Tsuru Dojo in Brief

An English Summary of Tsuru Dojo

Ai­ki­do Tsu­ru Dojo ry is an ai­ki­do club in Hel­sin­ki, Fin­land. We train at Mau­nu­la Sports Hall on Tues­day and Thurs­day eve­nings.

You can start wit­hout ear­lier mar­tial arts ex­pe­rience, and you do not need special fit­ness be­fo­re your first class. New people can join the be­gin­ner trai­ning on Thurs­days, and you can also take part in the ge­ne­ral trai­ning on Tues­days. If you al­rea­dy train ai­ki­do, you are welco­me to vi­sit.

Trai­ning is gui­ded and safe. We prac­tice in pairs, wit­hout spar­ring or com­pe­ti­tion. Be­gin­ners and more ex­pe­rienced stu­dents train in the same club, and in­struc­tion is ad­jus­ted to your le­vel. The at­mosp­he­re is re­laxed, but trai­ning is ta­ken se­rious­ly.

Tsu­ru Dojo prac­tices Ai­ki­kai ai­ki­do. We train both body tech­niques and wea­pons work with bok­ken, jo and tan­to. Tues­day trai­ning inclu­des a broad ran­ge of ai­ki­do, inclu­ding wea­pons. Thurs­day trai­ning focuses more on be­gin­ner ma­te­rial, ba­sic tech­niques and belt-test pre­pa­ra­tion. The­re are also occa­sio­nal ext­ra wea­pons ses­sions, sum­mer out­door trai­ning, se­mi­nars and vi­sits.

If you join trai­ning, bring in­door exerci­se clot­hes, san­dals and a bag for your gear. You can start wit­hout a gi. Plea­se ar­ri­ve 10 to 15 mi­nu­tes ear­ly. Jewel­ry should be left off for sa­fe­ty. Glas­ses can usual­ly be used.

Our in­struc­tors have long ex­pe­rience in ai­ki­do. The chief in­struc­tor is Tee­mu Kur­ki (5th dan, Shi­doin). Mar­ko Nord­berg (2nd dan, Fu­kus­hi­doin) also teac­hes re­gu­lar­ly. Trai­ning inclu­des per­so­nal gui­dance, ca­re­ful ba­sics and room to keep de­ve­lo­ping over the long term.

Adults of dif­fe­rent ages train to­get­her, from youn­ger adults to people over 60. Children aged 9 to 13 can join free of char­ge when trai­ning to­get­her with a pa­rent or guar­dian. Vi­si­tors from ot­her clubs are welco­me, and we also train with vi­si­ting teac­hers.

Tsu­ru Dojo is a good fit if you want re­gu­lar, prac­tical ai­ki­do trai­ning in Hel­sin­ki, with a friend­ly group, ex­pe­rienced teac­hers and a broad ap­proach that inclu­des both fun­da­men­tals and wea­pons prac­tice.