Thanet Aikido

or? Anybody – we welcome beginners and advanced students. We will always go at your pace, but you need to make sure you are in good health. Check with your GP or a qualified health professional that you have no underlying health conditions that could endanger you if you engage in vigorous exercise. Over time and with regular training, you will find you become fit and much more flexible. If you have a specific joint injury - e.g shoulder or knee problems - please inform the instructor. The whole point of what we are doing is to improve ourselves mentally and physically and as such we will work to improve your condition and not make it worse. What can I expect to learn? The primary focus of Aikido training is to cultivate and learn to use Ki/Chi (Energy) to enhance many aspects of our lives. The main reason I love Aikido is it makes you feel alive following training. Forget everything else, that is worth it alone! This involves learning many of the skills associated with Samurai warriors of Japan. We learn to strike, hard and fast, with more than just our fists; apply locks to restrain an attacker; evasion and break falling techniques to protect ourselves; weapons to help improve our understanding and application of the techniques (I don’t teach weapons for fighting…we don’t live in feudal Japan…); and throws for all types of attack using cultivated Ki, not brute force. How much will it cost? We are a not-for-profit organisation and only want to cover our costs (Hall hire, equipment, insurance). I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s not unreasonable to ask for £6 per lesson to cover our costs. Hopefully that sounds fair to you. What can I expect at a lesson? We start off with some breathing exercises (we do a bit of Wim Hof breathing as well), then some stretching and Aikido stuff involving shouting (it’s better than Yoga..) . Once warmed up, we deliberately practise throwing ourselves on the ground (break falling), practise some fundamental body movements (Taisabaki) and then spend most of the time learning, in pairs, the Aikido techniques that lead to the cool Jedi stuff. How do I get a black belt? You could simply go and buy one. In truth many officially recognised black belts in martial arts are worthless. Speak to any seasoned street fighter or boxer and they are not impressed with martial arts or the colour of a belt. Coloured belts are useful to monitor and demonstrate progress, but they don’t make you tough. We do have a grading system and the ability to get a recognised belt from one of the established organisations if that’s what you want. Our primary aim is to enable you to develop real skills and benefit from every training session. Will I be able to defend myself in a street fight? Street fighting is stupid, and you want to avoid it at all costs. If you want to become a good streetfighter, you must be prepared to assault another human with extreme violence, be prepared to be beaten up and potentially die. Even if you are good at it, you’ll have to look over your shoulder for the entire time and hopefully have someone watch your back. It’s a mug’s game, so don’t do it. However, you will be able to defend yourself with the type of training we do. With practice you will become stronger and fitter (with a good punch) and once you’ve exhausted every other method to diffuse and avoid a fight, you will definitely be better prepared to defend yourself. What larger organisation are you part of? We are an independent organisation but with links to more established organisations. My experience of larger organisations is mostly negative; more politics, more hierarchy, more doing dumb stuff because Grand Sensei said…

What are your credentials as a Sensei/Teacher? I have studied martial arts for most of my life. I studied Barrow-in-Furness kung fu under my two older brothers and the other kids off the estate, from birth till age 14 - this was my best training in truth – this keeps our training real. Then my brother and I started training in Korean Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, a traditional martial art, under 9th Dan Master Lee Kang in Welwyn Garden City. Most people think Chuck Norris was a Karate man, but he was originally Tang Soo Do. It’s a very physical art with high kicks, so if you want to learn how to do high kicks, I can teach you high kicks. Due to several house moves, I experienced a little Wing Chun, took many Tai Chi Classes (I still practice Chi Kung) until finally moving to the south coast. Here I found a gem of an Aikido club with Graham Gibb Sensei just outside Canterbury in 2000. Initially it was under the British Aikido Federation and then when I came back from a broken ankle (football injury) they had moved to the Komoykan Aikido Association under Ezra Sensei. Terry Ezra is a one-off, obsessed with martial arts and has skill beyond virtually anything I have ever seen (Master Titus wasn’t bad…). After many years and a few injuries, I got my black belt (Hombu Japan) in 2012. I was a teacher with Alex Creamer at Lower Hardres dojo in Canterbury for many years and have completed the Sport England level 1 coach certificate. Most of the Aikido I teach is based on the teachings of Ezra Sensei, however, I decided to take this club in a different direction. Most of the Japanese way of doing things is very different from how we think in the west and it isn’t always helpful to making progress in my opinion. I come from a professional medical sales background and run a training company, and as such have an interest in how we can get the best learning experiences and best outcomes from any form of training. Martial arts should be the same, but sadly it’s beset by big egos, fat bellies and boring training. I want to apply scientific teaching techniques in a professional manner, for the benefit of the students, NOT the Sensei.