Joice Biazoto
The last thing parents would want happening to their children is for someone to try to split their heads in two with a sword.
But, in the unlikely event that this were to happen, a group of students from Clark-Moores Middle School would know just how to react.
On Thursday, they completed a course of Aikido, a Japanese martial art that teaches disciples how to defend themselves.
The four-week course is sponsored by Clark-Moores’ youth service center and taught by Sensei Craig Caudill, chief instructor of the Winchester-based martial arts academy Bluegrass Budokai.
“It’s not learning about how to hurt somebody. It’s learning about how to get away from a fight,” he said. “It’s really easy to hurt someone; it’s not so easy to learn how not to fight.”
Students learned how to safely evade several types of attack, such as when someone grabs their wrist, pulls their hair or attempts to choke them.
“It’s really a deterrent to violence,” said Kimberly Quinlan, youth service center director. “It gives them confidence.”
Caudill also taught the group about the virtues of the samurai — loyalty, integrity, charity, sincerity, honor, bravery and courtesy.
“You don’t have to be a samurai to learn these virtues,” he said.
Caudill, along with Sensei Donnie Gibbs, also demonstrated more advanced techniques, such as avoiding attackers with swords and sticks.
Sixth-grader Darrell Wooton said he decided to join the classes so he could protect himself at school.
“Shortness doesn’t have an advantage at school,” he said.
Seventh-grader Jamicia Denning, who has completed the program twice, said what she learned in the Aikido classes will be helpful in the future if she’s ever confronted with a violent situation.
“I don’t want to hurt anybody,” she said.
The students each received an orange belt for successfully completing the program.
“Everybody here deserves this belt,” Caudill said.
He has been teaching Aikido at Clark-Moores for each of the past five years, and the course will continue to be offered annually, Quinlan said. All students from sixth through eighth grades are encouraged to participate.
Joice Biazoto can be reached at jbiazoto@richmondregister.com or 624-6694.
