Tuesdays 8pm to 10pm

Contact us at:

harrow dot aikido at gmail dot com

Beginners

Welcome to Harrow's premier Aikido club.

How do I start?

As long as you are 18 or over you can simply come along to any class and join in.

Although you are welcome to watch, you will get much more out of it if you join in.
All you need to bring is:

  • Loose fit clothing with a bit of 'stretch' like a t-shirt & sports trousers.
  • Flip Flops help keep your feet warm and clean when not on the the mats.
  • A bottle of water.
  • A small towel could come in handy if you perspire easily.
  • Your beginners training fee of £10.

When you arrive, you will be asked to fill in a brief 'Medical Checklist' and an 'Emergency Contact Form' but these are largely formalities, as we've never needed to use them so far.
One important thing to note is that we will not ask you to sign up to anything. We don't have any training contracts or bank payments.

What's the training session like?

Our mixed classes are currently fairly small with less than a dozen attending. We encourage training partners to help each other with fair practice and advice so it's a fairly relaxed environment.

As a new starter you will have a coach qualified instructor assigned to you for the first few lessons. He will take you to the far end of the mat and show you how to fall in a safe way and explain the basic movements and teach you a few techniques. Once you are ready and feel comfortable with it, you can join in with the main group. Usually this takes a couple of classes but there is no pressure if you want to take longer.
Training on the mat is usually done in bare feet but you can wear socks if needed.
We don't allow any shoes on the mats.

In the main training group, partners are changed frequently so you aren't stuck with one person all night. Everyone works at their own pace during the training sessions and no one is forced into doing anything they are not comfortable with.

What can I expect the classes to include?

  • Gentle stretching and warm up.
  • Forward and Backward rolling breakfalls.
  • Basic Aikido movements and exercises.
  • An introduction to basic Aikido techniques with plenty of explanation and guidance.
  • Cool down

To keep things interesting and enjoyable, every class is themed on a different aspect of aikido, but will usually include at least some of the following:

  • Warm up and starting Rei
  • Breakfalls (practising falling in a safe way)
  • Tai Sabaki (practising basic movements)
  • Posture breaking
  • Using distance and spacial concepts
  • Defencive techniques from different strikes and grabs

The more advanced students get to practice:
Dealing with multiple opponents
Defence from armed opponents

Still have more questions?

Have a look at our FAQ section answers the most commonly asked questions related to the club and to training.

Please do feel free to just come along and visit us. Whether you join in or just watch, you'll be welcome and we think you'll enjoy your time spent at our friendly club.