Adults may practice Aikido for stress reduction, relaxation, defense, its many cardiovascular benefits, or for many other reasons. But these are concepts most kids don’t even think about or care about. So why is Aikido a good idea for children? What can it contribute to their lives and to yours? (assuming you are a parent)

Below are 10 of the reasons to try Aikido if your son or daughter has shown any interest in physical activity and specifically martial arts training or if your child has shown signs of attention deficit disorder or ADHD.

1) Aikido is a “non-aggressive” martial art. What does this mean? Basically that the fundamental principles of Aikido do not encourage self-defense at all costs. Generally speaking, Aikido classes are not taught with a kick and punch mentality to get out of conflict. In essence, you don’t really start a fight with Aikido, but you can certainly finish one. Aikido does not encourage children to emulate Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles by punching and kicking their friends, brothers, dogs and cats. Technical Aikido begins when someone else “breaks the rules”, that is, attacks. More importantly, Aikido teaches children that fighting is the last resort in dealing with conflict.

2) Aikido emphasizes staying calm, relaxed and balanced. Of course, children cannot and should not be calm all the time. But Aikido teaches them that they have a choice. Whether they need to sit still in school or focus on homework or concentrate during sports, Aikido teaches them the fundamentals of “going within” and gives them tools to help them when it is necessary to be calm. This is completely different from keeping your emotions bottled up. On the contrary, the calm of Aikido feels good and, in fact, the study of Aikido is the study of communication.

3) Aikido teaches children “practice” self defense. I put “handy” in quotes to indicate that handy for a child is completely different from handy for an adult. Shocking arts like Karate and Tae Kwon Do, while very good for health and well-being, provide children with a primary tool for dealing with conflict: aggression. If your child only knows how to kick and punch his way out of a conflict, he will have a very difficult time dealing with the most frequent “attacks” life faces: stress, bullying, verbal abuse, and disappointment. You see, if real life attacks don’t look and behave like the attacker in the dojo or dojang, your child won’t have the right tools to identify and then deal with the situation more effectively.

4) Aikido gives children a positive view of the world. It teaches that to create something worthwhile, you must have goals, a clear picture of the desired result, and then practice, practice, practice. Aikido teaches the law of reciprocity, or what goes around comes around. If you start having problems, you have lost. But if your mind is right, calm and positive, you can do something good with whatever life throws your way. In fact, Aikido training for children teaches that it is the responsibility of each person to actively look for ways to get something good out of every situation.

5) Aikido teaches to enjoy every experience of life. Kids have it tough enough with increased homework, peer pressure, demanding standards, and increased dangers everywhere. A serious approach to life doesn’t always feel good and usually doesn’t produce the best possible results. Aikido works best when you are relaxed and light, and having an outlet for your child to “let loose” and be a kid while learning valuable life skills can be a tremendous character-building experience.

6) Aikido helps children in and at school. By training in Aikido, children develop a calm, clear and balanced mind. As a result, they absorb knowledge more easily and can think and concentrate more clearly. Aikido emphasizes the development of the full human potential and since children spend most of their formative years in school, it is one of the most important places for this potential to be realized.

7) Aikido for children helps with sports. Aikido classes focus on the same things that almost all sports require: endurance, sport-specific strength and skill, relaxation, a focused mind, proper breathing, centering, and being able to visualize the result. Unfortunately, most youth sports only emphasize the limited sporting aspect of whatever game is being played. While most youth sports encourage fun and teamwork, very few amateur coaches (usually moms and dads) have the proper educational training to teach kids the other, more important fundamentals listed above. Almost every parent of the youngsters who train weekly at the Grand Rapids/Toyoda Center Aikido facility at some point comment on the amazing transformations that occur in their sons and daughters over time and which they directly attribute to the Aikido program for children.

8.Aikido is for everyone. Aikido does not require specific talent or athletic ability. In fact, athletic prowess can sometimes be an obstacle to understanding and executing Aikido techniques. The key to progress in Aikido is to simply relax, move effortlessly, help others, and cultivate a positive mind. Is there a better message for children?

9) Aikido works for people of all shapes and sizes. Since Aikido is not based on size, strength, speed, weight, or reach, children can effectively apply it to adults. In fact, it can be quite amazing how much power your kids can muster when they throw the grown-ups. Some of the most effective and powerful Aikido practitioners have been the smallest individuals. Aikido uses an understanding of basic universal principles and emphasizes non-containment of force. Aikido teaches that there will always be someone bigger, faster and stronger and not all “attacks” will come in the form of a bad person. Aikido for children gives them a great toolbox of skills to draw on in a variety of situations for the rest of their lives.

10) The Aikido class for children is a good physical activity! Plain and simple, we get them out! Children who have ADD and ADHD show amazing results when they leave an Aikido class tired.