Expert: Keith Patton - 6/6/2008

Question
Dear Mr. Patton,

I would appreciate it if you could suggest a Houston dojo that is known for the ability to work with children. If you think that there is a better martial art than Aikido for a 10 yr-old, please let me know that as well.

Sincerely yours,
--Jared

Answer
Jared:

Most Aikido dojo's won't take kids under 12. There are a number of reasons.  Aikido has some very dangerous techniques, not for the person executing the technique but to the attacker.  Bones and joints can be broken very easily and a 10 year old probably does not have the maturity to know when not to use too much force.  It takes 2lb pressure to break an elbow if you know how to do it, and that is well within the capabilities of a 10 year old to exert that much force.

Second, younger kids don't have the attention span.  They want instant gradification.  It takes a long time to get proficient and to appreciate the subtleties of aikido techniques.

While I can understand you not wanting to put him in Taek Kwon Do classes as they look more violent, they are pretty benign and are in essence confidence builders and pretty worthless in real life situations.  

I have learned that all martial arts actually heighten agressive tendencies.  Think about it, you practice 3 or four times a week for confrontations.  You think about it all the time.  You size up everyone that enters a room as a potential adversary.  In the end it almost becomes a self fullfilling prophesy.  Like a oountry building a big army, sooner or later they find an excuse to use it to justify its existence.

In my experience, every new student gets into a fight within the first 12 months to two years.  By that time they have enough confidence and knowledge to be dangerous to themselves and others.

That was the case with me and almost every student I have known. Now put a 10 year old in that position.  The temptation would be too great.

That is why most Dojos won't take younger kids.

An alternative is Judo, which is grappling and throwing but no strikes, they usually will take kids.

Karl Geis dojos with which I am no longer affiliated does not take kids or women for reasons known only to him. The atmosphere there isn't conducive to kids or women anyway.

Houston Budokan up near Mangum and 45 might, but I can't determine from their website.

I looked around and this aikido school looks to teach kids.  They are in the Heights.


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