Welfare Officer
Our club Welfare Officer is Kemal Shaheen. If you have any concerns about any aspect of our club or our classes please feel free to contact Kemal at: welfareofficer@aikidooxford.co.uk.
Rules of conduct during practice
Aikido training involves the use of throws and locks which, unless done in a safe and controlled manner, can cause injury. All students undertaking Aikido training with the Koushinkan Aikido Oxford club must at all times adhere strictly to the directions of the instructor, whose responsibility it is to ensure safe practice.
All students training with the Koushinkan Aikido Oxford club have a duty to protect the safety and well-being of those they train with. They should therefore:
- never perform a technique in a dangerous or reckless manner;
- never perform a technique or control other than that being taught by the instructor;
- must respect the grade of the student that they are training with and must perform the technique according to that level;
- must never gratuitously inflict pain on another student or abuse others physically;
- never consume alcohol or take recreational drugs before or during class.
The basic ethos of Aikido is to seek to resolve conflict without the use of physical violence, it therefore requires all practitioners to accord to each other respect and consideration at all times. Inappropriate or abusive language, or discriminatory behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated.
Koushinkan Aikido reserves the right to exclude a child or adult from classes on the basis of disruptive, unruly, inappropriate or aggressive behaviour.
Dojo conduct and etiquette
Proper attitude and behaviour are a essential parts of Aikido training. All students should adhere strictly to the following rules:
- Respect the Dojo as a place of practice;
- Bow towards the shomen upon entering and leaving the Dojo;
- Make sure hands and feet are clean and keep finger and toe nails short;
- Keep any areas of skin infection and cuts covered with medical tap or plasters;
- Wash gi regularly;
- Make sure that their body odor isn’t so strong that people faint;
- Remove any jewellery, watches etc during practice;
- Always make the instructor aware if you have to leave the mat at any time during training and must wait for an instructors acknowledgement before returning to the mat;
- Must not take food or drinks onto the matted area;
- Never employ Aikido techniques outside the dojo except in circumstances where it is needed to defend yourself or others.
Code of practice for junior members
Koushinkan Aikido Oxford is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of all its members. The club believes that it is important that members, coaches, administrators and parents associated with the club should, at all times, show respect and understanding for the safety and welfare of others. Therefore, members are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that they may have about any aspect of the club with the Welfare Officer.
As a member of Koushinkan Aikido Oxford, you are expected to abide by the following junior code of practice:
- All students must train within the rules and respect instructors and their decisions.
- All students must respect the rights, dignity and worth of all participants regardless of age, gender, ability, race, cultural background, religious beliefs or sexual identity.
- Students should keep to agreed timings for training or inform their instructor if they are going to be late.
- Students must wear suitable kit – white gi – for training, as agreed with the instructor.
As a member of Koushinkan Aikido Oxford, you are expected to abide by the following junior code of practice:
You should:
- be supportive and kind to others
- be friendly
- listen to others
- be helpful
- have good manners
- treat everyone with respect
- take responsibility for your own behaviour
- talk to the instructor about anything that worries or concerns you
- follow this code of behaviour and other rules (including the law)
- join in and have fun!
You shouldn’t:
- be disrespectful to anyone else
- bully other people (online or offline)
- behave in a way that could be intimidating
- be abusive towards anyone.
Code of practice for parents/carers
As a member of Koushinkan Aikido Oxford, you are expected to abide by the following Parents & Carers code of practice:
- Encourage your child to learn the rules and train within them.
- Discourage unfair play and arguing with instructors or other children.
- Make sure that your child wears the appropriate training kit.
- Never force your child to take part in an activity.
- Set a good example by recognising fair play and applauding good performances of all.
- Never punish or belittle a child for losing or making mistakes.
- Support your child’s involvement and help them to enjoy their training.
- Encourage and guide you child to accept responsibility for their own training and behaviour.
- Collect your child on time – if you are going to be unavoidably late then please contact the instructor to let them know.
- Discuss any worries, concerns or complaints with your child’s instructor, as appropriate.
- Refrain from shouting at, or physically punishing your child(ren) or any other children whilst in the training hall.
- Refrain from using inappropriate language or displaying aggressive or intimidating behaviour towards the instructors, children or other parents/carers either in person, on the phone or in writing.
- Please do not take photos or videos of children other than your own, unless agreed by an instructor.
- Refrain from using your mobile phone whilst in the training hall.
Code of Conduct for Instructors & Volunteers
Koushinkan Aikido Oxford is fully committed to safeguarding and promoting the well-being of all its members. Therefore, members are encouraged to be open at all times and to share any concerns or complaints that they may have about any aspect of the club with the Welfare Officer, Kemal Shaheen (welfareofficer@aikidooxford.co.uk).
As a member of Koushinkan Aikido Oxford, you are expected to abide by the following Instructors & Volunteers code of practice:
As an instructor you are responsible for:
- prioritising the welfare of children and young people
- providing a safe environment for children and young people
- following the clubs principles, policies and procedures
- staying within the law at all times
- modelling good behaviour for children and young people to follow
- challenging all inappropriate behaviour and reporting any breaches of the behaviour code to the Welfare Officer
- reporting all concerns about abusive behaviour, following our safeguarding and child protection procedures
You should:
- listen to and respect children at all times
- value and take children’s contributions seriously, actively involving them in planning activities wherever possible
- respect a young person’s right to personal privacy as far as possible
- treat children and young people fairly and without prejudice or discrimination
- understand that children and young people are individuals with individual needs
- respect differences in gender, sexual orientation, culture, race, ethnicity, disability and religious belief systems, and appreciate that all participants bring something valuable and different to the group/organisation
- challenge discrimination and prejudice
- encourage young people and adults to speak out about attitudes or behaviour that makes them uncomfortable.
- promote relationships that are based on openness, honesty, trust and respect
- avoid showing favouritism
- be patient with others
- exercise caution when you are discussing sensitive issues with children or young people
- ensure your contact with children and young people is appropriate and relevant to the nature of the activity you are involved in
- ensure that whenever possible, there is more than one adult present during activities with children and young people
- only provide personal care in an emergency and make sure there is more than one adult present if possible
When working with children and young people, you must not:
- allow concerns or allegations to go unreported
- take unnecessary risks
- smoke, consume alcohol or use illegal substances
- develop inappropriate relationships with children and young people
- make inappropriate promises to children and young people
- engage in behaviour that is in any way abusive
- let children and young people have your personal contact details (mobile number, email or postal address) or have contact with them via a personal social media account
- act in a way that can be perceived as threatening or intrusive
- patronise or belittle children and young people
- make sarcastic, insensitive, derogatory or sexually suggestive comments or gestures to or in front of children and young people.
Please see our Policy documents page for further information on club policy statements.
FREE trial lesson
Our classes are now running as normal. All mats and equipment are cleaned before and after classes. All instructors are also tested twice a week and have had the Covid vaccine. Please email us for further information.
How do I book?
We always welcome complete beginners as well as students from other styles of Aikido and from other martial arts.
You don’t need to be fit or have previous experience to join our classes.
At the moment we offer free trial lessons at the Thursday and Sunday classes only.
To arrange your FREE introductory lesson with the Koushinkan Aikido Oxford martial arts club contact us on:
Tel: 07594059938
E-mail: info@aikidooxford.co.uk