Martial Arts Groups

 Shodokan Aikido

Tuesdays  8.30 – 10.30pm & Fridays 7.30 - 9.30pm

*** New! *** Advanced classes (brown belts and up) on Sundays from 10.30am - 12.30pm

The Edge, Studio 2

£2.50 per class - first session free!

Give it a Go! 

Tuesday 24th January

Aikido is a Japanese martial art based on locks, pins and throws. It will teach you to utilize your opponent's balance and movement, making them easy to throw. This principle makes aikido a good basis for self-defence for both men and women of any sizes. Why not come along and try it?
Venue: The Edge, Studio 2
Times: 8.30pm to 10.30pm
Price: Free!

 

What is Aikido?

Aikido is a Japanese martial art developed from traditional Japanese jujutsu and formed into its current system in the early part of the 20th century by Morihei Ueshiba. Aikido does not focus on punching and kicking opponents. Instead, it focuses on using opponents' own energy and movement to gain control of them, allowing you to  either throw them away from you or move them into a hold. Aikido is  based on joint locks, pins and throws and does not require strength to perform techniques well. This makes aikido a self-defence art that is good for all (women, men, old or young).
 

Aikido does not only focus on one-on-one, hand-to-hand combat. Throughout the martial art, there is a level of focus on self-defence against knives, swords, staffs and multiple attackers.

At Leeds

At Leeds Shodokan Aikido club we practice sport aikido developed by Kenji Tomiki. Training is focused around learning techniques and applying them in practical ways. The Kata (set forms and movements) are combined with Randori (free sparring)during which the techniques that you have learnt can be more practically applied and fitness can be improved.

We have regular competitions with other universities in the country and we train hard for the National Student Championships held every March. We also participate in international seminars and competitions, providing the opportunity to travel abroad and meet aikidoka (people who do aikido) from around the world. Many of our members have been chosen for Shodokan Aikido UK's national squad, being trained to compete on an international level. Last year our members competed at the World Championships in Uxbridge and we are about to begin training for the next Worlds in Japan (2013)!

For more information, see the "About" page at http://www.leeds-aikido.co.uk

Or join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=10317515795
 

Training

Training is performed in the Sports Centre on mats. We train barefoot in Dogi (white training suits) and have a coloured belt system. You will be taught how to fall over, how to move and how to execute aikido techniques. After each session we all go to the Old Bar in the union for a few drinks and a laugh.

We hold gradings three times a year and use an official grading system that allows our members to reach black belt by the end of their 3 years at university.

All training is covered by the British Aikido Board insurance that insures all members have full cover against any very unlikely accidents that have a small possibility of happening. For the official policy documents for those who want to know exactly what they are covered against please downoad the following document.

http://www.bab.org.uk/downloads/BAB_Summary_of_Cover_Assocations.pdf

 See you at training!!

Beginners are always welcome!

To really get a feel for aikido, we recommend that you come along and try it. And why not? The first session is free!

Just come to one of our usual training sessions (see below) wearing loose clothing without zippers. A loose t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms are ideal.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the martial art, the club or joining, feel free to contact any of our committee members. 

Captain: Rachel Johnson, jl10rj@leeds.ac.uk

Secretary: Bethany Evans, en10basc@leeds.ac.uk

Treasurer: Mike Smith, mike.s.6892@gmail.com

Social Secretary: Matt Cook, mattmcook@hotmail.co.uk

Important Document Downloads 

 Download Code of Good Practice 2011

Download Risk Assessment 2011

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