Children's Requirements

[ArmorOfGod]

Could some of you post the children's requirements for your school? By that, I mean roughly ages 8 and under. I am curious as to how different schools break up teaching compared to a typical teen/adult program.

AoG

 

[Stac3y]

Our junior classes are 13 and under (really big, strong kids are sometimes moved up earlier.)

Juniors learn techniques, sparring, and self defense; learning kata is optional until they reach red belt. Recently, though, we have started teaching kata for a short time during each class; I think we may be on the path to adding it for all kids.

Kids who want to learn kata, weapons, etc. and compete in outside tournaments have the option of trying out for the demo team.

 

[shesulsa]

I'm just starting out with my own little school. My focus for the younger group (5 - 9 years) is proper form in basic skills and an abbreviated curriculum for belt advancement.

That is to say, we work on perfecting stances, blocks, strikes and moving through striking and blocking from and into correct stances, work the mechanics of basic kicks, discernement between a standing kick and a reverse kick, and how to not hyperextend knees and elbows when striking.

Curriculum for an adult would be eight basic combinations, three kick tests, a short form, a long form, techniques and falls. Children will still learn falls according to individual skill, ten safer techniques, long and short forms, four basic combinations and one kicking test.

Teens learn the same curriculum as the adults and all persons wanting weapons training must be approved by the master instructor.

 

[Tez3]

Juniors age 6-14ish (depends on child we will keep them to 16 if they wish) do TSD and Jduo. The adults do MMA. We have a transient membership so neither the children nor the adults stay much over three years. With the children we concentrate on good basics, as shesulsa has said but we also try to give them a taste of other martial arts as their next club may well be a different style.
One of the reasons the adults do MMA is that they don't grade so can go on deployment for six months, on exercise, duties etc and pick up where they left off without having to see all the people they started with etc go up a couple of grades! Thats a bit discouraging

 

[Dale Seago]

From my website FAQ section:

Q: Does the San Francisco Dojo have any further restrictions beyond these?
A: Yes. These are martial arts in the literal sense of “martial” as pertaining to, or suitable for, warfare. Dale Seago often refers jokingly to them as “X-rated martial arts” in the sense that they are for mature, responsible adults. Accordingly it has always been his policy not to accept persons under the age of 18 for training in the regular dojo program.

Q: Then there is no training available for children?
A: A number of Bujinkan dojo do have children’s programs with a modified or “toned down” training curriculum focusing more on fundamental body-movement skills and on defending/escaping from dangerous situations than on the combative aspects. Dale does not teach such a program but has authorized one of his black-belt students, Rebecca Kidder, to do so. Information on this program can be found at http://www.sfninjakids.com.