age in aikido

I am verry interested in aikido.
I went looking for a dojo, i saw some dojo's that i liked(there are about four dojo's in my city).
but when i went in to check them out, they said i'm to jough to join(i'm 14)
i always read that aikido is for all ages and weight levels.
sould there be an age limmit?

Yes........I think it depends on how you teach the art. You can not give a loaded gun to a 5 year old. Even a teenager needs to be instructed on how to use it. Many schools don't take kids. The Aikido school I trained at had a rule about kids, no one under 12, yet my son started at 5 or 6, so they really didn't follow the rules. However, kids were not separated or encouraged to continue, actually made harder. My Sensei came to my son and told him the test was going to be in Japanese. My son freaked out and wanted to leave. I told him he knew all the Japanese terms, the Sensei was 'messing with him' actually Sensei was hoping he would back out. So it happens. I started my dojo just for kids when I saw how kids were treated in the Aikido dojo. I know many that have kids classes but its a tumbling class not an Aikido class. You don't want to have a 5 year old with a group of adults all the time. The child does slow things down, but on the other hand, they should be offered training. So I think some parameter should be met, where kids are separated. From 12 on, I see no reason why a student can't train with adults, but then again 12 is an arbitrary number as some kids are more mature at 12 than others, so its hard to say when its ok . The best solution is to separate kids from adults until they mature to train with them. I know mnay adults would not work with my son, because they felt he slowed them up. However others felt they could learn great control from my son.SO it really depends on the person in the class and the person training. I think alot of times Black belts don't want to train with beginners no matter how old. For my money 14 is a fine age to get started.

Some words of wisdom to take with you in the years to come:
1. Never EVER take NO for an answer.
2. Always question WHY.
3. You are never too young (or too old!) to learn ANYTHING.
4. If you put your mind to it, you CAN achieve anything.

I started when I was 16.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by judokater:
I am verry interested in aikido.
I went looking for a dojo, i saw some dojo's that i liked(there are about four dojo's in my city).
but when i went in to check them out, they said i'm to jough to join(i'm 14)
i always read that aikido is for all ages and weight levels.
sould there be an age limmit?[/QUOTE]

Aikido does suit people of all ages and fitness levels. Our dojo holds classes for juniors aged between 8 and 15. However I don't see why you shouldn't be able join the senior class if you show maturity.

Keep looking, I'm sure there'll be a dojo out there which will cater for your needs.

[IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG] Chanters

I think that this is a problem at this particular dojo. Most Associations/dojos I know allow children from around age 7 or so (I started at age of 9). I think about 8 at the Aikikai Hombu in Japan.

BUT I would say that anywhere that doesn't separate juniors from adults is putting those kids at risk; if only from collisions between the two.

Our dojo rules? No kids below 12 on an adult class, no kids under 14 practising with adults.

If you want to practise find a dojo that runs kids classes.

In our dojo, children (under 16) are always welcome; as long as one of their parents is also practicing. This simple policy allows for children to learn the art of Aikido without the dojo becoming a baby-sitting service like some of the others we have all seen. It also helps to prevent obnoxious behavior on the part of young students.

In working with younger, smaller children, I will often do the techniques in suwariwaza. this helps to minimize the difference in our heights, and improves my suwari techniques besides...