16 great Aikido (Martial Arts) training games for kids.

Our clubs in Auckland make a huge effort to provide the best experience possible for our "Academy" classes (kids 8-15 years old). We fully accept that the kids are the future of our art and We pride ourselves in having trained some of our members from pre teens through to adult yudansha.

Initially we ran classes that were a duplicate of our senior classes; we soon learned that to keep kids engaged and focussed you can't just teach them like you would an adult group.

Especially for younger kids (8-12 group), instilling fundamental martial principles like balance, posture, movement, timing etc can be an uphill struggle, if what they are being shown is perceived as "hard work".

Over the last decade have we have developed a collection of "games" (in reality, cunningly disguised drills..) to break up "formal" syllabus or technique training and to keep changing the focus so that the kids "do" rather than "try".  We of course don't play all of these games during every class, but a few thrown in to break up an hour lesson seems to work really well.

I am putting these out there in the hope that those of you that also teach kids may be able get some benefit.  I am always on the lookout for new ideas and of course would be really interested to hear from other non-Aikido instructors as to how you've adapted or changed the games to fit your style.

1."Ukemi - Follow the leader"

Pick a student to lead off (we often make this a privilege "won" during a previous game) ideally someone with competent ukemi skills, and get them to start rolling around the edge of the mat.  After a safe amount of space set the next one off to follow.  The lead student can vary between forwards rolls, backward rolls, rolling from shikko (knee walking), no-handed rolls etc etc and the student behind simply has to copy.  Keep reminding them to be aware of not only of their distance from the person in front but also the person behind (great for awareness).  Only keep this up for one lap or so as you don't want a group of dizzy kids!  In our experience this is a great way for kids to lose inhibition about rolling and relax into what they are doing, also the fact they have to "keep up" makes them put a bit more momentum into each roll which often is enough to improve their overall shape.

2. "Move it or Lose it!"

Mark out a square roughly 2m by 2m (we use cheap sports cones, but 4 belts work just as well) and depending upon ability have 2-4 kids in each square.  A senior or instructor now uses either a shinai (split bamboo sword) or a Jo (or broom handle!), and SLOWLY cuts down in straight line into the square, the idea being that the kids have to move to avoid both the strike and each other.  Vary the strikes so that the more resourceful kids can't just "hide" in one corner!  Once they get adept at this, mix the strikes up with lineal thrusts (at about chest height to avoid the head area) and  horizontal sweeps (again SLOWLY!) so that occasionally they have to drop to the floor.  This game is great because it can be adapted to all levels of ability, and is wonderful for their understanding of avoidance.

3. "Build a Tower"

This is a basic co-operation exercise.  Match the kids up in pairs, preferably of a similar size, and get them to sit on the floor, legs in front of them, back to back.  They then link arms at the elbow and try to stand up. This is very difficult until they realize they have to work together and blend their effort and direction of movement to make it work.

4. "Seiza Sumo"

This is great especially if you have a group of boisterous boys that need some of their energy burning off!  Using the 2mm x 2m square (see above) get two student of a similar build to kneel in seiza opposite each other, both holding onto each others forearms.  The instructor calls "go!" and the idea is for them to get any art of their partners body outside the square.  If anyone breaks the grip, they forfeit the match.  This can be interesting as sometimes the less competitive/confident kids develop a weight-underside strategy which makes them really hard to move.  It's important for the instructors to give feedback after each bout, pointing out key moments where balance or control was lost.  We play "winner stays on" up to a maximum of 3 bouts.

5. "The Tai-sabaki (body movement) game"

We start every class with a warm up and body movement drills, and occasionally throw this game in, especially if the kids are looking a bit jaded and need waking up. It's an honour game, so if the kids make a mistake they sit down themselves without being asked.  Great for developing balance and reaction times as well as bonding the group as the "winner" get to lead off one of the other drills or games.  For some reason the girls seem to be better than the boys at this too so its a good leveller.

6. "Shikko (knee walking) races"

Line the students up on one side of the mat and race them across walking on their knees. improves their balance and hip movement no end!

7. "Dragon's tail"

One of the most important aspect of training in martial arts is being able to understand where your centre line is, in relation to your opponent/partner.  In this game one student is selected and hangs a handkerchief or folded obi off the back of his/her belt, and the other students have to try and grab it using only one hand.  No grabbing or grappling is permitted so if the "Dragon" can keep his centre facing whoever is trying to grab his "tail" it makes it very difficult to steal.  A great drill as a prelude to multiple attacker training like randoori.

8. "Over and Under"

A rolling drill.  This can either be done using a skipping rope (being swung in a large circle by two seniors) or a Jo/broom handle.  The kids line up and have to time their approach to the skipping rope so that they either roll over or under.  With a staff you can keep it parallel to the floor to make it easier; with the skipping rope they can choose whether to wait for it on the "upturn" and simply follow underneath it, or on the "downturn" and leap and roll over it.  We are quite strict with our guys so that once they leave the line for their turn they have to keep the same pace until they roll, no hesitating.  This is superb for getting them to start judging distance (maai) and timing.

9. "Catch, Roll, Throw."

This game is reserved mainly for the smaller private classes or when there are a number of new students that need to develop confidence with their ukemi (rolling).  We use a large swiss ball and throw it to the kids.  To earn a "point", they have to catch it, roll towards the instructor, still holding the ball, and then use their momentum upon standing to throw the ball back to the instructor.  This sounds tricky but most kids get it within a few tries.  To get a "point" they have to make a clean catch with no more than one bounce, a decent shaped roll and a good throw back to the instructor. This drill more than any other has helped us improve the ukemi of the less confident and less co-ordinated kids.

10. "Blind Ninja"

A simple blindfold game, very good if the class has got a bit noisy, as it requires complete silence.  A student is chosen and and blindfolded.  The remaining students then move around the mat as quietly as they can and the "Blind Ninja" only has to touch someone for them to be taken out (they go to the edge of the mat and sit down).  The instructor only speaks if the blindfolded student is getting too close to the edge of the mat.  We usually change the blindfold after 2 or three successful touches. Great for developing visualisation and spacial awareness skills.

11. "Horse and Jockey"

Big kids act as "horses" on all fours, the smaller kids sit on their backs, only holding on with their feet. The idea is for the jockeys only to pull or push the other jockeys off their mounts, last one seated wins! Good for balance and core stremgth.

12. "Absorbo the Great!"

For this drill you need either a 1m square mat (or ark one out with 4 belts). One student is "Absorbo" and has to stay IN the square, another student, using one hand only has to try to push them out f the square, without going into the square themselves.  The student in the square has to learn to keep body structure whilst stil "riding" the pushes, whilst the student outside of the square has to learn how to contact their partner in the best ways to take their balance.

13. "The Drop"
One student holds a jo out at arms length, at shoulder height, their partner puts their hands about 5cm above the jo. Without warning the jo is dropped and it is their partners task to grasp it before it hits the floor. The ONLY way to do this is to release the knees and drop the entire body - this is a great tootl to teach effective body movement.

14. "High, Low"
Students line up facing the same direction and the instructor takes a jo or shinai and runs along the line, either cutting the students at ankle level or at head height.  The students can onyl jump up and over or squat down to avoid being hit. Students line up facing the same direction and the instructor takes a jo or shinai and runs along the line, either cutting the students at ankle level or at head height.  The students can onyl jump up and over or squat down to avoid being hit.

15. Straw Heads
For this game you need 4 cones to mark out a suitable "ring" on the mats, and a number of elastic headbands, depending upon how many kids you have.  Each kid puts a drinking straw into the headband so it sticks up (a bit like a stereotypical "Red Indian" from a bad movie), then the kids try to grab each others straws.  They are not allowed to grab hold of each other, just bock or grab the straw. Great for distance and timing training and really teaches kids the benefits of "counter-attack" strategies.

16. Zombie Attack!
One student is chosen as the "Human" and the rest of the class become "Zombies", and slowly chase the "Human" around the mat, with arms at neck strangle height.  This gives the kids a chance to see strategic shapes and work out escape and blocking angles at half-speed. Change the role of "Human" every 60 seconds to give them all a go.

I look forwards to hearing about some of the "games" other instructor use!