While the title of this blog post is one of those annoying truisms that almost rises to the level of a cliché, you really cannot escape the undeniable truth of it. Children are by definition set to inherit everything and eventually step into whatever positions we now occupy. This has always been the way of things and will, I suspect, continue to be so.
But for some reason, this is something we seem to miss when it comes to HEMA.
Perhaps it's because of the weapons-based nature of this martial art, perhaps it's because the skills needed to properly manage it require a great deal of fine motor control and a good deal of stamina, perhaps it's just too incongruous to imagine a kid holding a Longsword. Whatever the reason, we are missing out on several great opportunities when we don't train up the young.
If children are indeed the future -- which they obviously are -- then they need people now to help them secure that future. Mentors have always been vitally important to help young people develop well, develop healthfully, and develop into the best versions of themselves they can be.
We probably all know a struggling adult or two whom we also know were young kids left to their own devices. Growing up is hard, growing up well even harder, and everyone can use a mentor or role model (or two!) in their young life to become that healthy adult.
Working with a kid is a great way to give back and to feel a connection to something bigger than yourself. Perhaps you're working with a kid who has two active and involved parents, a supportive family, and is very secure in their love. Great! That kid could absolutely use yet another wonderful resource in his or her life, and what a blessing it is you get to be that resource.
But then again, maybe you're not. Maybe you're working with a kid who has not been so lucky. You might literally be the first adult to pay this kid serious attention, give him or her respect, and see something great that can be developed. HEMA could, in a case like this, be like a life-saver to which the kid clings like one adrift at sea in a tempest. You can be a positive island of peace in a world that is otherwise hell.
Other sports or martial have been for others in the past, why not HEMA?
So this, of course, is true of any time we choose to work with and pay attention to a young person. But I really feel that HEMA is uniquely positioned to help anyone struggling with the realities of life, especially youthful ones. I've often said managing the natural fear of having a three-foot piece of steel winging toward your head is an excellent way to build up courage, confidence, and a sense of empowerment. These are attributes we all need, especially young people trying to find their place in the world.
Giving back and working with kids is obviously a great thing to do for a variety of noble reasons. However, it doesn't merely serve the greater good with no positive kickback for you and your club. Training the young and folding them into your club culture at an early age is an excellent way to secure the long-term financial strength of your club.
Any of us who runs a club knows that attracting adults to our classes can be challenging, and convincing them to train with Longsword, sabre, Messer, etc., can be even more so. However, parents are typically far more willing to pay for their kids to take classes in something -- even classes that might seem odd or rather useless to the parents -- than they would be for themselves. An adult might even want to take a class but talk themselves out of it because of cost, time, whatever, but if their child wants it then there is a far greater chance you will still have yourself a new student.
Plus, of course, there is the fact that many families have more than just one child. If Mom and Dad are willing to pay for one child to take classes then it is very likely they will be willing to pay for two, three, perhaps four children to do so. So whereas with an adult you will almost exclusively get one student per family, with kids you can get multiple students from the same source. (There is a reason so many non-HEMA martial arts places and dance studios seem to cater to young students!)
Another thing to consider in terms of teaching the youth as a way to strengthen your club is that if you start them young they will tend to stay with you for many years. Adult students are wonderful, but adult life is also hectic and complex and all too often we put aside our healthy activities because this or that is putting demands on us. For youth, there doesn't tend to be that so much. Get a kid in early, let them train and develop and work their way up to doing more and more, and you will have a student you can count on for 15 or more years.
And then, even once they reach adulthood and finish high school, it is a distinct possibility you have a very loyal and dedicated adult student. Either way, training the youth is a win-win for everyone involved.
While this might not pique everyone's interest, the more historically-minded of us might like it's a fact that kids started training very young.
Obviously, there are specific and significant differences. One very important difference is that, historically, the first things most boys learned was Ringen. This was at first most likely just the typical roughhousing of the average young boy with his brothers or friends, but it then became more serious as their fathers stepped to teach them proper stances, holds, guards, etc. By starting with Ringen the boys learned an important fighting skill (and keep in mind this is true regardless of economic status, because everyone from peasants to knights wrestled for fun and self-defense) in and of itself, but they also learned the basics of Fuhlen, of the Vor, Indes, and Nach, and much of the footwork that would serve them later.
Now, of course, we don't have kids start with Ringen; now we jump to a weapon, then teach the same basics they would've learned via Ringen, then come back to it later.
Another major difference is that for knightly training, which would start at around age seven, there was far more to it than just showing up and learning some basics for an hour or so. Remember that these boys would begin what was essentially a 14-year apprenticeship program, living in the household of a knight, with whom he would train and serve as page and then squire. Training a young knight was a major endeavor full of social and cultural significance, which we neither come close to replicating nor do we try to do so.
Yet despite these major differences, we still have the chance to somewhat touch the historical process of training fighters when they are young. One interesting corollary to this is that we will now get to participate in the process of watching a young person become a very competent fighter, allowing us something of a snapshot from the past.
The historical knights and men-at-arms were massively skilled warriors, in part because they'd been training since they were young boys. I'd venture to say that most of us currently participating in HEMA picked it up later in life. Some of us picked it up with a background in other martial arts, some of us not, yet regardless Longsword is something we haven't been training at since we were little kids.
We are lucky enough to currently be living in a time when HEMA is attracting young people in much the same way that Karate, BJJ, Tae Kwon Do, and so many others have been for decades. Kids trained in these Asian arts from an early age are typically excellent fighters in their chosen style; we can safely assume it'll be the same for HEMA. How wonderful it is to be involved in training that first generation of "cradle HEMAists" and, by doing, find a unique way to touch another historical aspect of these historic martial arts.
Is this perhaps not the best reason of all to train kids? Sure, everything we do in HEMA should be fun, but we as adults and serious HEMA students sometimes lose sight of that fact. We get overly competitive with our club mates, or we get down on ourselves, or we obsess with getting something picture perfect, or we're training for a tournament and having no fun at all. Most people start HEMA because it's fun to play with swords, yet all too often we lose the fun somewhere along the line.
Do you want a reminder of how fun it is to play with swords? Train some young kids in the basics of it. Watch how much fun they have doing it and that might remind you why you started this to begin with. Because it's fun! Plus, you have to be a particularly crotchety cranky curmudgeon to not get caught up in a bunch of kids laughing and being goofy while they learn the basics.
We offer a class for kids ages five to eight, and as you might imagine corralling a few hyped up little ones and letting them swing foam boffers is something akin to herding cats. Yet, nonetheless, it is always fun and a good reminder why we do this.
So, train some kids and have some fun!
-- Scott
But for some reason, this is something we seem to miss when it comes to HEMA.
Perhaps it's because of the weapons-based nature of this martial art, perhaps it's because the skills needed to properly manage it require a great deal of fine motor control and a good deal of stamina, perhaps it's just too incongruous to imagine a kid holding a Longsword. Whatever the reason, we are missing out on several great opportunities when we don't train up the young.
Prepare the Next Generation
If children are indeed the future -- which they obviously are -- then they need people now to help them secure that future. Mentors have always been vitally important to help young people develop well, develop healthfully, and develop into the best versions of themselves they can be.
We probably all know a struggling adult or two whom we also know were young kids left to their own devices. Growing up is hard, growing up well even harder, and everyone can use a mentor or role model (or two!) in their young life to become that healthy adult.
Working with a kid is a great way to give back and to feel a connection to something bigger than yourself. Perhaps you're working with a kid who has two active and involved parents, a supportive family, and is very secure in their love. Great! That kid could absolutely use yet another wonderful resource in his or her life, and what a blessing it is you get to be that resource.
But then again, maybe you're not. Maybe you're working with a kid who has not been so lucky. You might literally be the first adult to pay this kid serious attention, give him or her respect, and see something great that can be developed. HEMA could, in a case like this, be like a life-saver to which the kid clings like one adrift at sea in a tempest. You can be a positive island of peace in a world that is otherwise hell.
Other sports or martial have been for others in the past, why not HEMA?
So this, of course, is true of any time we choose to work with and pay attention to a young person. But I really feel that HEMA is uniquely positioned to help anyone struggling with the realities of life, especially youthful ones. I've often said managing the natural fear of having a three-foot piece of steel winging toward your head is an excellent way to build up courage, confidence, and a sense of empowerment. These are attributes we all need, especially young people trying to find their place in the world.
Strengthen Your Club
Giving back and working with kids is obviously a great thing to do for a variety of noble reasons. However, it doesn't merely serve the greater good with no positive kickback for you and your club. Training the young and folding them into your club culture at an early age is an excellent way to secure the long-term financial strength of your club.
Any of us who runs a club knows that attracting adults to our classes can be challenging, and convincing them to train with Longsword, sabre, Messer, etc., can be even more so. However, parents are typically far more willing to pay for their kids to take classes in something -- even classes that might seem odd or rather useless to the parents -- than they would be for themselves. An adult might even want to take a class but talk themselves out of it because of cost, time, whatever, but if their child wants it then there is a far greater chance you will still have yourself a new student.
Plus, of course, there is the fact that many families have more than just one child. If Mom and Dad are willing to pay for one child to take classes then it is very likely they will be willing to pay for two, three, perhaps four children to do so. So whereas with an adult you will almost exclusively get one student per family, with kids you can get multiple students from the same source. (There is a reason so many non-HEMA martial arts places and dance studios seem to cater to young students!)
Another thing to consider in terms of teaching the youth as a way to strengthen your club is that if you start them young they will tend to stay with you for many years. Adult students are wonderful, but adult life is also hectic and complex and all too often we put aside our healthy activities because this or that is putting demands on us. For youth, there doesn't tend to be that so much. Get a kid in early, let them train and develop and work their way up to doing more and more, and you will have a student you can count on for 15 or more years.
And then, even once they reach adulthood and finish high school, it is a distinct possibility you have a very loyal and dedicated adult student. Either way, training the youth is a win-win for everyone involved.
Historical Validity
While this might not pique everyone's interest, the more historically-minded of us might like it's a fact that kids started training very young.
Obviously, there are specific and significant differences. One very important difference is that, historically, the first things most boys learned was Ringen. This was at first most likely just the typical roughhousing of the average young boy with his brothers or friends, but it then became more serious as their fathers stepped to teach them proper stances, holds, guards, etc. By starting with Ringen the boys learned an important fighting skill (and keep in mind this is true regardless of economic status, because everyone from peasants to knights wrestled for fun and self-defense) in and of itself, but they also learned the basics of Fuhlen, of the Vor, Indes, and Nach, and much of the footwork that would serve them later.
Now, of course, we don't have kids start with Ringen; now we jump to a weapon, then teach the same basics they would've learned via Ringen, then come back to it later.
Another major difference is that for knightly training, which would start at around age seven, there was far more to it than just showing up and learning some basics for an hour or so. Remember that these boys would begin what was essentially a 14-year apprenticeship program, living in the household of a knight, with whom he would train and serve as page and then squire. Training a young knight was a major endeavor full of social and cultural significance, which we neither come close to replicating nor do we try to do so.
Yet despite these major differences, we still have the chance to somewhat touch the historical process of training fighters when they are young. One interesting corollary to this is that we will now get to participate in the process of watching a young person become a very competent fighter, allowing us something of a snapshot from the past.
The historical knights and men-at-arms were massively skilled warriors, in part because they'd been training since they were young boys. I'd venture to say that most of us currently participating in HEMA picked it up later in life. Some of us picked it up with a background in other martial arts, some of us not, yet regardless Longsword is something we haven't been training at since we were little kids.
We are lucky enough to currently be living in a time when HEMA is attracting young people in much the same way that Karate, BJJ, Tae Kwon Do, and so many others have been for decades. Kids trained in these Asian arts from an early age are typically excellent fighters in their chosen style; we can safely assume it'll be the same for HEMA. How wonderful it is to be involved in training that first generation of "cradle HEMAists" and, by doing, find a unique way to touch another historical aspect of these historic martial arts.
It's Fun!
Is this perhaps not the best reason of all to train kids? Sure, everything we do in HEMA should be fun, but we as adults and serious HEMA students sometimes lose sight of that fact. We get overly competitive with our club mates, or we get down on ourselves, or we obsess with getting something picture perfect, or we're training for a tournament and having no fun at all. Most people start HEMA because it's fun to play with swords, yet all too often we lose the fun somewhere along the line.
Do you want a reminder of how fun it is to play with swords? Train some young kids in the basics of it. Watch how much fun they have doing it and that might remind you why you started this to begin with. Because it's fun! Plus, you have to be a particularly crotchety cranky curmudgeon to not get caught up in a bunch of kids laughing and being goofy while they learn the basics.
We offer a class for kids ages five to eight, and as you might imagine corralling a few hyped up little ones and letting them swing foam boffers is something akin to herding cats. Yet, nonetheless, it is always fun and a good reminder why we do this.
So, train some kids and have some fun!
-- Scott
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