St Albans Judo Club has been providing over 70 years of service to judo & the community. The club is a thriving community of junior and senior members, parents, and volunteers who all come together to enjoy judo.

Expert tuition caters for all levels from beginner to black belt and beyond!

If you are over 18, and have never done Judo before (or are returning after a long break), we will be running our next Adult Beginners Course on Thursday 26th September at 8pm.

Age is no barrier, our September ’23 course had a 50 year age span between oldest & youngest! The 12 week course is also an excellent refresher for people who did judo in the past and would like to get back into it.

If you’re interested in finding out more about this course, complete our expression of interest form and we will get in touch with more details.

Interested in a Trial?

NOTE: WE ARE CURRENTLY OPERATING A WAITING LIST SYSTEM.

Please note we organise our U19s classes by School Year rather than exact age.

Primary School Sections:
Monkeys – For those who will be starting Reception in Sept 2024 or 2025, minimum age 3years & 6months (Pre-registration for Sept 2024 is open)
Dragons – Years 1-3 / Tigers – Years 4-6

Secondary School Sections:
Wolves – Years 7-9 / Cranes – Years 10-13 (or college equivalent)

For Adults Aged 18+ (Tortoises)

In the first instance, for all ages, please complete our short expression of interest form and we will get in touch.

For more information & prices see the How to Join section & check our Class Timetable

Visitors welcome

PAYG Session passes for Visitors can be purchased from our club shop – https://st-albans-judo-club-shop.mymawebsite.com/product/payg-session-pass/

Our Visitors fees are £5 for 18s & under and £7 for Over 19s

See our Class Timetable for available sessions.

You MUST bring your current, in date, BJC, BJA or AJA licence with you.

Session PAYG Passes are valid for one training session, they are not tied to a specific date and can be used up to 1 month after purchase. Please note we can not accept cash or card payments on the door.

We are proud to have met the requirements to be awarded the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts for a 3rd Year For more information on this scheme: www.safeguardingcode.com/parents

SAJC Hosts GB Olympian Nekoda Davis
Session video available

St. Albans Judo Club3 days ago

Two very different activities for the club yesterday!

Up in Kidderminster we had Marcin & John taking part in their first British Kata Championships, only their 3rd competition, where they achieved Bronze 🥉 in the Nage-no-kata, coming 3rd out of 8 pairs. An impressive achievement reflecting the hours of dedicated practice they have been putting in.
Also competing was SAJC Senior Coach Bob, who along with his son Ricky (Shizentai Judo Club) took Gold 🥇in the Kime-no-kata for an amazing 11th year!
Richard B, a Tuesday night regular, also paired up with Ricky, took part in the Kodokan Goshin Jutsu, and their performance also won them the Gold 🥇. Well done to them all, and the others who took part. 👏
Later in the year Bob, Ricky & Richard, along with Tori & Lisa will be heading off to Las Vegas to compete in the World Kata Championships, and we wish them all the best in their preparations for that trip!

Back in the dojo, we had 2 small, but really enjoyable sessions with Sam Dunkley, bringing his 🐻 Animal Movements 🐵 back to the club in his first visit in several years. The younger group learnt the moves & applied them in a mix of fun games & drills, and after lunch the older group looked at a more in depth analysis of how these movements, and others, can build strength, stamina & improve judo skills. We look forward to welcoming Sam back again soon. 👍

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St. Albans Judo Club4 days ago

🥋 All the best to SAJC Kata practitioners John & Marcin who are off to the BJA National Championships today. We're rooting for you! 🥋

I know entries are up - hope the day is a great success for everyone taking part, including the organising team & officials 👍

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St. Albans Judo Club3 weeks ago

Huge thanks to Paul Ajala for coming along and delivering a brilliant session for our teen & adult members last night! 👍

White belts to Dan grades, everyone gave 100% effort and came away smiling, and somewhat sweaty, which is definitely the mark of a great judo lesson!

Well done to all that took part.

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St. Albans Judo Club3 weeks ago

As we build a more complete history of St. Albans Judo Club from 1950 to today, it’s our first 25 years that are least documented - not surprising with the passage of time. We do have these great photos from the Club Championships in 1967 though!

The height of this Dan grade’s ukemi is impressive, especially given the mats were packed with straw at the time! We’d love to track down any judoka who remember those early years…🥋 #judofamily #judoclub #judo #sajudo

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St. Albans Judo Club1 month ago

** Remember: We're still open through the summer! **
Don't forget to come and train if you've not gone away on holiday!
(Also Aircon in the dojo, for those parents who need to wait 😃)

This weeks classes:

Monday - EXTRA SESSION!
6:45-8:15pm - Fighting Fit - Fitness, Randori & Contest training for ages 13+

Tuesday
7:30-9:30pm - Senior Development - Technical training for ages 16+

Wednesday
6-7pm - Dragons, 7:15-8:15pm - Tigers & Wolves, 8:30-9:30pm - Cranes & U21s

Thursday
6:45-7:45pm - Tigers & Wolves
8-9:30pm - Senior Open Mat - Space available to work on your own techniques, or join in with the Kata development workshop.

Friday
6-7pm - Dragons & Tigers
7:15-8:15pm - Wolves & Cranes

(Our kids classes are based on their school year, those switching sections in Sept are welcome to come to either throughout the summer - Dragons - Ys1-3 / Tigers - Ys4-6 / Wolves - Ys7-9 / Cranes - Ys10-13)

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St. Albans Judo Club2 months ago

Fantastic day at the Shizentai Rumble today! A brilliant well organised event with a great atmosphere, and with excellent judo on display at all ages.

With a few dropouts due to illness, in the end we had a squad of 42 take part. We had all age groups represented, from 6 year old Dragons, right up to a couple of 35+ Tortoises 👍

Everyone put in a lot of hard work & determination with some great techniques on display.

Certificate of Participation🏅
Jaiden, Harvey, Sam

🥉 Bronze 🥉
Lizzie, Ruari, Caelan, Aayub, Marni, Oliver, Devan, Aneurin, Zac, Finn, Daniel J, Younes, Aissa, Oswald, Zoe, Lindsay, Sophia, Ted, Jacob, Ernest, Jake, Adam O, Freya

🥈 Silver 🥈
Aillie, Emily, Samson, Archie, Kalan, Henry, Balazs, Natasha

🥇 Gold 🥇
Cora, Isla, Bethany, Spencer, Max, James, Daniel O, Ross

As well as congratulations to all the competitors (and their parents, it can be hard to watch your kids compete, particularly the really young ones), my ✨huge thanks✨ to Freya for working matside with me throughout the morning, really appreciate all your hard work, and support you gave to all the kids.👍

Also, well done to Samuel who worked a table all day, and George who was acting as a behind the scenes runner for the officials team. 👏

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Technical & Development Classes

Note: All classes at SAJC are organised by School Year Groups.

Mini Judo Monkeys* – Nursery & Reception (from 3years & 6 months)
New Intakes in Sept & Jan Only – Register now for Sept 2024 or Jan 2025 start.
Wednesdays – 5-5:45pm
*For those who will start Reception in Sept ’24 or Sept ’25

Dragons – Years 1, 2 & 3 – WAITING LIST IN OPERATION
Wednesday – 6-7pm / Friday – 6-7pm

Tigers – Years 4, 5 & 6 – WAITING LIST IN OPERATION
Wednesday – 7:15pm / Thursday – 6:45-7:45pm / Friday – 6-7pm

Wolves – Years 7, 8 & 9 – WAITING LIST IN OPERATION
Wednesday 7:15pm / Thursday 6:45-7:45pm / Friday – 7:15-8:15pm

Cranes – Years 10, 11, 12 & 13 – Subject to availability, contact for more info.
Wednesday 8:30-9:30pm / Friday 7:15-8:15pm
Over 16s can also join Adults classes.

Adults – Available for all ages from 16 onwards
Technical Tuesday 7:30-9:30pm / Open Mat Thursday 8-9:30pm
(Not suitable for new starters)

Adult Beginners Course – Starts THURSDAY 26th SEPTEMBER
Thursday 8-9:30pm – Fixed course dates from September to December 2024

Monday Night – Fighting Fitness Sessions

Fortnightly at 6:45pm-7:45pm or 6:45pm-8:30pm
Upcoming Dates – 16^th & 30^th September / 14^th & 28^th October /
11^th & 25^th November / 9^th December
Then we’ll take a break until 13^th January

Section A: 6:45pm-7:45pm

Dragons (age 7&8 by invitation only)
Tigers (minimum grade BJC 2 Green Tabs / BJC 6^th Kyu San / BJA 3^rd Mon, or by invitation)
Wolves (BJC 6^th Kyu San to 5^th Kyu San / BJA grade 3^rd to 6^th Mon, or by invitation)

Section B: 6:45pm-8:15pm

Wolves (BJC 4th Kyu, or BJA 7^th Mon, or by invitation)
Cranes (minimum grade BJC or BJA 5^th Kyu, or by invitation)
Adults (minimum grade BJC or BJA 5^th Kyu, or by invitation)

If you are interested in the Fighting Fit Classes, but aren’t sure if you should be attending Section A or B, just get in touch and we can discuss.

For further information please email info@stalbansjudo.org.uk

NOTE: WE ARE CURRENTLY AT CAPACITY FOR UNDER 14s
AND OPERATING A WAITING LIST SYSTEM.

In the first instance, for all ages, please complete our short expression of interest form and we will get in touch with more details..

If you are new to judo, your first session is free!!
After your 1^st session if you want to continue we will ask you to purchase a 3-month provisional judo licence, or one of the other licences available if you prefer.

Once you have a licence, there is no training fee for your 2^nd session, but after that you will need to sign up to one of our membership options. Fees are paid monthly in advance by Direct Debit. SAJC offers training sessions for around 48 weeks of every year and our fees are spread equally across the months.

For the Ginmedaru options, you can attend additional sessions by purchasing a PAYG pass from our store.

We also have Annual Advance pricing rates if you would prefer to pay for a whole year upfront. These are available after 3 months of attendance, please speak to us if this is of interest.

Judo Licences

In order to take part in judo lessons, you much have a judo licence from one of our two governing bodies. This licence provides you with personal accident insurance, and full licences allow you to take part in gradings and competitions.

Our governing bodies are:
British Judo Council and British Judo Association.

There are other pricing options available for certain groups, please ask at the desk for more details.

* – Does not allow you to participate in gradings or competitions, but you can upgrade to the full membership at any time

Club Membership is £10 per year, and helps keep our training costs low.
If you choose not to take membership, when upgrading from your 3 month provisional licence your monthly training fees will increase.

If you are visiting from another club

Just bring your current BJA or BJC licence with you and purchase a PAYG Session pass.

PAYG Session passes for Visitors must be purchased in advance from our club shop – https://st-albans-judo-club-shop.mymawebsite.com/product/payg-session-pass/

Session PAYG Passes are valid for one training session, they are not tied to a specific date and can be used up to 1 month after purchase. We also offer a monthly Direct Debit rate for Regular visitors.

What to wear

For the first few classes you can wear tracksuit bottoms without zips/ buttons/ anything hard that could injure yourself or others when breakfalling. Girls should also wear a plain white T-shirt. These items may get pulled/ stretched so don’t wear anything you can’t afford to write off! Please use an elastic hair band to tie any long hair back (no metal hair clips are allowed).

We have spare judo jackets that you can use – just ask someone for help if you’re stuck. You’ll be expected to buy your own gi (judo outfit) if you decide to join. These are available at the club shop.

Forms

The club asks you to fill out a membership form on your first visit.

Club shop

The club shop carries a stock of judo clothing and accessories for members, including judo suits, and club branded kit.

Email

info@stalbansjudo.org.uk

Phone

01727 869007

Weekday evenings only. Please leave a message at other times.

Directions

The dojo address is:
St Albans Judo Club,
Batchwood Golf and Sports Centre,
Batchwood Drive,
St Albans,
Hertfordshire,
AL3 5XA.

The Dojo is within “Batchwood Golf and Sports Centre”. There is a large sign for this facility off the road “Batchwood Drive”.

Please be aware that the Dojo is on a section of one-way narrow country road, don’t go along this the wrong way. If you have a satnav then the following coordinates will lead you to the correct entrance to the one-way road N51.764848, W0.344282

Parking is on the right just before you reach the Sports Centre. Please observe the parking signs/ notices.