INFO FOR PARENTS
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Children
Our Friday class is targeted to children from 6-16 years (19:00-20:00). Aikido is a non-aggressive martial art but can be very powerful when practiced correctly. Aikido strengthens not only the body but also the mind and spirit helping your child to gain a strong sense of focus and self-confidence, whilst practicing in a friendly atmosphere. The instructors teach the children how to defend themselves without hurting others and above all, we want to have fun and enjoy our training. Aikido does not rely on strength; in fact the stronger you try to be, the harder it is to do or make it work, so the key is to relax and be as soft as possible and you’d be amazed at the difference that makes.
Child Protection & Policies
We have two primary instructors for the youngsters’ classes, each of whom have Coach Level 1 (CL1) qualifications, as recognised by Sports Coach UK, and have completed a Safeguarding and Protecting Children course. The primary instructors will be supported by other senior students but at least one primary instructor will always be present for these classes.
Both instructors have been successfully vetted by the government backed Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and act as Child Welfare Officers (CWO) within the Club and have also completed a First Aid course.
Our goal is to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for youngsters to learn and appreciate this flowing, soft, yet powerful art from Japan that is ideal for boys and girls; Remember, strength and being tense is a disadvantage in Aikido so being ‘physical’ is discouraged as being relaxed actually makes you more powerful.
Please see our Policy Documents at the bottom of the about page to review our Club Constitution and Photo/Video policy, all of which are focused on protecting your child and providing a safe, structured and enjoyable environment in which they can practice. We will ask you to sign a photographic/video agreement form on an annual basis if you are satisfied that the Club is performing all reasonable steps to protect your child in relation to this area.
Data Collection
A parent will need to attend the first lesson that your child participates in and we will ask you to complete a membership form as this provides us with relevant information including email and phone numbers but this is not a commitment to join at this stage, purely contact information. All email/text communication related to the Club will be with parents and not with children under 18yrs as this protects both the children and the Club, ensuring we provide a very transparent interface and encourage parents to be fully engaged. If you would prefer not to provide said information until your child decides to fully join, then a parent/guardian will need to attend each lesson until the membership form has been completed. All information collected from parents is only used for Club administration purposes and is not shared unnecessarily with any third parties. We would encourage a parent/guardian to stay and watch the one hour class for the younger members as albeit not mandatory, does provide additional support and encouragement and also shows you what and how we are teaching your children.
What to Wear
During initial sessions whilst your child is deciding whether Aikido is for them, please wear something like tracksuit trousers/leggings and a T-shirt as Aikido does involve being taken to the ground, rolling and ultimately throws once competent. Once your child decides that Aikido is for them, we can source a Gi and equipment for you, or you can provide them yourselves but they must be similar to those used by the Club, as uniformity is important and avoids unnecessary comparisons between youngsters which is an unhealthy situation that we wish to avoid. We ask that children arrive at class already changed.
Lesson Times
Taunton Dojo
Juniors (Under 16):
Fridays: 19:00 – 20:00
Adults (16+):
Tuesdays: 20:00 – 21:30
Evesham Dojo
Adults (18+):
Thursdays: 19:45 – 21:45
Contact Us
Mike: 07769 341797
Tony: 07443 480694
News & Events
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