Start Aikido at Tsuru Dojo

Ai­ki­do Tsu­ru Dojo is an ai­ki­do club in Mau­nu­la, Hel­sin­ki. We welco­me be­gin­ners with no pre­vious mar­tial arts ex­pe­rience. You can try two clas­ses free of char­ge be­fo­re deci­ding whet­her to con­ti­nue, and you do not need to re­gis­ter in ad­vance.

Our mem­bers ran­ge from young adults to people over 60. You do not need to be es­pecial­ly fit to start: you learn gra­dual­ly, with gui­dance sui­ted to your ex­pe­rience and abi­li­ties.

Vi­si­tors from ot­her ai­ki­do clubs are also welco­me to join our trai­ning ses­sions.

What is training like?

Ai­ki­do is a Ja­pa­ne­se mar­tial art that uses mo­ve­ment, ti­ming and ba­lance. We prac­ti­se th­rows and joint-cont­rol tech­niques with a part­ner, wor­king to­get­her to learn rat­her than com­pe­ting. The­re are no matc­hes or com­pe­ti­tions.

As a be­gin­ner, you learn ba­sic mo­ve­ments, how to fall sa­fe­ly and how to prac­ti­se with a part­ner. In­struc­tors gui­de you th­rough the exerci­ses, and tech­niques are adap­ted to your le­vel. We aim for a friend­ly, encou­ra­ging at­mosp­he­re whe­re you can ask ques­tions and progress at your own pace.

We prac­ti­se Ai­ki­kai ai­ki­do and be­long to the Fin­nish Ai­ki­do Fe­de­ra­tion. Our chief in­struc­tor is Tee­mu Kur­ki (5th dan, Shi­doin), and Mar­ko Nord­berg (2nd dan, Fu­kus­hi­doin) also teac­hes re­gu­lar­ly. Both have deca­des of ai­ki­do ex­pe­rience. As you progress, trai­ning also inclu­des woo­den wea­pons: the sword (bok­ken), staff (jo) and kni­fe (tan­to).

When and where we train

Weekly sche­du­le for au­tumn 2026 and spring 2027:

DayTimeFocus
Tues­day19:00–20:30Be­gin­ner cour­se, ba­sic tech­niques and pre­pa­ra­tion for belt tests
Thurs­day19:00–20:30Ge­ne­ral prac­tice, inclu­ding wea­pons tech­niques
Sa­tur­day13:00–14:30Ge­ne­ral prac­tice and in­di­vi­dual gui­dance, with par­ticu­lar at­ten­tion to ju­niors

Be­gin­ners can at­tend all th­ree weekly clas­ses. Children aged 9–13 can train free of char­ge to­get­her with a pa­rent or guar­dian, as part of the re­gu­lar group.

We train on the ta­ta­mi at Mau­nu­la Sports Hall, Mau­nu­lan­mä­ki 5a, Hel­sin­ki. The hall is un­derground; look for the lift buil­ding at street le­vel.

See the journey planner for di­rec­tions and the training schedule for ho­li­day cancel­la­tions and ot­her excep­tions. The sche­du­le page is in Fin­nish.

How to get started

The au­tumn be­gin­ner cour­se starts on Tues­day 8 Sep­tem­ber 2026 at 19:00. Be­gin­ner clas­ses are on Tues­days, and you can also join the Thurs­day and Sa­tur­day ses­sions.

If the star­ting date does not suit you, you can start at anot­her time. Come to a class or email us be­fo­re­hand if you would like help choo­sing your first ses­sion. You are also welco­me to watch be­fo­re trying.

The be­gin­ner cour­se costs €110 for th­ree months, with access to all Tsu­ru Dojo clas­ses du­ring that time. Pay­ment is reques­ted af­ter your two free trial clas­ses. See membership and fees (in Fin­nish) for furt­her de­tails, inclu­ding licence and in­su­rance ar­ran­ge­ments, or ask us when you vi­sit.

Your first class

  • Wear a T-shirt and sweat­pants or ot­her com­for­table exerci­se clot­hes. You do not need an ai­ki­do uni­form to start.
  • We prac­ti­se ba­re­foot on the mat. Bring san­dals or in­door shoes for wal­king between the chan­ging room and the trai­ning area.
  • Bring a bag for your be­lon­gings and re­mo­ve jewel­le­ry be­fo­re prac­tice.
  • Ar­ri­ve about 10–15 mi­nu­tes ear­ly so you have time to chan­ge and meet the in­struc­tor.

Get in touch

Email [email protected] if you have ques­tions or would like to tell us you are co­ming. You can also use our contact form (in Fin­nish).

You are welco­me to come straight to prac­tice wit­hout re­gis­te­ring. We look forward to mee­ting you on the mat!