UNIVERSITY OF THE WITWATERSRAND, JOHANNESBURG

Wits Aikido Club

Practice: Tuesdays and Thursdays (18h00 – 20h00)
Venue:  Judo Training Dojo - (West Campus - Sturrock Park)
Contacts: Khalid Ebrahim - 083 357 3374 or Umesh Bodalina on (011) 717-9967 or u.bodalina@gmail.com
Sports Officer: Quintin van Rooyen - 011 717 9417 or Quintin.vanrooyen@wits.ac.za

The Wits Aikido Club is a vibrant club with membership growing each year. The Club tries to make new members feel
welcome through personalised training and good relationships between students.

Training takes place on Tuesday and Thursday from 18h00 to 20h00 at the Judo training Dojo on West Campus
(Sturrock Park). The Wits Aikido Club also organises social events and Saturday training sessions.

All members are welcome to attend the Summer and Winter camps, at which instructors from around the world
share their expertise and grade students. Grades obtained by AFSA (Aikido Federation South Africa) are recognised by the International Aikido Federation. 

Aikido is not primarily a system of combat, but rather a means of self-cultivation and improvement, with an emphasis on spiritual harmony. Aikido usually has no tournaments, competitions, contests or “sparring”. Instead, all Aikido techniques are learned cooperatively at a pace commensurate with the abilities of each trainee. According to the founder, Aikido is not about defeating others, but about defeating the negativity which inhibit one's own mind and functioning.

At the same time, the potential of Aikido as a means of self-defence should not be ignored. As a system, Aikido never resists or clashes but brings the opponent under one's complete control by blending with the oncoming force. Aikido emphasises locks, throws and balance breaking, as opposed to power punching and kicking. It teaches an acceptance of the attack through the study of relaxation, break-falling and rolling.

One reason for the prohibition of competitions in Aikido is their potential to cause serious injury. By training cooperatively, even potentially lethal techniques can be practised without substantial risk. It must be emphasised that, as with everything, attaining proficiency in Aikido is predominantly a matter of sustained and dedicated training.

Also check on the Wits Aikido website at http://neo.phys.wits.ac.za/aikido and the Aikido Federation of South Africa site at http://www.aikido.org.za