[tuffydoodle]

Hahahahha, yes, I do weigh considerably more now than I did at age 12. Wish I didn't. What is aikido? That sounds like something I should look into.

[AnAmericanMother]

Aikido is a Japanese martial art, developed in the 20s and 30s by Morihei Ueshiba. It's a non-aggressive, reactive art that uses the attacker's own energy to divert, throw, or pin him. . . . so it's great for kids who might misuse the kicks and punches of something like karate (I'm thinking especially of my rowdy son -- that's how we got into it).

It's astounding to see the films of a diminutive, elderly Ueshiba manhandling young aggressive men twice his size - without seeming to exert himself at all.

But because there's all this throwing and flying through the air, the first thing students learn is how to fall - you learn to tuck and roll and to maintain balance while falling - and to distribute the impact over your body so that you don't just land and stop like a bag full of bricks.