Spelthorne Aikido Club
Aikido training in Staines and Egham
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're thinking about joining our classes, this information might help you decide.
- What is aikido?
- What is aikido training like?
- What do I need to start?
- Is there a beginners course?
- How much does it cost?
- What's this about insurance?
- Do I need to be fit? Will I get hurt?
- Will I learn to defend myself?
- You just keep grabbing each other's wrists! Why can't I attack any way I like?
- How do the grades work? How long until I get a black belt?
- What about all the bowing? And the Japanese words?
- How do I contact you?
What is aikido?
Aikido is a Japanese defensive martial art founded by Morehei Ueshiba. Although it's relatively modern, it's based on much older ju-jutsu techniques and principles from Japanese swordsmanship. The art is characterised by its blending and circular movements, which are used to pin or throw. Unlike judo, it's not a sport so you'll never win anything, and, unlike karate, we don't kick or punch. You can read our instructor's views on the art, or try wikipedia's aikido page.
What is aikido training like?
Typically, the instructor (called sensei, although we sometimes forget and call him "Neil") shows a technique against a particular attack, and then we pair off and practice that technique, taking it in turns to be the person doing the technique (the tori) and the attacker (the uke) who is being pinned or thrown.
A class always begins with a warm-up comprised mostly of stretches and loosening up. We practice the rolling and falling that is part of the way we learn ukemi, which is the way we "receive" the techniques. It's because of the characteristic ukemi in aikido that you get to practice full-on — when you're both proficient, you can apply techniques without holding back because your partner has learnt how to receive those techniques without being injured. When you get the hang of this, even if it's just fleetingly, it can be exhilarating to do and spectacular to watch.
If you're about to join us for your first class, it's only fair to warn you that aikido can also be confusing and frustrating. It's very subtle, which is why it's a lot harder than it looks. But that's precisely why many of us train for years and years and still find it fascinating, difficult, and rewarding. From time to time you will feel exasperated because once again you got your hands round the wrong way or your feet tangled up. Never mind — this never stops, it just gets less frequent.
What do I need to start?
In short: loose clothes.
We usually wear the same white "pyjamas" used for judo (or perhaps karate), called a keikogi. Members who have graded to black belt also wear large pleated "skirts" or hakama. When you're starting it's OK to come in loose clothes like jogging pants and a sweatshirt (but if you haven't got a sweatshirt, a T-shirt will do). We practice barefoot so it's a good idea to bring flip-flops or sandals to keep your feet clean as you walk to the mat — otherwise use your shoes. If you decide to join the club and need to buy a new keikogi, we can help with recommendations.
You must keep your fingernails short (scratching is not part of the syllabus) and keep long hair tied up. Keep your body and your clothes clean, and take any jewellery off before the class starts.
Is there a beginners course?
No. Since aikido is practiced in pairs, and everyone adjusts the level and pace of their training depending on the ability of their partner, beginners can just fit in with a normal class. Neil modifies every class depending on who's there anyway. One of the amazing things about aikido is that, right from the start, you are in the thick of it, hands-on, with everybody else.
How much does it cost?
Your first class is free. After that, these are the rates:
| Class | Regular | Student or Unwaged |
|---|---|---|
| Staines | £7.50 | £5.00 |
| Englefield Green | £5.00 | £3.00 |
If you join our club, you must join the United Kingdom Aikikai. Annual membership is £27 (or £21 for students), which includes your mandatory insurance premium.
Incidentally, the class fees are used to pay the hall rental, and to pay for occasional courses with senior teachers (for example, in January we invited Gordon Jones 6th dan shihan to come and teach an extended Sunday class). Neil doesn't get paid for teaching us.
What's this about insurance?
Most aikido in the UK is run under the umbrella of the British Aikido Board. The BAB requires that everyone practicing must be covered with third-party insurance (it protects you if you accidentally injure someone else), which the BAB administers. The premium for this is automatically included in your annual membership when you join the UKA. The BAB also oversees coaching certification and instructors' insurance.
We never run a class without a certified first-aider and a qualified coach being present (Neil teaches the classes, but other members also hold coaching qualifications).
Do I need to be fit? Will I get hurt?
You don't need great stamina, and even less so physical strength. But an aikido class usually provides a good work-out. Even if the techniques aren't particularly strenuous, every time you get put down on the mat (and that will happen over and over and over) you have to get up again. You'll certainly get fitter the more you practice. If you have any doubts about your ability to do physical exercise, consult your doctor first.
Aikido techniques are potentially dangerous, but the padded mats, the system of etiquette, and the cooperative nature of practice are all designed to minimise the risk of injury. Of all the martial arts, aikido is probably the one most concerned with the well-being of the attacker. That's an odd thing when you first encounter it, but the more you practice the more you realise that it is this which makes the practice so interesting. It's actually comparatively easy to bash someone about compared to controlling them with aikido. Consequently, aikido doesn't appeal to bullies or to people who are violent or impatient. Occasionally they come, but they don't stay.
Having said that, practicing aikido can sometimes hurt a little — unlike t'ai chi, for example, we do hit the ground and we do get our limbs twisted. We don't strive to hurt each other, but the fact is that aikido has a practical element which means that if you are extremely delicate you probably won't want to come a second time.
Will I learn to defend myself?
Ultimately, aikido is a martial art and if you become competent at it then you may be able to defend yourself from an opportunist attacker. But most people who've practiced for any significant time will tell you that the confidence and body conditioning that arise from practice are the most practical benefits. Knowing how to fall over safely is handy too.
The fact is that there is no universal method of fast, effective self defence, but if you want to be able to defend yourself, in the long term aikido may help. If you want to learn to fight, it absolutely won't. Try the competitive martial arts instead.
You just keep grabbing each other's wrists! Why can't I attack any way I like?
Aikido practice is normally conducted with prearranged attacks (technically, what we are doing is rehearsing a form, or kata) because the instructor is demonstrating one particular response, or technique. The attack isn't a test or a trial, it's an opportunity to practice and understand how that technique works. All aikido techniques use similar principles of blending and body positioning and these are hard to learn at the best of times, let alone when the attacker is trying fast and unexpected ways of hurting you. The traditional way of allowing the student to focus just on the aiki principles is usually to constrain the attack during practice.
Consequently the attacks are quite formal, and in particular a lot of aikido is practiced against grabs to the wrists, forearms, or shoulders. Historically these attacks are sensible ways of preventing a sword being drawn, and, since the movements of aikido are strongly influenced by the sword, these attacks remain at the core of our training method. The relationship between sword-work and empty-handed technique is something that arises again and again in aikido practice. Incidentally, this is why some people regard aikido as a traditional martial art even though it's relatively modern.
The technical syllabus does include other grabs, chokes, and strikes as well as attacks with weapons or from multiple assailants. Occasionally we practice in a more free-form way, such as not being constrained to one particular technique (jiyu-waza).
What are the weapons for?
Sometimes you see us practice with wooden weapons — sword (called a bokken) or staff (jo). Although aikido is an unarmed martial art, its movements are based in part on Japanese swordsmanship (kenjutsu) and spear fighting (yarijutsu), because that's where the founder, Morehei Ueshiba, gained much of his insight. It's helpful to have some idea of these systems in order to better understand the aikido you're learning. Part of the syllabus of techniques includes weapon taking, in which uke attacks with a (wooden) sword, staff, or knife (tanto).
How do the grades work? How long until I get a black belt?
We follow the system used at the Aikikai Foundation in Tokyo: students are either mudansha (not dan graded) and wear white belts, or else yudansha (dan graded) and wear black belt and hakama. Within the UKA, dan gradings are conducted at national courses twice a year.
It usually takes people around six years before they are ready to take their black belt grading; many people wait longer than that.
There are no competitions in traditional aikido, so the gradings are not contests. Candidates must not only be familiar with the full range of techniques in the syllabus, but also be able to execute them fluently and correctly under pressure. The only way anyone can do this is by practicing for years. Even so, the gradings are technically demanding and it's not uncommon for people to fail. So really we don't worry too much about gradings — they are not the focus of our practice, the practice itself is.
What about all the bowing? And the Japanese words?
Aikido is a Japanese martial art, and as we are affiliated with the Aikikai Foundation in Tokyo we practice in the traditional way. We bow at the start and end of every class, and before and after every technique. It's a very clear way of demonstrating that we're training not fighting, and is an important part of the etiquette which keeps behaviour on the mat predictable and safe.
We use Japanese terms for the techniques and attacks. Don't worry too much about learning them though, because if you just keep training you'll hear the words often enough you'll just pick them up. Rest assured it takes much longer to learn to do a technique properly than it does to learn what to call it, so vocabulary will not be your problem.
How do I contact you?
You can contact Neil, the instructor, by email on info@stainesaikido.org.uk. Alternatively talk to him on 07803 077033 or leave a message.