How much does it cost?

We strive to keep fees as low as possible for all those involved. The club is entirely volunteer run, and the dues collected go directly to necessities such as electricity and other bills. The current cost, on a per-class basis, is $3.00 per person, or $5.00 per family. Dues are only required for nights that you actually participate.In addition, all participants in Dojo Activities will require membership in one of the national Judo federations. We accept memberships in either the USA Judo, USJFor the USJA. Yearly dues for these groups are approximately $70-$100, and provide necessary coverage for Judo-related activities. For liability reasons, we cannot allow persons without a membership in one of these groups to train.  Although not absolutely required, we do recommend that all participants purchase a good quality judogi. We sell them through our club at no profit to ourselves, and they are available through a number of other vendors. Prices vary depending on size, but a typical child’s judogi will run somewhere around $40.00-$50.00.  We do not charge any additional fees for belt testing, though we do ask that if you (or your child) are awarded a higher rank, that you pay $5.00 to cover the actual cost of the new belt.

What is Judo?

Judo is a Japanese martial art developed in 1882 by Professor Jigoro Kano, who was a master of many forms of the ancient art of Jujutsu. He combined what he felt was the most useful techniques of Jujutsu into a comprehensive art and called it Judo, which translates roughly to “The Gentle Way”. In order to allow its practice by all walks of society, Kano removed from practice the techniques that were unsafe to train against a live opponent.Judo consists of standing techniques and ground techniques. The standing techniques primarily involve ways to throw an opponent, while the ground techniques focus on ways to control an opponent with whom you have grappled, similar in some ways to wrestling. Because the more dangerous techniques, such as striking and attacking the vital areas of an opponent have been moved to katas, Judo is able to be practiced at full, or near-full, strength in randori (sparring) or shiai (competition). Another integral skill taught in Judo is that of ukemi, being able to fall safely after being thrown, which has applications that extend far beyond the dojo.This is only a capsule description of Judo. For further information, you may visit the excellent Judoinfo site, or see the entry on Judo at Wikipedia.

How do I get started?

Just come on in! For beginners, we recommend coming to a Thursday night class early, to observe the class and determine whether or not this is something that they would be interested in. Prospective students may sign up in the office of the club.  Registration for National organizations are online only, we require a printed copy of the registration for our records.  We are also able to sell judogis, provided we have the desired size in stock.

Is this club for children, or for adults?

Both! We have juniors and seniors in the Judo club, and we welcome interested parties from all age groups. It is worth noting, however, that we have a large number of children present, especially on Thursday nights, so adults training need to be cognizant of this and behave in an appropriate manner. If sharing the mats with a large number of juniors is a problem, this may not be the club for you.

How old does my child need to be to start Judo?

The answer to this question varies from child to child. Typically, six years is a common minimum age for children to begin training Judo.   We would encourage you to come observe a class with a child and to evaluate whether you feel your child is ready for the format of the classes. They will need to be able to pay attention, to obey the instructor and a willingness to participate in the training exercises. We also encourage you to speak with the senseis directly in regards to assessing readiness.