The heart of St Albans, Bushido Hombu - Wheatfields Junior School offers a comprehensive martial arts and physical fitness programme. Whether you are looking for fitness, stress release, confidence building, or to build a new friendship group, Bushido Hombu provides a variety of sessions and a friendly club atmosphere to help you achieve your goals.
The school offers traditional karate training based on 40 years of experience at the highest levels. The approach in the dojo aligns with modern goals and requirements. The instructors also offer kickboxing and fitness sessions, incorporating yogic methods, circuit training, and kickboxing style padwork and sparring to help participants improve their fitness levels.
For those looking for self-defence training, Krav Maga sessions are available. The no-nonsense approach to self-protection aims to make participants as confident and safe as possible.
Bushido Hombu offers different sessions tailored to different age groups and goals. For children ages 5 to 13, basic instruction and repetition of kata, kihon, and kumite are combined with team-building games to make the learning process fun. Participants ages 8 and above (under 11s train with an adult family member) focus on repetition to build capability in core karate and engage in additional fitness drills. Adults and advanced kyu grades benefit from in-depth karate training, with technical investigation and exploration of advanced concepts.
Sparring, self-defence, spadework drills, and bootcamp-style fitness exercises are available to adults, advanced kyu grades, and participants over 12 years old.
Before joining Bushido Hombu, attendance at a trial session is required. This allows potential members to experience the training atmosphere and receive basic guidance without commitment. There is no pressure to join, and trial sessions can be taken until the participant feels comfortable. Once ready to join, a simple confirmation form and setting up of a direct debit are all that is needed.
Bushido Hombu offers several pricing plans to choose from, all of which grant unlimited access to training in any sessions (subject to age and fitness criteria). While Bushido Hombu does not aim to be the cheapest option, they strive to provide the best value.
All sessions take place at Wheatfields Junior School's gymnasium, which features changing rooms, a waiting area, outside space for training in good weather, and a sprung sports floor ideal for barefoot training. Access to the gym is through the playground gate near Runcie Close, with the door to the right of the gym (lower playground) opening 10 minutes before each session. Parking is not available at the venue, so participants are advised to use Runcie Close or the Ridgeway.
At Bushido Hombu, the instructors share their martial arts training to help people achieve personal goals such as increased fitness, improved confidence, greater levels of concentration, improved discipline, increased personal safety, or simply for the love of the art. The school is not affiliated with any other organisation and does not follow a mainstream style (ryu). The senior instructors have received a majority of their training in Shotokan and Krav Maga but have incorporated training methods, concepts, and kata from other styles to constantly evolve their understanding of karate. This commitment to continuous learning ensures that the essence of the art is not lost.
For those seeking to become the best version of themselves through martial arts and physical fitness, Bushido Hombu - Wheatfields Junior School in St Albans provides a welcoming and supportive environment where individuals can achieve their personal goals and embrace the benefits of martial arts training.
