Ju-Jitsu

Wanted to do this for some time and finally got my finger out!  Having started Karate many many years ago, I was always fascinated with the "other" aspects of martial arts particularly close contact "grappling". 

Why?

I found that the usual karate class teaching was focused very much on a narrow aspect of the martial art.  This always puzzled me as the Kata's i was taught and watched all seemed to have movements and "actions" which we never practiced or were never taught.  This is particularly obvious for hand techniques.  Many kata have techniques for gripping, locking, twisting etc.  Check out the YouTube link of Frank Brennan performing Kata Nijishiho and watch the hand and arm movements and you can imagine the application of the techniques.  They certainly seem like grips, locks, twists etc.

However, they do not seem to be taught very much in the usual Karate session.  So I decide to go find a class where I could become more proficient.  Did the usual searches and it appeared that Ju-Jitsu was the way to go.  But then there was the usual myriad of Ju-Jitsu forms.

I settled for the traditional Japanese Ju-Jitsu and found the British Ju-Jitsu Association and slowly worked my way through their website to find a local class.   The site does look a little dated, perhaps it's just "traditional"  :)   Anyhow, tracked down the class and popped along to try my hand.

I have to admit the husband and wife instructor team was very good. They took time with each new joiner, going through the break-falls to ensure we knew that we will be hitting the mats regularly!  That was straightforward.

Then we moved onto the first few moves of learning how to get out of front attack strangulation!  My karate instinct was to punch even before the hands reached anywhere inside my personal space.  But, I resisted the urge and allowed the slow strangulation and worked my way through the moves..

Other big thing i had to keep a check on (and was told by the instructor) was to ensure I performed the technique slowly.  I kept wanted to do it quickly and get to the lock or part where I made an attack - this bit was more familiar and felt right due to all my years of "block and punch" or even the pre-emptive punch training!

For two hours I thoroughly enjoyed the session, it kept my braining whirring away as i worked out where my feet, body, hips, arms, head etc were supposed to go for each movement.  I feel i am now on the way to becoming a more "rounded" martial artist.  But that will be a few years yet!