Combat sports for 7th-9th graders

Come and improve your agility and balance while enjoying combat sports safely! In this group young people will get to learn about the basics of combat sports in a safe and encouraging atmosphere. The classes will include balance exercises, evasive movements, falling exercises, body control tasks and safe pair exercises. The exercises will introduce participants to the basic ideas of such sports as judo, wrestling, karate, taekwondo or other martial arts. The group is suitable for everyone, and no previous experience is needed. The key is learning how to move, respect your training partner and channel your energy in a positive way. You will need exercise clothes, shoes suitable for indoor sports or bare feet as instructed by the group leader and a water bottle.

Registration for hobby groups will open on Thursday 27 August. Hobby groups will start their activities on week number 37, which starts on Monday 7 September 2026. The hobby groups will meet weekly throughout the school year unless otherwise stated. The hobby groups do not meet during school holidays. The hobbies are free of charge for the participants. The City of Espoo has insured the hobby group participants.

Each hobby group organiser will contact the guardians about the practical arrangements for the hobby. Please contact the hobby organiser if you want to cancel your child’s participation or if you have questions about the hobby. It is possible to try out the hobby groups before signing up.  

Everyone is welcome to hobby groups regardless of their language skills, functional capacity or past hobbies. We want to support the child’s participation in the best possible way. When registering, please let us know about the child’s support needs or other things that we need to take into account. This allows the hobby organiser to address children’s different needs.

The Espoo Hobby Path offers popular, free-of-charge hobbies for children in grades 3–9, arranged after school days at school premises, near the school or via remote connection. The Espoo Hobby Path is a way of implementing the Finnish model for leisure activities in Espoo. The principles of a safer space are applied in the hobby groups.