The Martial Way - Nihon Goshin Aikido

Junior Division

Any martial artist soon learns that thinking about defending against an attack is something that must be avoided. A martial artist must react to an attack without thinking. The japanese call this mushin or 'Empty Mind'. This is not to say that a martial artist is not aware of what he or she is doing. Just the opposite, the martial artist must be aware and have control.

Nihoh Goshin junior division techniques are designed to enable young practioners to react without unnecessary harm to their attacker. The first goal is to provide for the safety of the child being attacked. We believe that if children train to strike an opponent then they will do so. This could make more trouble for a child defending themselves in school. We teach our junior students to defend themselves and take care not to look like the aggressor by leaving their attacker injured.

We believe that black belts must be able to demonstrate self control as well as control of their opponent. Therefore to attain Sho Dan (first degree black belt) a student must be fully grown and demonstrate maturity. NO BLACK BELTS ARE AWARDED TO STUDENTS UNDER THE AGE OF 16!