[IAIDO-L] Teaching Iaido to children ...
Eoin Meehan
My 10 year old son recently asked me could he do iaido too? And I have
to admit I never thought about it before!
I know its common in many martial arts for children to be taught
(karate, judo, etc) but is it done in iaido?
I can see two problems: firstly there is the physical problem of an
appropriate sword or bokken of the right size, but secondly is there
an ethical issue? Most martial arts are taught as "self defense"
reacting to hostile actions.(Your honour, he threw a punch at me and I
defended myself) But in iaido we react to (albeit imaginary) hostile
intent (Your honour, he had a strange way about him ...)
I'm just interested in seeing what people think!!! Are there childrens
iaido classes anywhere? Is it just me who has strange ethical
conumdrums? :-)
Rgds,
Eoin Meehan
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Robert Corella
I myself have taught a few children. But not anymore. As a retired
elementary school teacher of 27 years, I find that children do not
understand the concepts of iaido. When I was living in Japan, Toyoda sensei
taught a few (2-3) children. But even in Japan I rarely saw youngsters doing
iaido. Another martial was a different story. I have a 4 dan in Judo and I
used to teach children. It was easy. To to teach iaido, well.....for myself
I would not do it. I know that there are the exceptional kids that can
understand the theories that are involved with iaido. But they are rare.
Another things that I found out when I took in a few kids that the classes
were harder on the parents then on the children. By this I mean the driving
of the students to the dojo. If the parent stayed during the class they soon
became bored or if they left to run errands then they would be making two
trips to the dojo (start and finish of class). After a while the parents
would withdraw their kids because it was too much trouble for the them. If
the parent was taking iaido along with the child then it might work out.
Recently at a local Japanese festival a mother came up to me and asked if I
would teach her child. I refused and she was offended. She felt I should
take her child as a student of mine since she was willing to pay. I do not
do iaido for the money. Yes, I have to pay rent, electricity, etc. So I have
to charge for my services. I never expected iaido to make me a millionaire.
Nor do I want it to.
Anyway, I will be waiting to hear from other teachers who might have taught
children. I hope that it was successful for them.
Robert Corella
Araki Ryu Iaido
www.kenshindojo.net
Karl Friday
> > [mailto:IAI...@LISTSERV.UOGUELPH.CA] On Behalf Of Meik Skoss
>
>
> Anyway, I suppose the best advice I can give is that old Japanese proverb:
> "kesu bai kesu: (which means just what it sounds like in Engrish). It
> really depends on the child, the instructor, and the child's parents.
This proverb reminds me of the standard reply used to answer students who
complain of having to practice too much: "Do kesa every morning," or, in
the original (wait for it): "kesa mai asa."
Best,
Karl Friday
Instructional Coordinator & Associate Head
Dept. of History
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602
ph. (706) 542-2537
Stefan Stenudd
I have little to contribute to the question of children doing iai. Wise
things have been said.
Just wanted to cheer at two things mentioned by Meik Skoss:
At 16:17 2006-03-13, Meik Skoss wrote:
>The weapon's size/weight should be considered, I think.
>If it's too large or too heavy, the student is going to develop lots of bad
>habits.
That's what I have found, too - an exagerrated delight in big tools.
Some iaido students (and teachers) seem to think that bigger is better. The
result is a very tense upper body and strange cuts. The body tricks the
mind, and develops a cut that spares the body from the strain, but makes
for a strange kiri.
>Two teen-age boys began at the age of sixteen. The one who was all hot to
>trot had lots of family issues and quit after training very spottily for a
>year. The other lad, who only came along to keep his friend from feeling
>intimidated and didn't seem interested at the beginning, has turned out to
>be a total training fool.
I've had that experience with students, too. One comes as a companion, and
stays for the ride, while the guy eager to start was quickly just as eager
to quit. There must be karma involved, somewhere...
Some of my best students started that way.
Isn't it true that if you try to guess which one of your beginners will
remain and get far, you're always wrong?
Yours,
s t e f a n s t e n u d d
--------------------------------
ste...@stenudd.com
http://www.stenudd.com
Meik Skoss
>My 10-year-old son recently asked me could he do iaido, too? I have to
admit I never thought about it before! I know it's common in many martial
arts for children to be taught (karate, judo, etc.), but is it done in iaido?<
It depends on where you're talking about. In Japan, kids in junior high
school (so, from twelve or thirteen years of age) practice iaido as club
activity. There are some kids in Japanese dojo that teach both kendo and
iaido who train in the art as well. It appeared to be more a matter of
interest (as well as the policy of the instructor, of course).
>I can see two problems: firstly there is the physical problem of an
appropriate sword or bokken of the right size. But, secondly is there an
ethical issue? Most martial arts are taught as "self-defense" reacting to
hostile actions.(Your honour, he threw a punch at me and I defended
myself.) But in iaido we react to (albeit imaginary) hostile intent (Your
honour, he had a strange way about him ...)<
Finding a training weapon of the appropriate size and weight is probably
easier in the Land of the Rising Yen, but it shouldn't be all that
difficult in Europe or the Americas. If nothing else, one can cut down an
adult-size bokuto. The weapon's size/weight should be considered, I think.
If it's too large or too heavy, the student is going to develop lots of bad
habits. It's even possible, though perhaps not likely, for them to suffer
damage to their shoulder joints.
>I'm just interested in seeing what people think!!! Are there children's
iaido classes anywhere? Is it just me who has strange ethical conumdrums?<
I don't know about ethical conundrums. Kids do kendo, atarashii naginata
and jukendo. We teach kids to shoot and hunt. Some children who train in
karatedo also do Ryukyu kobudo (kon, nunchaku, sai), so what's the big deal
about training in iaido? It's not like iaido is an art that has a
"practical application" in the sense of preparing one for sword fighting.
Maybe some koryu schools emphasize the combative aspects of technique, a
good thing in my opinion, but iaido is specifically designed as "seishin
shuyo/shinshin tanren" (spiritual cultivation/physical and mental forging).
That's what ZenKenRen and pretty near all the teachers I have ever seen and
talked to say, anyway.
I don't teach iai, per se, except as part of the Yagyukai's curriculum (in
Shinkage-ryu and Yagyu Seigo-ryu). I do teach Shinto Muso-ryu jojutsu,
however, and I've come to the conclusion that most kids under the age of
sixteen just don't have the concentration and/or dedication necessary to
undergo such training. That's not to say I wouldn't take kids who are
younger, but I doubt that it would be a successful experience for them.
Of the kids in my dojo, one's a girl of thirteen and started at the age of
eleven. Her dad is a student and she'd watch practice, eventually asking to
train. She studied for a year or so, but then school, soccer, ... got in
the way. We have not seen her in the dojo for over eight months. If she
wants to come back to training, she'll be allowed to do so, but I would
have her do a lot of revision of the kihon waza (both tandoku and sotai) to
see how much she'd retained and if she were sufficiently motivated to
continue, before I'd let her do any kata again. And then only on the
shidachi side for quite a while.
Two teen-age boys began at the age of sixteen. The one who was all hot to
trot had lots of family issues and quit after training very spottily for a
year. The other lad, who only came along to keep his friend from feeling
intimidated and didn't seem interested at the beginning, has turned out to
be a total training fool. He can't seem to get enough keiko and is now
doing other arts, too, as well as working part time and carrying a full
load at school. That's the kind of thing that really makes me happy. Go
figure...
Anyway, I suppose the best advice I can give is that old Japanese proverb:
"kesu bai kesu: (which means just what it sounds like in Engrish). It
really depends on the child, the instructor, and the child's parents.
Hope this helps.
Meik Skoss
Shutokukan Dojo
Koryu.com
Robert Corella
I need to contact Ken Goldstein (Kaneohe, Hawaii) about his visit to
Phoenix. Can anyone help me?
Thanks!
Bob Corella
www.kenshindojo.net