Outside of the FMA

[tshadowchaser]

When do you put a stick into the hands of a sudent?
how about a knife?
ok at what age will you let a child do knife techniques?
With a live blade???

 

[OULobo]

When I was a youngin in Aikido they gave us wooden tanto for disarm techniques all the time. I didn't get to handle live blades until college and in a different art.

 

[7starmantis]

I think the wooden or practice knifes can suffice very well until a late age. We use wooden swords and knifes with our childrens classes.
I guess to answer your question, there is no true standard of age. So many children are different, we just raise that age so high that it takes care of everyone, even the slow growers.

7sm

 

[tshadowchaser]

Those answeres make sence to me.
I dont like to tain with a fake(wodden , or dull) blade but I do understand why people study with them. I would not like to see a young child hurt because I handed them a live weapon or had them defending against one.
I think this like so many things depends on the person in question and what type of technique is being done.
I can think of a few adults that have badly cut themsleves doing simple things because they got careless.

 

[Nightingale]

personally, I've been throwing knives since I was about ten years old. I was taught a very healthy respect for weapons by my father, and they were only used under his direct supervision and guidance.

Without the parent's direct involvement, I would say age 18 would be a minimum for live steel.

Blunt weapons, however, I would introduce when the instructor judges the student to be emotionally ready, just like hand-to-hand techniques.

 

[7starmantis]

Originally posted by Nightingale
personally, I've been throwing knives since I was about ten years old. I was taught a very healthy respect for weapons by my father, and they were only used under his direct supervision and guidance.

Without the parent's direct involvement, I would say age 18 would be a minimum for live steel.

Blunt weapons, however, I would introduce when the instructor judges the student to be emotionally ready, just like hand-to-hand techniques.

I think that is a safe and appropriate position to take.

7sm

 

[Black Bear]

"When do you put a stick into the hands of a sudent?"
On Mondays and Wednesdays.

"how about a knife?"
Also Mondays and Wednesdays.

"ok at what age will you let a child do knife techniques?"
As young as we teach 'em. There is a well-known picture from onedragon.com showing a little black *ahem* Afro-American child in a fighting stance holding a rubber trainer. People passed it around as a joke because they thought it was absurd. Truth is, it was actually from an exceptional studio in Florida. We're the same way.

"With a live blade???"
If you mean training, never. You cannot train "alive" with a live blade, so what's the point? A dead pattern done with a live blade is still a dead pattern. The live blade doesn't add to the skill development. If it's a matter of handling live blades, say for throwing or whatever, they can do that at home. So this a parenting issue, not a MA instruction one.