Frequently Asked Questions
Does your school have a children's class?Currently, we do not offer a children's class. We are, however, actively looking into this; our intention is to offer a separate children's class in the near future. If you're interested in enrolling your child in our school, your best course of action is to subscribe to our newsletter. Any announcements will be made there.
However, we do accept students ages twelve to seventeen on a case by case basis. The qualities we look for are maturity and the ability to train safely with other students, with varying levels of experience. Although safety is our paramount concern, Aikido is a dynamic martial art that incorporates throws, falls, joint manipulation, and pins. We encourage all our students to observe a class before enrolling.
I'd like to visit your school. What should I do?
First of all, welcome! We appreciate your interest in our dojo. Your best bet is to send Sensei an email
to let her know when you're arriving.
If a seminar or other special event is planned for that day, she can communicate
that information to you. Of course you can also check our class calendar,
which we update regularly.I've decided to start Aikido training. What do I need to know?
Congratulations! You've taken the first step down a rewarding and challenging path. You won't regret it.
For your first class, you should wear loose fitting athletic wear, such as a sweatshirt and sweatpants. You will also need to remove any jewelry before class begins, for the safety of both yourself and your training partner. During your first class, you can expect a more experienced student to help you learn some Aikido basics, such as falling safely. Don't worry–in Aikido, we train to the ability of our partners. Your partner will adjust her training to your level of comfort.
If you're interested, we've also prepared guides to etiquette
, terminology
, and
training
,
which you can print.
You can find our schedule and class fees on our class information page.Sounds great! When can I begin?
You can begin training anytime. Like most Aikido schools, we do not have a designated beginners class. On any given day in our school you can find students with twenty years experience training alongside absolute beginners.
One last question. How long will it take to earn my black belt?
A long time. Not to dissuade you, but we have pretty high standards for our black belts.
If you train consistently, it will generally take you a minimum of seven years to earn your yudansha rank. Our test requirements, ready for printing, are outlined in this document
(PDF,
22.01 KB).