Frequently asked questions

Yes, but it is not why most people stay. Aikido teaches you not to be where the strike lands, to keep your distance, and to control someone without hurting them, and all of that is useful. What it will not do is prepare you for a fight in two months. It is a long study and it says so up front.

You practise in pairs and in contact, so care is needed — and care is exactly what you are training. There is no competition and no contact striking; the two of you set the intensity, and saying that something hurts is enough to stop it.

The first thing you learn, before any technique, is how to fall.

No. You start where you are, and the warm-up and the ukemi build the mobility you need. If you have an injury or a specific limitation, say so before you start and it will be adapted.

Write to us and we will tell you which group fits. Adults of every age practise together, which is one of the good things about having no weight or age categories.

The first two classes are free and enrolment is free all year. After that there is a monthly fee depending on the activity, all of it on the Fees page.

Something comfortable that covers your arms and legs — tracksuit bottoms and a long-sleeved top. You step onto the mat barefoot. The keikogi can wait until you decide to stay.

Any week of the year. There is no term and no season: the groups are open and you join when you can.

It depends on the dojo and the line. In ours the hakama goes with the grade, not with time served, and the grade comes when the work is done. Nobody will give you a date, and that is part of the answer.

No. Aikido has no competition, by its founder's decision, and that changes how it is practised: your partner is not an opponent, they are the person you are learning with.

Yes. Give us a day's notice and we will tell you when to come. That said, watching aikido tells you a good deal less than trying it, and trying it is free too.

Of course. Write to us first with your grade and your home dojo and we will tell you what is on those days. It is explained on the Visitors page.

No, but you will hear Japanese in every class: the names of the techniques, the greetings and the numbers. It sticks by repetition. If you want a head start, there is the glossary.

Yes. The federation licence includes the sports insurance, which is compulsory. The dojo handles it once a year.

Two is enough to make progress. One keeps you where you are; three or four shows quickly. There is no compulsory minimum — the fee covers every class in your activity and you come to the ones you can.

Almost always, yes; there are people training here with knees, shoulders and backs of every description. Tell us before your first class and the instructor will say what to adapt. What we will not do is decide for you: if your doctor has told you something, listen to them.

No. The bow to the front of the dojo acknowledges that what is practised here was built by others first; the bow to your partner thanks them for lending you their body so that you can learn. There is no worship, no prayer, and nothing you are asked to believe.

In Badalona there are changing rooms and parking is free. The other two are municipal and university facilities with their own arrangements, set out on the Access page.

In August the timetable is reduced, and the dojo closes on public holidays. It is all there, with dates, in the calendar.

No. You can pause and come back, and come back after years as well. The grade does not expire and the place is still here.

Not at first. The dojo has bokken and jō you can use. When you decide to buy your own we will tell you where, and what length suits you.

Ask first. There are minors on the mat and there are people who would rather not appear, and that comes before any photograph.

The same mat hosts iaijutsu, judo and karate, each with its own instructor and timetable. They are on the Classes page.