St Albans Judo Club has been providing 75 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 18th 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 2025 or 2026, minimum age 3years & 6months (Pre-registration for Sept 2025 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

NEW FROM SEPTEMBER 2025

Monday Night – Kata Sessions

Monthly at 6:45pm-7:45pm or 6:45pm-8:30pm
Upcoming Dates – 29 September / 27 October / 24 November

These will take place on the last Monday of the month, in the same time slot as the Fighting Fit classes, with the same minimum attendance requirements.

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 5th Year For more information on this scheme: www.safeguardingcode.com/parents

SAJC Hosts GB Olympian Nekoda Davis
Session video available

St. Albans Judo Club5 days ago

⭐Well Done⭐ to everyone today at the Shizentai Rumble!
Brilliant efforts, and great judo from everyone 👏👍

Huge shout out to Stefan C for the hardest won Bronze I've ever seen! Needing to fight through your pool multiple times & still giving it your all at the end is a fantastic show of spirit!

Also, congratulations to the Seniors who've graduated our Adult Beginners course and set off on their competitive paths! Some great potential on display.
(Some people sidestepped the camera, but here's a few 😄)

Final results were:
Gold 🥇- Aillie K, Meadow L, Nok L, Etienne A, Henry F (Hatfield), Alex M, Arash Z
Silver🥈 - Lily S, Emily B, Isla G, Spencer J, Alexander I, Antoine A, Dillan B
Bronze 🥉- Marni C, Lindsay L, Theo S, Ayyub A, Tim B, William S, Jonathan B, Jaidan C, Stefan C, Archie F, Alexander G, Jacob J, Aissa M, Adam M, James S, Patrick S (Shizentai), Andrew F, Kyriacos K, Oli S
Certificate 🏅- Anthea J, Younes A, Nye H, Ted R

Huge thanks to Martin & Bill for supporting as coaches, and well done to Samuel who worked the Table all day.

Well done to our friends at Shizentai Judo Club for another fabulous event! Always a favourite on our annual calendar. You guys smashed it again! 👏

@shizentaijudo

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St. Albans Judo Club5 days ago

🍀 Best of luck 🍀 to everyone taking part in the Shizentai Rumble today!
Fight hard, but most of all have fun 👍

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St. Albans Judo Club2 weeks ago

Absolutely **fantastic** day away from the Dojo today! 🥳

All term our students have been working their way through a "Moral Code Challenge" and today 68 of them, from age 5 through 16, took part in their reward event. Outdoor LaserTag & the Assault Course - all completed with smiles, laughs and some excellent teamwork.

Really well done to all of you!

Thanks to @theedgeoutdooractivities for looking after us so well, and to @kokakidsjudobooks for the resources used in the Challenge.

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St. Albans Judo Club4 weeks ago

Yesterday we held our Summer Grading, always one of the busiest days of the year. This one was no different, over the course of 3 Sessions, (5&1/2 hrs) we assessed 102 students, starting with the Adults & Teens, and working our way down to the smallest ones.
There was some fantastic judo on display, with great progress being made across the board. There's far too many grades to list everyone by name, but we did have the following stand out achievements:
Sr 2nd Kyu - Martin Steels & Ross Gillam
Sr 3rd Kyu - Gyula Lestyan
Jr 3rd Kyu - Arthur Lewis, Ernest Jardzioch, Jake Kehr, Lindsay Lam, Muhammad Bateev
And reaching the top of the Tigers (up to Y6) by reaching Jr 4th Kyu - Younes Azout

We also awarded the following Awards to our young Class Helpers who are working their way though our Junior Coaching pathway,
Bronze - Thomas Baskerville, Jake Kehr, Muhammad Bateev
Silver - Jacob Jarra
Gold - Arthur Lewis

As always ⭐huge thanks⭐ to the team of Volunteers who make such a mammoth task possible.
Off mat, we had:
Elinore & Nikki working the admin desk and keeping all the paperwork in order & the coaches in check😉
Liz, Dionne & Jess doing checkin & kitchen, with refreshments for parents, & most importantly ensuring drinks were flowing for the team. 👍
Bob G who took the photos 😁
On mat, over the sessions we had the following Coaches, Assistants & Young Helpers:
Kim, John, Martin, Chloe, Steve B, Steve J, Adam, Marcin, Samuel, Freya, Bill, Stratty, Martin S, Richard, Stefan, Jake, Jacob. oh and me 😁

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St. Albans Judo Club1 month ago

🌟On Saturday 19th July🌟, we will be holding our annual Summer Party. As in recent years we will be behind Batchwood Hall. BBQ, side dishes & cake, soft drinks, Inflatable obstacle run, rodeo bull, sumo suits, hoopla & giant games, and a bouncy castle for the small ones... And the ice cream van will be back.

This year we're celebrating 75 Years! 🎉

If you've ever been a member or are a parent of a past member, and you like to join us in celebration, please get in touch so we can add you to the catering list.

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St. Albans Judo Club2 months ago

Good luck to all our judoka competing at the BJC Open National Championships in Kettering today! 👍🏻

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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 2025 start.
Wednesdays – 5-5:45pm
*For those who will start Reception in Sept ’25 or Sept ’26

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 – WAITING LIST IN OPERATION
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 18th SEPTEMBER
Thursday 8-9:30pm – Fixed course dates from September to December 2025

Monday Night – Fighting Fitness Sessions

Fortnightly at 6:45pm-7:45pm or 6:45pm-8:30pm
Upcoming Dates – 21st July / 4th August – Then Paused for the Summer
8th & 22nd September / 6th & 20th October / 3rd, 10th* & 17th November / 1st & 15th December
(* Extra session before BJC Nationals)

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 (minimum grade BJC 6^th Kyu San / BJA 3^rd Mon, or by invitation)

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

Wolves (14+, 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.

NEW FROM SEPTEMBER 2025

Monday Night – Kata Sessions

Monthly at 6:45pm-7:45pm or 6:45pm-8:30pm
Upcoming Dates – 29 September / 27 October / 24 November

Section A: 6:45pm-7:45pm / Section B: 6:45pm-8:15pm

Same minimum attendance requirements as for Fighting Fit

If you are interested in the Kata Sessions, 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 our Pre-Judo class, (Pre-school from age 3&1/2 & Reception) the rate is £12 per month.

Juniors (ages 5-18, School Years 1 – 13) we have two pricing options.
GINMedaru (Silver) gives one session per week and is £15 per month
KINMedaru (Gold) allows attendance at all sessions for the age group each week and is £25 per month

Seniors (Over 19s) are £25 per month, which allows access to all available adult classes.

When on the GINmedaru plan, 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.