Letchworth Garden City (Norton) Ki Aikido Club » South East

If you have any questions, then please get in touch, or come and ask in person at the hall where we practice (our dojo).

Classes are suitable for all levels of fitness and may be practised equally by men and women of any size, age or ability. Our purpose is to give you the best experience of practicing and learning Ki and Ki Aikido, whoever you are.

Please arrive at least 15 minutes before class starts.

What to expect

First things first: Beginners are ALWAYS welcome at our club.

Everyone has had a first lesson, we have all put our heads around the door wondering what is about to happen, and we all remember what that is like. There is a lot to learn; and we will make sure you are taught everything you need to know.

On the first night, however, it’s good to know what to expect in terms of timing/organising yourself. This should help you prepare:

• Arrive early: Class starts at 7:30 PM. Doors open at 7:15 PM (we sometimes gets in a little bit earlier, but this is what the hired duration is), and we need time to get you signed up and changed. You can see that time is a little bit tight.
• Change: The first, and about only, thing we will tell you to do before you come on the mat is to be very careful not to step on the floor with your bare feet. We recommend that you do all of our changing with our socks on, and at the last minute take those off and step into your zori (flip-flops).
• Come to the mat: come to the foot of the mat (it’ll be the most convenient place, anyway).
• Bow: to show respect for the mat, we will go into the details of bowing and etiquette in good time.
• Step onto the mat: we want to keep our feet clean, and the side of the mat tidy. Turn around and slip your zori off by pushing the heels against the edge of the mat. Continue to step backwards onto the mat. Turn around and sit facing the head of the dojo (the end with the signs).

Chances are, you will be able to copy someone changing and coming onto the mat. But we hope the instructions above reduce the surprises.

Overall format of the session

Classes are 2 hours in total:

• 50 minutes of Ki class: where we will warm up and learn exercises and principles to coordinate our mind and body.
• 20 minutes tea break: we will learn a lot in that first class, and we need to give it a chance to sink in before we do
• our Aikido.
• 50 minutes of Ki Aikido class: we will then learn exercises, training us to keep our coordination while moving with a partner.

Fees

Important: We cannot teach you until you have paid your membership for the Ki Federation of Great Britain (KFGB). Until you are a member, our insurance will not cover you. For your safety and ours, we need you to be covered. For this reason, we regret you will not be able to participate in any exercises.

However, we do have an introductory pricing for beginners based on the following:

• We want you to know whether Ki and Ki Aikido practice are for you, that you enjoy the kind of exercises we do, and that you are comfortable with the way it is taught in the club.
• We don’t think that you can really get this in a single lesson: an initial commitment of four weeks should give you a better feel.
• The beginners price will get you signed up with the KFGB and cover the mat fees for four weeks for
  only slightly more than the licence fee.

After that, fees are due monthly in advance. We do not make a profit from the club, fees go back to hall rental and maintenance/eventual renewal of the mat; charging monthly dues allow us to provide the club in a predictable way.

Rate (£)	KFGBa	Beginners Priceb	Monthly	One-off KFGBc
Adult (17+)	40	50	60	15
Joint	60	75	110	30
Unemployed	25	35	45	12
Youth (14+)	18	25	40	10
Disabled	18	25	40	10
65+	18	40	40	10
Honorary (70+)	0	15	28	7
Junior (4+)	Sorry, no juniors under 14.

1. Ki Federation of Great Britain membership, included in Beginners Price
2. Initial discounted payment, includes membership and 4 weeks
3. We love to practice with new people, so the first time is free for KFGB guests, thank you for joining us

Of course, you are also welcome to watch a session.

Practical details

Access and Parking

Parking is available on the pavement in front of the hall.

We have access to the hall from 7:15; so please arrive then to give yourself time to change and help set up the mat.

Accessibility

The exercises of Ki and Ki Aikido are beneficial to all, and we can adapt to any needs you may have.
Please contact me if you want to talk about any concerns, and we will do our utmost to help.

• The hall is wheelchair accessible from the street; and parking is available onsite
• The hall has an accessible toilet on ground level (the same level as the practice hall)
• Again, if you need more detail, then please ask.

What to Wear

Please wear loose fitting clothes and bring flip-flops (or other slippers).

Footwear (IMPORTANT!): Bring flip-flops (zori) or other sandals that are easy to slip on and off. We practice Ki and Ki Aikido on a mat, which we keep meticulously clean out of respect for each other and for safety. We practice bare-footed, and therefore need to make sure that our feet never touch the floor off the mat. From removing our shoes when changing, to stepping onto the mat, we must wear these slippers.

To start with, just wear something comfortable that you are happy doing exercises in:

Top: a sweatshirt is good, or a heavy T-shirt. Note that we will sometimes take hold of clothing and, even though we won’t be pulling too hard on it, I suggest you don’t wear your nicest party sweatshirt.

Trousers: again, something like jogging bottoms are good. We spend a lot of time kneeling and rolling on the mat, so you need something full length and soft. Jeans are not recommended; they are surprisingly abrasive.

Jewellery (IMPORTANT!): Jewellery should be removed before practice. Sometimes that is not possible, so please cover over any accessories that cannot be removed with micropore (or similar) tape.

Kidogi: The kidogi (Aikido uniform) is very similar to a judo kit with the sleeves shortened. In time, you will need to wear one. Amongst other things it is comfortable, robust and practical for the exercises. If you do have something similar like a white judo or karate suit then this is a good choice to start practicing with.

Teaching

Classes will only be taught by a qualified teacher from the Ki Federation of Great Britain.

More details are available on my website.