Kick pads
These are very helpful aids for kicking and punching exercises. It makes a huge difference by the feeling of not holding back. (The pillow will give you feedback on how good your punch/kick is.) It will develop the feeling of hitting something. A good hit doesn’t stop at it’s ‘target’ but continues through it. But […]
Great Aikido books
Every fixed dojo (or dojo-cho) should have at least these books. #1 Zen in the Art of Archery It is almost impossible to understand Zen by studying it as you would other intellectual pursuits. The best way to understand Zen is, simply, to Zen. This is what author Eugen Herrigel allows us to do by […]
Useful managing apps
As a teacher you have a lot on your mind, and a few tools can help you with that. We’ve summed up some great tools for you: Google drive: (have all your documents online, acces them any time, work with more people on them any time you need). Think of Word/Exel/PowerPoint in the cloud! > […]
Useful ‘tatami’ apps
Our devices are our most precious things we always carry with us. Why not use these!? Here are some great apps to think of using in your class: Timer / Alarm (when you are working with time related exercises or methodes) Spotify/ Music (if you are in for some music to energize your class) Camera […]
Sports tape to the rescue
Tape can be used for a lot of other things than bandaid. Think of it: markers of a certain area (used for fundamentals instead of a beanbag) mark the place where a student is injured (wrist or location like shoulder) you can write on tape and do an exercise with show the place where to […]
Coloring
A nice way to get kids in a ZEN state of mind is by letting them color images of Aikido. You can find online some fun Aikido illustrations and easily make your own coloring. Of course you can download some here with a special ‘theme’. Themes like: Wish / daruma doll Zen / mandala Friends […]
Ranking
There are different ways to do/show your ranking system. Here are some of them explained: 1.No colored belts. One of the great things in Aikido is that everyone is equal. The color of your belt shouldn’t define if you would like to practice with that person or not. In this case a training card helps […]
Bean bags
Each dojo should have at least 4 bean bags. These are like a washcloth filled with beans or rice. These can be used to mark areas in the dojo. It’s a lot more professional to use these instead of flipflops.
Birthday obi
To celebrate your students birthday is a great way to show your affection towards your student. One way of showing who’s birthday it is, is by letting him wear the ‘birthday obi’. This could be the colored belt in the color of your dojo logo. Or pick one out of the color palet which you […]
Quiz tool
A great way to learn more about Aikido is making a Quiz. This way you train their minds with theory about Aikido. One of the easiest ways to challenge them (if English or Dutch) is to go to this website: Quiz with more than 4 different levels Aikido School Quiz You even get discount with […]