Schedule

Gi

Play, breakfalls and positions. There are no punches and no kicks, and nothing touches the head.

We spend as much time on greeting, waiting your turn and accepting a no as we do on the grips themselves. Kids who find it hard to sit still often do very well here, simply because they get to use their bodies the whole time.

Come in ordinary sports clothes the first time. A gi can wait until you know this is going to stick.

Gi

An hour with more structure than Ninjas, and sparring against equals.

This is where the techniques start to join up into a system instead of unrelated tricks. Most kids get their first stripe within the first six months.

Nobody is pushed into tournaments. Some are happy to travel, others just train at the club for years, and both are completely fine.

Gi

For those who have come a fair way and want more.

Fewer people on the mat, more detail and more time per person. A natural next step once your child has a few stripes and starts wanting to understand why the techniques work.

Talk to the instructor about when it makes sense to start.

Gi

The adult class with the gi, and the backbone of the club.

Basic means the syllabus is built so you can keep up from your very first class. Every class has a theme, and the themes connect across several weeks. Mount escapes one week, attacks from the back the next.

Experienced members train in the same class and help out. You will need a gi eventually, but wait to buy one until you have tried a couple of times.

No-Gi

The same sport without the gi, in shorts and a rashguard.

Nothing to grip, so the pace goes up and the grips have to hold on the body itself. Many find this the easiest way in, because you can turn up in what is already in your wardrobe.

Shorts with no zips or pockets, and a close-fitting top. That is all you need.

No-Gi

Open to all levels, with a slightly higher pace than Basic.

If you have trained no-gi a few times before, this is the class where you get to test yourself against people who have been at it a long time.

If you are brand new, start with Basic on Tuesday or Friday instead.

Open mat

Non-instructed session.

You come when it suits you, train with whoever you want, and leave when you're done. Open mat is the place to try things out, revisit what didn’t quite work during the week, and get to know the people you train with a little better.

If you are brand new you get more out of a Basic class first, where someone shows you what to do. Come here after a few weeks.