Aikido concept, experiencing the Unbendable Arm can
be surprisingly effective at convincing a timid student that
they are, in fact, strong enough to handle the forward roll.
Students pair up, and one rests his or her arm upon the other's
shoulder (ELBOW POINTED DOWN!). The student first makes as tight
a fist as possible, and is told not to let his or her arm bend
- while the other student lays his two arms across the first
student's elbow and tries to bend the arm. Usually the arm is
bent quite easily. The next step is to have the first student
open the hand and imagine that the arm is a fire hose pouring
water on some object in the distance. It is important that they
look out to where the water is going, rather than paying any
attention to the student right in front of them trying to bend
their arm. This "firehose" arm is much stronger and
usually cannot be bent. For dramatic effect, you can have another
student hang on the arm in question, just to show how strong
it is. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Kid-Ready Randori |
8+ |
staying centered |
Randori, or multiple attacker training, is inherently chaotic
and intense. It is also perhaps the most thrilling aikido to
perform. Without appropriate supervision, beginners could easily
injure themselves or their partners - this is true of both adults
and children. There are a number of safe ways to introduce randori
training into a kid's program, but care must always be taken
that the energy level of the training does not slip out of control.
One way to control the pace of randori is for the instructor
to be the nage, who can therefore pace the throws to match each
kid's skill level. Besides it being a thrill for the kids to
try to "get" the teacher, it is a good way to reward
the more advanced students, or that day's best-behaving students,
etc. Alternatively, each student can take turns standing in the
middle of a circle of all the students, all of whom attack at
3 second intervals, with the sensei poised to clap the exercise
to a halt if anything is about to become dangerous. If the class
has enough students to make more than one such circle, each circle
should be monitored by an instructor or capable assistant. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Teen Samurai Challenge |
12+ |
advanced ukemi, weapons work |
Teen Samurai Challenge is a twice-monthly invitation-only advanced
class with both on-mat and off-mat components. The on-mat training
is whatever more challenging techniques, high-falls, or weapons
work they are ready for, ideally in a full 90 minute session
that allows reasonable depth. The off-mat component is meant
to nurture the students connection to each other and to aikido.
The logistics may be challenging, but in our dojo the teen students
join their teacher at his nearby warehouse for pizza and samurai
movies after the special Friday afternoon training. Having the
sensei live a few blocks from the dojo helps, but with enough
adult involvement, transportation to the off-mat location should
be manageable. Dojos with no adult class that evening could host
both components. Our students get a supervised night out with
aikido friends, get to watch cool swordfights, and have a chance
to start thinking of themselves as warriors in training. Parents
provide $15 to cover the costs of pizza and drinks, and typically
pick their kids up at a reasonable 10pm. The invitation-only
status of the class helps make the advanced training "cool" even
in a teen's jaded eyes, and thus helps retain older students
who might otherwise be pulled away from training by their non-aikido
peer's desire to hang out on street corners and act like, well,
teenagers . . . |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Juggernaut |
all |
intro to new techniques |
The Juggernaut is a mythical giant who can walk through anything.
He/She doesn't go around, He/She goes through! The younger the
age, the more I emphasize imaginary story to the game, they are
magic trees in the forest where the juggarnaut walks, etc. Set-up:
Children spread out all over the mat and stand in a hamni. At
its most basic, the sensei lumbers like a giant with arms out
and hands together towards children. Instead of getting run over,
they blend by turning. Youngest children simply turn their bodies
any way that gets them out of the way, as children get older/more
advanced, use this format to reinforce specific blends like tenkan,
irimi, two step turn. If children don't get out of the way, they
kneel down into a ball and stand up again after 20 seconds. I
call this turning into a seed. BE SNEAKY! Emphasize awareness
by walking around the mat without aiming for anybody and then
turning suddenly to run someone over. Children learn to always
point their front at you when they think you might run into them
at any moment. Children often start turning way before you can
crash into them, and this is an opportunity to teach timing.
As children get used to the format, you can use it to introduce
basic techniques and get a chance to sneak in some one on one
teaching before group training. I do this by introducing new
creatures like "THE CLAW" (katate dori and sometimes
ushiro ryokata dori) or "The Lumberjack" (shomenuchi,
yokomen, and slash) Obviously individual teaching works best
with smaller groups. For additional challenge, use multiple juggernauts
(assistant/co-teachers, parents, etc.) |
John Benner, Two Hearts Aikido |
| Street Clothes Conversation |
all |
tactics, thoughtfulness |
Sometimes the students are all together, but no one can train
because the mat is being repaired, teacher forgot their dojo
key, or rain moved another group into the space normally used
for Aikido. One of the best ways to bring everyone's thoughts
together in a useful way is to ask for volunteers to describe
situations where they've gotten into fights, or felt threatened,
or wanted to hurt someone else. After they've told their story,
elicit thoughts from the other students about how "aikido" the
students response was, and what other choices might have been
present in the situation just described. Encourage everyone to
have their say - talking stick style - and then listen to the
next story. The experience of being heard, being supported, and
being given choices for next time helps kids realize that aikido
doesn't only happen inside the dojo, and that it has the potential
to really help them navigate thru the tough spots each of them
occasionally faces. Next class, hopefully on the mat as normal,
will be taken that much more seriously. |
AikidoKids Staff |
| Book of Five Rings training |
10+ |
groundedness, flow |
Musashi's Five Rings are Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Void.
The exercise is to perform a technique (say yakute dori ikkyo)
in the spirit of each of these elements in turn. For Earth, move
slowly and deliberately, with extreme precision. For Water, emphasize
the flowing technique made possible by relaxing the hips and
shoulders. For Fire, use kiai, atemi, and a strong entering motion.
For Air, focus on smooth motion and gentle contact. For Void
- use tenkan to blend out of the way of the attack, making the
partner fall into the emptiness you create by moving out of where
they expected you. Students can do sets of ten (left and right
side versions of each element), and then can, in unison as a
class, do whichever version sensei calls out. (There is much
more to Frager Sensei's 5 Rings curriculum, he even has a DVD
of it if you're interested: http://www.keiganproductions.com/products.html
) |
courtesy of Robert Frager, 7th Dan |
| Summer Camp |
8+ |
new friends, lots of fun |
This will be our 33rd year helping run a
traditional sports camp, one where we've been able to add Aikido to the list of
many activities (mostly sports, but also climbing, boating, craftshop,
etc.). We are convinced there are no better places for kids to
grow up, meet new friends, learn new skills, and become thoughtful
people than a well-run summer camp. When picking camps for your
kids, or recommending them to your students - look for ones where
they can keep up with their Aikido training in the midst of everything
else they're doing. |
AikidoKids staff |
| Aikido & Academia |
all |
open mindedness, physicality, integration |
One way to get Aikido out into the world is to add Aikido
to something you are already teaching. Thus you could teach "Conflict
Resolution & Aikido" as part of a middle school or high
school class, "Aikido and Ethics" to a high school
or college class, etc. Such courses have been taught, are taught
now, or are in preparation at a number of top schools (U. Chicago,
Middlebury, Williams, Lehigh, Furman, etc.)
A symposium on Aikido in University Academia was held at
the University of Chicago in November of 2008 - contact Aiki-Extensions
or AikidoKids.com staff for more information.
AikidoKids.com would
be happy to profile any such programs - particularly ones that
bring Aikido into the classroom for K-12 students. Let us know
about any intiatives in your school to include Aikido as part
of traditional coursework, and consider taking the leap to
create your own course wherever you teach presently. |
AikidoKids staff |
| Tiny Henko |
all |
movement, awareness, technique |
Inspired by a very crowded seminar mat - the idea is to do
Tai no Henko blends while moving in as small a space as possible.
Take a few minutes to explore how little movement is actually
required to take someone's balance, how small you can step and
turn, how much you can accomplish just with your hips, etc. |
Jamie Zimron |
| Opening Heart |
all |
Compassion, Strength |
Uke: Gyaku hanmi-katate dori
Nage: first close your heart...move your own hand toward you...(to
show this physically, close your chest, shoulders, eyes down
and away from partner, etc.) try pulling on them....(with obvious
results and resistance)
then with an open heart...relax shoulders, open chest, lift
eyes to include the partner, open your heart to this person (whatever
that may mean to you), move your hand toward you. |
Paul Linden |
| Emotions and Power |
all |
anger management |
I have a person stand in a deep, strong hanmi stance, and
I push on their shoulders. Then I have them say something mean
or insulting to me, and they immediately lose stability. as a "control
group" I have them stand in the same stance and talk about
pizza, and they do not lose stability. The same experiments can
be carried out with angry or jealous or arrogant statements.
I usually follow it by saying you can be angry or you can be
strong, but you can't be both.
Then I follow the experiment with a second experiment. I have
people stand in the same stance and say something kind, and they
experience that that increases their stability. What what this
does is to undermine people's notions that anger and opposition
are the sources of strength. |
Paul Linden |
| 4 Grab Escapes |
all |
Safety, anti-abduction |
There are 4 primary ways one can get free from a same side
grab. All lead the wrist out in the direction of the thumb. The
first of these is to circle from inside up and outside (invoking
kote gaeshi). The second is to circle from outside up and inside
while blending (invoking nikkyo). The third is to turn the wrist
and extend out past the thumb as in the normal Irimi exercise,
and the fourth is to turn the wrist and escape past the thumb
while grabbing your partners wrist with your other hand - like
clapping but you miss your own hand and grab their wrist instead.
Teaching these grab escapes to kids might literally
save their lives if an adult were ever to try to grab them as
part of an abduction attempt. When it is a good idea to mention
that context we'll leave up to your discretion, but introducing
and drilling these escapes is valuable regardless. |
Craig Fife |
| Girls Training |
girls |
empowerment, involvement, safety |
In response to a question about how to retain girl students
on the (no longer active) Aikidokids.com forum, the following
replies came in:
1] My instinct is that you empower girls more effectively
when you give them boys to throw across the room. You also
teach boys to respect girls pretty effectively too. That being
said - your mileage may vary, and it might be beneficial to
offer single-gender youth classes for reasons I've not considered.
I imagine there are some all-girls classes out there, some
of them at girl's schools where it is more circumstance than
intentional choice that keeps the class all-female.
My classes
tend to have more boys than girls, so there may be things I
should be doing to make my classes more girl-friendly. I think
there are also social forces at work that don't encourage girls
to pursue martial arts nearly as much as they encourage boys,
and since I can't expect to shift the social fabric much on
my own, I think my task is more focused on welcoming any girls
that do arrive at the dojo, and making sure there's a healhy
training environment for them. As for teaching girls - I think
you need to adjust a little bit for every student, and suspect
that criterion like maturity, energy level, coordination, and
experience have more impact on what kind of student a kid is
than their gender does, though in general I think it is safe
to say that the most of the ADHD kids running amok are going
to be boys.
2] Cyndy Hayashi Sensei, of Aikido West - With the growing
concern of parents for their young children, it is a thought
to coordinate a mothers/daughters street defense class. This
is a class geared towards very simple, but effective, responses
to an attack. You teach palm and elbow strikes, kicking and
screaming. The screaming is what to scream and how to scream.
It is not generally natural for women to raise their voice
in public. It was easier with the kids. I found this a great
class where the mothers and daughters found a place to bond
in common thought and it put a very serious concern in a fun
and relaxed atmosphere for learning. I put in elements of higher
learning for them in the event they wanted to pursue Aikido
as a martial art. One of the main elements was recognizing
a bad situation or potential for a bad situation and getting
out before anything occurs. This class can be advertized in
the community, women's shelters for domestic violence, laundermats,
gyms etc.... |
AikidoKids staff and Cyndy Hayashi |
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