How young is too young to start Iaido?

[otaku]

Hello,
I am currently doing kendo-however i am still fairly new, i have only had a few lessons. My sensei suggested that when i get a bit older ( i am currently 14 years old) that i should start Iaido as it would complement my maai in kendo. So i decided to do some research on Iaido and honestly think that it would be a great experience, so i just thought to ask- how young is too young to start Iaido? should i start now?

[iaido_21]

I started when I was 14, I don't think it has as much to do with age per se, versus maturity. If you can handle the etiquette and the rigors of Kendo training, Iaido shouldn't be a problem, much less of a workout, but lots of sword handling and sword etiquette, which I quite enjoy.

[Maple]

I agree. I know a kid, age 12 or 13 and he's been practicing for like 5 years now. Only thing he is a little bit annoyed with is that he can't take any examinations until he is 14 (1st kyu). But don't worry about that, just start and have fun

[JSchmidt]

Hello,
I am currently doing kendo-however i am still fairly new, i have only had a few lessons. My sensei suggested that when i get a bit older ( i am currently 14 years old) that i should start Iaido as it would complement my maai in kendo. So i decided to do some research on Iaido and honestly think that it would be a great experience, so i just thought to ask- how young is too young to start Iaido? should i start now?

There's no real age limit, but you have to teach youths differently than adults and some teachers are either not comfortable with that or prefer not to have it distract from the rest of the class.

[Dezza]

Just think of yourself lucky to have discovered kendo/iai so young. There's many of us who'd kill to be able to go back and start at your age!

Good luck

[rottunpunk]

i started when i was 17
i think it depends on how mature you are and whether your teacher will be willing to take on an under 16/18 year old

[Kim Taylor]

Nobody under 35!

I think the average age at my club would be upwards of 40 actually... but then a few of us are really skewing the curve. I started iaido at 27... wow, older than I remember and way older than I needed to calculate just them seeing as that was 1983....

Hey! I've been doing iaido half my life!!!!

Kim.

[chidokan]

My class is in a university, so most of my lot start around 18. My son started at 10, but he did kendo from 5. As above maturity is the key.... My lad was very quiet studious type and took well to it, but had some kids 'tag along with dad', and had mixed results. Most tend not to stick at it, but you can say the same about adults.... If they get past 6 years training, they usually stick at it.

[D.Keding]

I think that most folks will say that it depends on the maturity of the student, their response to correction and their willingness to train and approach the art as something that cannot be learned in a day or a week etc. In our dojo we have had some young people who approached iaido properly and were welcomed with open arms and others whose parents looked upon the dojo as a cheap babysitter and their children's attitude reflected this. It not only depends on the young person though. It also depends on the dynamics of the class and they way the art is taught. If the school has a great deal of paired bokken drills then a younger student could be a real liability to both themselves and to others. Like anything in life the entire picture should be considered. I don't think that age should be a factor as much as attitude - of course there is the practicality of being old enough to walk and hold a sword.

I started iaido ten years ago when I was 52 years old. I'm still learning. I think that iaido has been instrumental in helping me understand myself both physically and mentally as I age. It came at a time when my body started to change and fail me in ways it had never done before. Iaido helped me understand that I can still move, still learn a physical art and still challenge myself on many levels. Its nice to have young people in the dojo but I would like to see more elders take up the art and experience the ways it can fortify them. I think that having a broad spectrum of ages in the dojo is important and its also important that every elder in a dojo isn't a fifth or sixth or higher dan. Its important for younger people to know that folks can start a martial art as an older person and be an example to lifelong learning and involvement.

Dan

[RC_Kenshi]

At the AUSKF Iaido Summer Camp in San Antonio there was a young lady, who was all of 8 or 9 years old. For the most part she was able to keep up with the adults all weekend long, and even advanced past the first round in the taikai (unlike me). I actually felt sorry for the young man who had to compete against her, since she was the obvious sentimental favorite (not that I am implying the judges are influenced in any way by sentiment). She knew all the kata, and had a most-impressive chiburi. If she keeps up with iaido she is gonna have a very bright future.

RC_Kenshi

Edit: She also took the Kantosho Award in the Mudansha category.

[pgsmith]

There's no real age limit, but you have to teach youths differently than adults and some teachers are either not comfortable with that or prefer not to have it distract from the rest of the class.

I disagree with that where iaido is concerned. I've known several schools that had students younger than 14, and they were treated exactly like everyone else in the dojo. Personally, I believe that the ability to concentrate and do what is required is the limiting factor. Most JSA schools (other than kendo) do not teach children because of the fact that it takes intense and prolonged concentration to get through a typical sword class, and most young people cannot yet muster that level of prolonged attention. Then again, most adults can't either, which is why there is such a high turnover rate in the sword arts.