Questions people actually ask.

Either. Turning up has always been fine and still is — arrive about ten minutes before class and introduce yourself. Booking a free trial helps us know to look out for you, but it has never been a requirement and is not one now.

Yes. There are seats at the side of the mat, and you are welcome to watch a whole class before deciding anything. A class runs an hour and a half.

Yes. Someone is at the dojo every Saturday between 12:00 and 14:00. Arrive in that window and you will find somebody happy to answer questions.

Yes, genuinely — no card details, no obligation, no follow-up sales call.

Loose, comfortable clothing — tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt are ideal. Nothing tight, and nothing with zips or buckles that could catch you or your partner. We train barefoot on the mat. No gi (training uniform) is needed for a trial; if you continue, we will help you find one at a sensible price.

A bottle of water. That is genuinely it. One thing worth knowing: if you step outside during the session, bring something to slip on so nothing from outside comes back onto the mat. A clean pair of flip flops is ideal. Indoors you will not need them — the dojo is carpeted between the changing rooms and the mat.

Yes. Children are not dropped off at Hizashikan — a parent or guardian stays for the whole session. There are seats at the side of the mat. With one instructor, a parent in the room is the most direct safeguard there is, which is why this is an arrangement rather than a preference. Our safeguarding page sets out why.

Yes. Rather than repeat the details here, where they could quietly fall out of date, the current position is kept on our safeguarding page, along with the training behind it.

Because a parent or guardian is already in the room, there is no phone call to make — you are there. There is a first-aid kit on site, and the instructor holds a current first-aid award, named on our safeguarding page. Every incident is written down and referred to BMABA, so the association is aware of it.

Speak to Aziz Meknassi, the club's local safeguarding contact. If your concern is about the instructor, it should not have to go through him: BMABA are the registered Designated Safeguarding Lead for this dojo and can be contacted independently at safeguarding@bmaba.org.uk or on 01798 306546. If a child is at immediate risk, call 999. All of this, including the NSPCC helpline, is set out on our safeguarding page.

Yes. Aikido is non-competitive, and the very first skill everyone learns is how to fall safely. Classes are supervised throughout, and respect for training partners is the first rule of the mat.

Aziz Meknassi has practised aikido for more than thirty years and holds the coaching level one qualification. He has also completed BMABA's Child Safeguarding in Martial Arts and First Aid for Martial Arts awards — both are named, with their dates, on our safeguarding page.

Aziz is also preparing high grades to become new instructors, so occasionally they may take the class as part of their training.

Get in touch and we will tell you plainly. Ask us — there is more to it than a single class fee, membership sits alongside it, and quoting one number would give you a misleading picture rather than a helpful one especially if you are thinking of subscribing other family members.

Wyken Community Centre, Coventry, with free parking on site. Arrive ten minutes early, introduce yourself to Aziz , and you will be looked after from there. Changing rooms are on site.

None. Most of our members started as complete beginners. Aikido does not rely on strength or athleticism — that is rather the point. Techniques are taught step by step, you work at your own pace, and fitness arrives gradually as a side effect.

No — you cannot get it wrong on day one. We bow when stepping on and off the mat, we treat every partner with care, and we keep fingernails short. Everything else you will absorb naturally; nobody is graded on manners.