The Club
Keisen Judo was founded in 2006 by head coach, Tim Draper. The club has been at the heart of East Grinstead and the surrounding areas for over 15 years providing recreational and performance judo training to the community. The club aims to make judo accessible and available to everyone, providing a friendly training environment and a family atmosphere.
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Previously functioning from the local youth centre, Keisen moved the Ashurst Wood Primary school in 2015.
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A young student of the club, James Draper has now progressed to become one the clubs coaches and runs sessions together with his father, Tim.
Since its opening, the club has seen countless members achieve great things within Judo and is very proud of what its members have gone on to do. This includes the reward of Dan Grades, becoming qualified Judo Coaches, County Champions, National Champions, Masters Champions and players representing the country in international tournaments.
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Keisen is affiliated with the British Judo Association (the national governing body for judo), and provides a safe training environment with fully qualified coaches, first aiders and child welfare officers.
What Is Judo?
Judo is a popular martial art and Olympic and Paralympic sport, originating from Japan in 1882 and practiced by over 40 million people worldwide. Judo is accessible to all ages, genders and abilities. Judo is inclusive, and is enjoyed for fun as well as competition.
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Judo is a full contact sport, practiced in a free-form with partners rather than rigid routines. It Improves coordination, flexibility, balance, strength and leads to improved mental health. Judo is also great cardiovascular exercise, helping to improve stamina and endurance.
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As a martial art, every aspect of Judo is centred around discipline and respect and these are foundations we encourage in all our students.
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Judo as a sport is exciting and dynamic sport where players use movement and balance to gain advantage over each other. It does not involve any form of physical striking and instead includes throwing and grappling techniques, as well as groundwork, hold-downs and, for adults, submissions.
What does Keisen Mean?
The word Keisen translates from Japanese to “ruled line” and more specifically “meridian”. Our club is named Meridian because our original venue in East Grinstead was located precisely on the Greenwich Meridian line. The club badge illustrates a stylised view of the earth with the Greenwich Meridian line running north to south.