Home Training Aikido Shodokan The Club Club Awards 2006 Important Info Etiquette & Safety Competition Videos Links Contact Events Student Nationals 2007!

Important Information (2006/2007) Beginners are always welcome to train with us, or to come along to watch a session. There is no need to contact us first, but if you have any questions not answered here then feel free to email. Safety and Etiquette..... Safety and etiquette in Aikido are closely related, and extremely important. As a contact sport, injuries are a potential hazard, but by following a few guidelines the risk can be minimised. These will be explained when you come to a class, but you should ensure that finger and toenails are short, and that you remove shoes, jewellery and watches before stepping onto the mat. For a detailed guide to dojo etiquette click here. What to wear..... Any comfortable clothing that allows a full range of movement. A Judo style gi is preferable, but not essential for the first few sessions. These are available from many sports shops or online. If there are a large number of members requiring kit we will order them as a club. Costs..... We try to keep costs at a minimum and all funds go back into subsidising club activities and travel for members as well as expenses. In addition to the club fees, the sports centre also require an annual membership fee (around £30), though this covers all sports clubs using those facilities. Kit costs about £20 for the gi, but these do tend to last a few years. Membership of the British Aikido Association is around £15 for students. This insures members for 12 months. Summary of costs.... Session fees... £2 per session, or £50 for as many sessions as you want for a whole semester Club membership... £10 per year Sports centre membership (2007/8)... £65(Bronze) Kit... approx £20 per gi Gradings... variable according to grade taken Club hoodies... £20 Gradings..... Many gradings are held "in house", usually one per term but others may be held for individuals when necessary. There are 5 Kyu grades (coloured belts) from red belt (6th Kyu) to brown belt (1st Kyu), then Dan grades (black belt). We follow a condensed syllabus to allow, given enough training, a student to reach 1st Dan in 3 years. Click on the logo to download in pdf form. Competition..... There are two main competitions for our club each year, the Kyu grade championships in Birmingham in November, and the Student Nationals, to be hosted by current champions Sheffield in 2006. Students also compete in the British Open and British Nationals, and have the opportunity to train to international competition level. The next world championships will be held in Japan in 2005. Competition takes two formats, Enbu (kata; a set sequence of techniques with a pair working together), and randori shiai. For a more detailed description of competitive aikido see the competition page. Competition is not compulsory, but is a good way to gain experience and to meet fellow competitors from around the country and the world. Coaches..... All coaches who teach at the club are fully qualified and insured. Most sessions are taught by Ben Robins or Denzil Rodrigues. There are likely to be a few guest sessions taken by either James Hayton (2^nd dan) or Scott Allbright (5^th dan) throughout the year. Other FAQs... Do you need to be a student to join? -You need to be a sport centre member- students, alumni, staff and associates of the university may join. Is there a kids' class? -No, sorry! What is the difference between Aikido and the other martial arts? -This is a complicated question with no simple answer. Even within individual martial arts there is some variation (sometimes a lot) from club to club so we don't want to make sweeping statements about other martial arts. If you have no experience of martial arts, try a few out to see what you enjoy the most.