Rising Stars Aikido
Aikido Comets
I am Al Sensei 4th Dan and I am the senior instructor for the Rising Stars Aikido and Aikido Comet clubs. I hold a level 2 coach qualification with the British Aikido Board (national governing body) as well as their insurance.
Email: Sensei@risingstarsaikido.org.uk
| Rising Stars Aikido | Aikido Comets |
| 7yrs – 10yrs | 11 yrs – 18yrs |
| 9:30 – 10.30 am | 10:30 – noon |
| The Campus, Highlands Lane WSM BS24 7DX | The Campus, Highlands Lane WSM BS24 7 |
Philosophy
Rising Stars Aikido began in January 2006 because many of the adult students wanted their children to learn Aikido and the values surrounding Aikido. We teach our students in a positive way, always reflecting on what they did well rather that telling them what they did wrong. This ‘praise’ way of teaching begins to enforce a more positive ‘self belief’ within the student instead of focusing upon the negatives. This makes for a more positive confident student as well as fun training.
Aikido has strong values attached to its philosophy of non-aggression and follow the seven virtues of Bushido.
GI – JUSTICE
YU – COURAGE
JIN – COMPASSION
REI – RESPECT
MAKATO – HONESTY
MEIYO – HONOUR
CHU – LOYALTY
Many parents want their young children to learn techniques of self-protection so that they will be more self-confident, self-reliant and better able to deal with the ever present bullying at school.
However, their choice has been mainly restricted to martial arts, which no matter how noble their philosophy, in practice taught their son or daughter how to repeatedly punch or kick another child to achieve physical supremacy and ensure compliance.
The methods taught at Rising Stars Aikido and Aikido Comets are different. As well as teaching winning over self, Aikido encompasses practical techniques to preserve integrity and win over others cooperatively. This is why the techniques of Aikido are used as a metaphor for teaching life skills.
The general aim of the practice is to open children up to the humanitarian and engaging principles that underlie the practice of Aikido while developing their physical and emotional stability.
Please note, although martial arts involve teaching techniques of “self discipline” Aikido is not practised in a rigid way and children need a degree of self-control to be able to participate.
The classes are comprised of warm-up exercises, basic movements that form the building blocks of Aikido, more advanced techniques, and some more playful exercises meant to enrich the skills already beginning to develop.
The children train in a lively, healthy and relaxed atmosphere that they enjoy, yet the purpose and the skills are always serious and real. The students work with the instructor and with each other. A great deal of the class training is with partners and the children learn how to trust each other and how to help each other.
