Spelthorne Aikido Club
Aikido training in Staines and Egham
Links to Related Sites
United Kingdom Aikikai
www.ukaonline.org
This is the organisation to which we belong. It's one of the largest aikido organisations in the country, and is affiliated with the Aikikai Foundation in Japan. The highlight of the UKA's year is the annual Summer School, usually held in the midlands, when a senior instructor from the Tokyo headquarters takes classes.
If you join our club (after the first couple of trial classes) you must join the UKA. Membership is £27 per year (£21 for students). This includes the fee for your mandatory insurance.
British Aikido Board
www.bab.org.uk
There are a lot of different aikido organisations in the UK (although only a few, like ours, are recognised by the Aikikai Foundation in Japan). Most of these organisations themselves belong to the British Aikido Board, which represents the interests of aikido clubs within the government agency Sport England. When you join the the UKA, your membership includes insurance for training at any of the organisations that belong to the BAB. It's a good system, and because aikido is generally quite a friendly activity, it's common to meet people from different organisations at courses held around the country.
Aikikai Foundation (Aikido World Headquarters)
www.aikikai.or.jp
The head of the aikikai style of aikido is Moriteru Ueshiba, the third doshu of Aikido and the grandson of the founder. He oversees the organisation from the hombu (headquarters) dojo in Shinjuku, Tokyo. We're fortunate that in our club several of us (including most of the black belts) have trained there.
British Birankai
www.britishaikikai.co.uk
British Birankai (also known as the British Aikikai) is headed by Chiba sensei, one of the most influential teachers in aikido's early development here in the UK. Many of the senior instructors in the UKA have been influenced by Chiba sensei or were his students before he moved to the USA.
Aikiweb
www.aikiweb.com
Aikiweb is one of the best-known sources of information on aikido on the web. The aikido page on wikipedia is a good summary too — but really the only way to understand aikido is to get on the mat and experience it directly. Remember that there are a lot of different styles of aikido, and teachers' approaches can vary as much as technical styles, so not everything you read about the art will necessarily apply to your own practice.
Fudebakudo
www.fudebakudo.com
We have a special affinity with the Way of the Exploding Pen, the penultimate martial art.
This website is a rare Beholder production. Powered by Etomite 1.1 (Prelude).