Kids kobudo class at Ryu Kon Kai Honbu Okinawa.

 

 

Personally I have been against teaching weapons kata to children.

 

When I first saw it in Pennsylvania, children who did very good forms, I also realized they were doing so with specially made light weight weapons. They did not have the strength to use the regular weapons.

For serious weapon study I realized most children could not handle the weapon without doing damage to their growing joints.

 

Then youth might study sword or kama forms for competition, with light weight version of the weapon.

If they worked hard they might be very good competitors with those weapons.

Those weapons were chosen because their light weight made them easier to use.

But my real objection is that I never wanted to teach children how to insert blades into bodies.

 

I would not do that, teach toy weapons to youth.

 

Instead I had them focus on their empty hand studies waiting

until they were older and stronger more capable of correct handling.

 

Of course I was not teaching and needing another revenue stream as commercial schools did.

 

But I was consistent as I never taught weapons to adults either until they reached brown belt, reserving most kobudo study for dan level training.