About Aikido of Champlain Valley
Why Aikido?by Ed SullivanAs the father of not one, but two children who study Aikido, the first question that comes to mind is: Why Aikido? Why make such a commitment to teaching children a Martial Art? To begin with, I talked to Blake and Isabel's mother for about two months before she agreed to make the commitment of time and resources. Since we live in Charlotte, it is a four hour or more per week commitment of time out of an already busy schedule. The first point that I made was that children do get into fights - with their friends. Aikido stresses conflict resolution as well as defensive reactions to violence. Another reality for children is the bullies that one finds in school as well as on buses. By having knowledge of Aikido, a child does not feel trapped with no options. I do not mean that a child would have to use Aikido physically, but rather would have this self-confidence to tell a teacher about bullies. Second was the study of Aikido as it relates to sports. A l |