FAQ

Choose your Beginners Course online, complete the booking form, and secure your place. Spaces are limited and courses often fill quickly, so we recommend booking early. If the course is full, you can join our waiting list by emailing us directly and we’ll be in touch as soon as a space becomes available. Full details will be sent to you by email once you’re registered.

A t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms will suffice for the beginners course. Please make sure they have no buttons or zips on them though as these may cause injury to others. No socks needed as everyone has bare feet on the judo mat. At most times we will be able to lend a judo jacket and belt to use (subject to availability).

If you can arrive and be ready to go onto the mat at least 5 minutes before the start of the lesson that would be good.

For children we recommend arriving dressed in your judogi ready to partake in the lesson. For seniors although no specific changing rooms in the dojo, students can access the sports hall changing rooms (short walk away) to get changed if desired.

Yes, instructors are First Aid Qualified.

Parents are welcome to stay and watch however there are some rules as this can be distracting for the children. No coaching from the side. No calling out to your children. No offering drinks unless it's drink time. No loud talking with other parents that becomes distracting. No food or drink anywhere near the mats. Do not walk onto the mats at anytime. Switch off your mobile phones, and do not take calls in the dojo.

There is a car park at the Redhill Dojo that can be used for students partaking in a lesson and for parents dropping off and picking up children.

Boys and girls really enjoy the Randori element of Judo. The instructors control the environment and although it can sound daunting the activity is natural to children and is a great way of expending their extra energy!

We have invested heavily in our mats to be safe and fun to use. With a complete PVC Tatami mat area (40mm deep), connected together without any gaps and a mat surface area of 67.5 sq.m. we feel that our mats are perfect both for children but also adults.

Judo suits range from entry level club judogis to IJF approved judogi used in Olympic and World Championships. We provide entry level club judogis in our academy which are suitable and relevant to the level of judo that your child will start at.

After training for a month your child will be given the Kensho Judo badge which should be sewn or glued onto their judogi (middle of the upper right arm) and worn at all times.

Yes we do. For the children we start them off (when they area ready) with intra club friendly competitions with other clubs that are known to Sensei Mike. This allows them to get a feel for what competions are like and what is involved. It also allows them (and their parents) the opportunity to see how they have improved with their Judo skills. When ready, children will be able to enter into BJA (British Judo Association) organised competitons, representing Kensho Judo Academy at various locations in the UK. These can be great fun when the Kensho Squad team travels to a competition and cheer each other on whilst fighting. We try and attend competitions that are local and not too far away! Every club wishes for at least two champions per age range to be discovered that make it as far as representing their country. Kensho Academy will support and guide them through the BJA performance pathway in order to make this possible. https://static.wixstatic.com/media/undefined

As a way of measuring progress, grades are an important part of Judo for students. The teaching staff at Kensho Academy will prepare the children (and adults) from a technical point of view to ensure they know and understand the judo they are demonstrating. At Kensho Academy we offer the opportunity to grade every month but there has to be time in-between grades as follows: Sho Grade (Age 5-7) – allowed every three months. Mon (Age 8-17) – once a month up to 6th Mon (Yellow 3 stripes), then every three months. Kyu (Seniors) – every three months.