Ask Sensei

Question: How many classes may my child attend per week?

Answer: Your child can attend as many classes as he/she would like to per week.  The dues responsibility that goes with membership is about one's belief in supporting the dojo. It is not about the purchasing of hours. Thus, a child's schedule is decided by one's own level of commitment and convenience. However, we encourage that a child train as much as possible – as skill, conditioning, and virtue comes relative to one's investment in the training.

Question: How few classes may my child attend per week?

Answer: Your child may attend as few classes as he/she would like to or needs to.  There are no requirements to how many classes a child must make per week. Some children train once per week. Some children train at every class. All are welcome.

Question:  If my child misses a class, will he or she fall behind?

Answer:  Aiki 1 and Aiki 2 classes are like water.  The point is to immerse oneself as often as one can.  That said, once in, it is not like one can get wetter – there is only wet.  If your child misses a class, to be sure, they miss an opportunity to further develop within them the aims of training. However, they have not fallen behind.  They will simply come to the next class and seek to immerse themselves as fully as they can.  One cannot fall behind. There is only "being in the water" and "not being in the water". This is because the training is organic and not sequential.

Question:  Do you teach children self-defense?

Answer:  No, we do not teach children self-defense.  We do not believe that children should solve their issues with other children at home or at school with violence.  Nor do we believe that children have within them the physical capacity to fend off an adult attacker.  When it comes to self-defense issues between children and adults, we believe that children should be schooled in awareness, prevention, and in gaining assistance. This position is in line with all major law enforcement departments and with all major child welfare professionals. 

Question:  Why do you start with developmental games and do not just jump right in with kicking, punching, and throwing, etc.?

Answer: At the heart of all martial technique is the assumption that a person holds mastery over his or her body and mind.  It is my opinion that a great disservice is committed when a teacher simply presumes this mastery in his or her students. The error of this presumption is even greater when it involves the child practitioner.  Today, with diminishing physical education programs in schools, and the common adoption of a more sedentary lifestyle, children are at a point further away than past generations have been in holding mastery over their body and mind.  For this reason, we seek to develop the relevant physical and mental attributes through games – activities all children love to do.  In short, and for example, it makes little sense to ask a child to kick if he or she has not yet developed a sense of balance or to hold more focus if he or she has not yet cultivated an adequate attention span.  Our games are a base to our art.  Our games are not a substitute for our art, nor are they an extension of our art.  Aikido techniques will extend out of the games, and when the child looks back at their practice, they will know that they have been doing Aikido all along.

Question:  How do I address my child's training should he/she no longer "enjoy" it or show an interest in it?

Answer:  Aikido is not a sport or hobby.  Aikido is a tool we use to cultivate our being.  Aikido is a total art – one that functions at the level of our bodies, our minds, our hearts, and our spirits.  As with all arts, if you want your child to be nurtured according to its virtues, if you long for them to demonstrate that art among their many talents, then sooner or later an “executive decision” will have to be made.  To be sure, no child should be forced to train, but no training in any art can take place without a great deal of parental direction and/or support.  As we do with our own children, we suggest that you do not leave your child’s training solely in their hands, at the whims of their moods and/or many-stated desires.  

Question: My child has special needs (e.g. anger/aggression issues, ADHD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, physical challenges, etc.), can he/she still train?

Answer: If your child can play or can benefit from play, your child can train at the dojo.  Senshin Kids is set up to address the needs of all of our community’s children.  Because we have several adult members on the mat during our classes, and because we allow and encourage parental involvement (including the involvement of accompanying child specialists), the dojo can and does see such needs as a part of training – not as an obstacle to training.  Additionally, current research pertaining to childhood developmental issues suggests that our games, and the aims of those games, are very beneficial toward most of the physical, psychological, and emotional challenges that children face today.

Question: What about a training uniform? How do I get one? Does my child need one to start?

Your child does not need a uniform to begin training. He or she can simply wear sweats or shorts and a t-shirt of modest design. Training uniforms, called "gi", can be purchased through the dojo at any later date. Alternately, if your child already owns a gi, that gi can of course be worn to class. As we are not a commercial dojo, gi purchased through the dojo are offered to dojo members with a wholesale discount. For children, this has a price range of between $19 and $23 - depending upon the height of the child.

Question: Can my child try a few classes before he or she joins as a dojo member?

Yes. Please feel free to try several classes before seeking membership. It is important that you and your child get a good sense of what training entails, of who is involved with that training, and of how you can address the needs of training. If you require more than a few classes to do this, simply ask for more classes - we will always try our best to meet your requests in this regard. There is never any rush toward membership.

Question: What ages of children will my child be training with? 

Aiki 1 and Aiki 2 are not divided by age groups. This means that your child will be training with children of all ages. This allows an older child the opportunity to be caring, compassionate, and helpful with children that will generally be less strong, less physically coordinated, and less intellectually mature. This also allows younger children to model themselves after older children that have already begun the process of becoming well-rounded adults.