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FAQ
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Do I need to have previous martial arts
experience?
No, we welcome people of any ability. Since physical strength is not
a feature of Aikido techniques, it can be
done by people of any age, gender, or experience.
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Do I need to be fit?
No. Your fitness should naturally improve the more you participate.
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What can I wear?
For beginners, a loose fitting shirt and tracksuit bottoms are all that's
needed. However, martial arts gis can be purchased via the Club and cost between
£25 and £35.
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Do you do any weapons
training?
Yes, but only from a defence perspective. Some of the weapons we train
with are
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Bokken - A wooden
version of the katana sword.
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Jo - A four foot
wooden staff.
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Tanbo - A wooden
club or similar weapon.
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Tanto - A
rubber/wooden knife.
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When are gradings?
For beginners, the first gradings will be held towards the end of
the first semester,
around Christmas time. Higher belts will be graded depending on time since the
candidate's last grading. There are also time considerations that may also apply.
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How long before I can get to Black Belt?
This really depends on you! It depends on how quickly you can get to grips
with the techniques and also how regularly you train. The club typically holds
two gradings per academic year. One at Christmas (end of the first semester),
and another around Easter, usually at the Aikido Master Class or end of the
second semester.
So, if you were to successfully grade every time, you could get your Black belt
within around four years.
Please consult the Club Grading Guide.
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Can I train in other martial arts while doing Aikido at the same
time?
Yes, there is nothing stopping you from training in more than
one martial art at the same time (some of our instructor's are black belts in
other martial arts as well!). However, you need to be careful that you don't
take on too much. You also have to take your studies into consideration.
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What is the Aikido Master Class?
The Aikido Master Class is an intensive 1 (or 2) day course, usually held
in the Spring, suitable for
anyone with at least 10 hours of Aikido experience. The course covers a wide
variety of techniques from the 1st Dan Syllabus of different styles of Aikido.
One of the sessions will usually be on defences against weapons techniques.
So
will it be a fun club to join?
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