FAQs
Have a question about our Martial Arts School? Find answers to common queries below.
Aikido is a Japanese Martial Art that has its roots in the combat art of Aiki-jujitsu. Tomiki Aikido is a style of Aikido that incorporates competitive or randori in it’s pratice.
Absolutely! Our club welcomes beginners and provides a supportive environment for learning and practicing Aikido, regardless of experience level.
In Aikido we commonly wear a white light or medium weight Judogi , but to start to should wear something loose, that isn’t going to hamper your movement; something like tracksuit bottoms and a T-Shirt is perfect.
Long hair should be tied back and all jewellery removed.
Zori’s (flip-flops) should be worn from the changing room to the edge of the mat as you will train barefoot, never wear any footwear on the mats.
It is important to remain hydrated throughout any physical activity so please remember to bring the appropriate amount of water throughout our sessions.
In Japanese culture, it is common to rei (bow), which is done as both a greeting and an expression of thanks. Therefore, Aikidoka will rei as a greeting before practicing an Aikido technique and again after practice to thank their training partner. These are the other times where to rei :
- As you leave the Dojo;
- As you leave the Dojo;
- As you join the mats;
- As you leave the mats;
- As you start to practice an Aikido technique with your training partner;
- After practicing the Aikido technique with your training partner.
If the training session is already in progress, you should kneel and wait at the edge of the mat to invited to join by the coach.
If the coach is explaining a technique, silence is required until completed, tracking the speaker is paramount when learning unfamiliar techniques.
It is important to remain hydrated throughout any physical activity so please remember to bring the appropriate amount of water throughout our sessions.
This is an outline of a typical Aikido training class:
- Warm-up (light jogging, running and loosening up joints)
- Ukemi practice – Backward break fall, Forward/Backward roll, Rolling break fall, Variation of flips
- Unsoku – foot movement exercise
- Tandoku-undo – Hand and foot movement exercise;
- Aikido techniques – which could be from a Kata, free practice or preparation for competition.
Some Aikido techniques use joint locks and so you will feel some discomfort as the lock is applied. If the pain of the lock gets too much for you, you should slap your thigh with your hand (if standing) or slap the mat (if lying on the Dojo mats) and your training partner will slacken the hold.
Although we are applying locks that are causing restraint it is paramount we look after one another and stop when Uke taps.
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How to Join
Stop by our location at Basildon Sporting Village to observe a class and meet our instructors.
Participate in a trial class to experience the principles of Aikido first hand and see if it’s the right fit for you.
After the trial class, sign up for a membership to continue learning and practicing Aikido techniques with our experienced instructors.
Join our regular classes to deepen your understanding of Traditional and Tomiki Aikido, improving your self-defense skills.