Aikido Unlimited, Juniors

Junior Aikido

At Aikido Unlimited junior trainees are grouped by age, so that age specific needs for teaching can be met.

You can see the training schedule from following table. The junior classes are marked with violet color. Older juniors can also participate adult group practices marked with blue color. Juniors at Hyvinkää are free to visit Tampere dojo and vice versa without additional fee.

While the younger children learn best by playing, teenagers thrive with challenging games. Aikido and general martial art techniques as well as ukemi – aikido rolls ranging from soft rolling on mats to high falls – are learned through games and play.

We are also starting children’s classes in Espoo as soon as suitable training premises are found.

In Junior Aikido, the focus is on joy of movement, body control and exercising the basic skills (co-ordination, balance, agility and strength) in the martial art context:

• Respect for another
• Accepting contact and even small bumps
• Keeping the centerline
• Determining the situation and managing timing
• Biomechanics in the martial art context.

Skills are taught through games and play. For the younger children (8-12) learning takes place through play, but games and play are essential in teaching all children and young people. Aikido techniques, martial art skills, hits and kicks are taught appropriately for age.

Ukemi, i.e. safe reception of technique, are practiced in a variety of ways from the very beginning. Exercising rolls and falls increases body control and agility. As the skills develop trainees can safely manage the aikido high falls. Skills grow through training and repetition but higher ukemi are practiced safely from the start.

Aikido junior graduations are available after the Basic Course and during the Advanced Classes (Finland Aikikai). We also have a curriculum of Stellar Techniques – competence of ukemi, martial art skills and aikido techniques is recorded by instructor and the trainee and their parents can easily follow them in the Omadojo Applications.