We are happy to announce new judo and karate classes for children in Geneva starting with the rentrée in September 2023.
Classes will be held in English, with an English native speaker – Fergus Dullaghan. Fergus, who is also a parent of two young girls, was a full-time, elite-level athlete in the sport of judo for many years and represented both Wales and Ireland at an international level. He also holds a karate black belt.
Limited spaces available!
In order to ensure the highest standard of tuition, we are limiting numbers to ten children per class.
What is judo?
Judo is an Olympic sport and traditional martial art from Japan. It was designed specifically as a way to teach children physical education and moral values, by Jigoro Kano, who was himself a primary school teacher. It is a sound basis for self-defence.
What is Karate?
We practice Wado Ryu Karate, which comes from Japan. Wado ryu is softer and more fluid than Shotokan, which is the most practiced style around Geneva. This is because it has its basis in Japanese Ju Jitsu as well as karate.
Karate was an Olympic demonstration sport in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. It encourages respect, discipline and self-control and is a solid foundation for self-defence as the children get older.
Here is a good and very balanced blog piece on the benefits of karate for children.
Here is a video from Japan of children enjoying their karate: