Sotenjuku dojo
Aikido in Egham
Beginners’ Classes!
If you’re thinking of giving aikido a go, we’d love to see you. We take our aikido seriously, but we’re a friendly club and a great place to start.
All classes that are especially good for beginners are marked with
a heart, so you can be sure you’re coming to a class you’ll feel
comfortable about joining.
In general, the only time we run classes that aren't suitable for beginners
is when we're doing grading preparation.
Just come in loose clothes like jogging trousers and a sweatshirt (we train barefoot on the mats). We know that starting something new can be daunting, especially if you’ve never done a martial art before, but you don’t have to worry. Our members have lots of experience with beginners and although you won’t understand everything that’s going on if you’ve never done aikido before, you’ll have a safe and interesting time.
So turn up and start training! Your first class is free.
If you just want to watch, that’s OK too... although generally we think you get a better idea of what’s involved if you try to join in.
What to expect
Want to have some idea of what’s going on before you step on the mat? Please read our Frequently Asked Questions.
Who trains?
Our club’s membership contains a healthy mix of ages, occupations, and nationalities. We have male and female instructors. We’re not far from Royal Holloway college (RHUL), and offer a reduced rate for students (we don't run any kids' classes, though: you have to be 16 or over).
RHUL student? Get four weeks of free classes when you start training with us!
Although we’re not a very big club, we’ve got an unusually high number of experienced seniors (especially on the Thursday classes). Because aikido practice is cooperative not competitive, this is great for beginners! Often you’ll be training with a partner who has decades of experience.
Check the schedule!
Please check the website before travelling to a class, because very occasionally a class might be cancelled. This sometimes happens if all the instructors are away at a national course (for example, once a year we cancel classes during the week of the UKA summer school). Usually this doesn’t mean the rest of us miss training — we go to the courses too!
