Throughout our enforced time away from the dojo during this COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve always had an eye on how and when we’ll be able to get back to in-person training, and what we’ll need to do in preparation. Here’s what we’ve been doing on our #WayBackToTheDojo.
Online sessions…
Our ongoing online training sessions have been a great way to keep in touch, stay sharp and maintain some fitness, three times a week, for the last twelve weeks. We’ve even been able to complete a successful junior grading through the same platform, and it has allowed some our senior grades to stay on top of their work for future examinations. These online sessions will continue for a while yet, but now in combination with some in-person training options too.
Outdoor training…
The latest updates from Welsh Government and Public Health Wales mean that we can start holding in-person, socially-distanced training sessions outdoors. These will start with only a limited number of participants, by invitation only, so that we can test the feasibility of an outdoor dojo in these circumstances, while also trying out some suitable training exercise. Once we’re happy with their feasibility, we hope to open up these outdoor training sessions to all of our members, as soon as possible.
Safety first…
During the last few weeks, our instructors have also been getting themselves ready for the next phase of our #WayBackToTheDojo by completing courses on the best practices for COVID-safe training.
This includes:
- only allowing students to train if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms
- maintaining social-distancing at all times
- contact-free, distanced training and instruction
- no sharing of any equipment
- avoiding the use of cash wherever possible
- encouraging good hand hygiene
Alternative dojos…
Some of our dojos have been converted into field hospitals or are currently being used for other healthcare needs. We are therefore in contact with a number of alternative venues that may be possible for us to use temporarily, when indoor training is safe to resume.