Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Issue 2

THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI
Children and the Art of the
Sword, Part 2
By Shihan Dana Abbott
Ages 3 to 6
Children in the 3- to 6-year range look for attention and approval.
A small class size for these age groups is suggested to
help give each student personal attention. Only the short sword
is recommended for 3 to 6 year olds. Unless modified for these
children’s sizes, longer weapons such as the bo staff or long sword
are too hard for the children to control. These weapons tend to be
heavier, possibly causing injury to small wrists. They are also longer,
which can increase potential injury to other children in range.
Three to 6 year olds can be instructed in basic safety. They
should be taught not to hit someone outside of class with the
swords. I’ve learned the hard way that horseplay
around the house with the Chanbara
equipment, even with adults who have
a lot of control, usually ends up with
someone getting
their eyes
watered, or their
nose literally “out
of joint.” You certainly
don’t want
Johnny going home
and beating away on
his sister with his newfound
sword techniques.
The 3- to 6-year-old
children can also be
taught to hit another
student only when
that student has
put on a protective
helmet and gloves.
Good safety behavior
can be rewarded with
small prizes. Because
children of this age group have fairly short attention spans, the rewards
will need to be given as soon as the good behavior appears
in order to be properly related in their minds. Another reward can
be assigning someone to be the “safety monitor,” such as the
child who best exemplifies safe behavior. You can also rotate the
assignment of safety monitor for each class, which helps instill the
safety message.
Optimally, children in this age range can be taught the proper,
basic grip of the sword and the four basic strikes: head, wrist,
body and legs. These strikes should be the simple 12-to-6-o’clock
technique, i.e. raise the sword above the head and swing straight
down. The techniques may be sloppy, but the beginnings of understanding
how to swing and where to strike can be understood. The
strikes can be practiced using a dummy.
Another method of teaching the strikes is to use an X-ray
picture as a target, or something that makes enough noise when
hit. For example, to teach striking the head, have the kids line up all
facing forward. Hold the X-ray in one hand and walk quickly down
the line, holding the X-ray at the students’ head height. Instruct
each child to hit the X-ray as you walk by.
The advantage of the X-ray is that it produces a noise when
struck, something the kids seem to enjoy. You can vary the height
of the X-ray to teach wrist, body, and leg strikes also. Additional
advantages of this simple technique are: patience (the student
must learn to wait his or her turn to strike the X-ray); accurate striking
distance (correct distance produces a better, louder sound);
awareness (both timing awareness from hitting in sequence and
awareness of the location of other students, so as not to strike the
student next to them).
Adapted from Lin Conklin
Samurai Sports, Inc.
Children’s Curriculum development
SHIHAN DANA ABBOTT Is a 7th degree black belt in Kenjutsu, starting his 14-year education
in Tokyo. He has published five books and designed a US Patent. Abbott has also conducted seminars in
over 30 countries and obtained his black belt at the Hombu dojo in Yokohama. He currently offers online
classes on LearntheSword.com, his unique swordsmanship academy.
70 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 2