Chesham Town
Jitsu Club
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Chesham Town |
Welcome to the Chesham Jitsu Club
website. As the clubs Sensei (Instructor) I’d like to
introduce you to Jitsu and let you know what I feel it can do for you.
What we term Jitsu is actually the form of Ju Jitsu taught by The Jitsu Foundation (TJF) of which the Chesham club is one of around 110 clubs in the UK. Ju Jitsu translates approximately as gentle/supple/compliant art/technique and is most often sited as a reference to it being a defensive martial art and to it’s use of an attackers momentum and aggression to do most of the hard work in defeating them. In our style the Ju was dropped to differentiate our form of Ju Jitsu, which has undergone some development and adaptation, from the pure classical Ju Jitsu taught by many other styles.
Jitsu comprises locking (restraint techniques to immobilise an opponent), striking (attacking specific weak points to cause distraction or incapacitation) and throwing (as in Judo which is the sport derived from the martial art of Ju Jitsu). Training in Jitsu generally occurs in pairs or groups practicing a technique previously demonstrated by the Sensei with one partner taking the role of Uki (the assailant) and the other the role of Tori (the person practicing the technique). The roles are then reversed.
Jitsu is a great way to improve fitness, posture & confidence and in addition to learning how to deal with a variety of threatening situations it also develops awareness enabling you to avoid those situations in the first place. Jitsu is also a very social martial art with regular chances to mix with other clubs both at Thames Valley regional and nation events. Each November and March around 1000 Adult Jitsuka (practitioners of Jitsu) take part in our national training/competition weekends, usually held in either Birmingham or Sheffield, which provides a great chance to train and socialise with old friends and new faces from all over the country.
For juniors there are similar events usually held in October and February at the Lilleshall National Sports Centre near Telford attended by around 150 junior jitsuka representing all the junior clubs in the country.
Regionally we get train together about four times a year in the form of regional courses taught either by regional instructors or by visiting instructors from other regions. Gradings (by which a jitsuka prgresses through the levels of ability) also occur on a regional basis.Because Jitsu is learnt by
practicing one-on-one against a range of assailants and as it is
essential non-aggressive it makes a highly practical form of
self-defence irrespective of the defenders physique or gender with a
range of responses tailored to the severity of the threat faced.
Junior training follows that
of the adults but reflects the physiological and behavioural
differences between adults and juniors which precludes some techniques
and requires others to be approached differently. Despite the
differences the mental and physical discipline still involved in the
study of Jitsu and the one-on-one training help not only improving
confidence, posture and fitness but also aids in the development of
respect, personal responsibility and social interaction.
Simply turn up to a session and introduce yourself. You will
need to wear clothing that will not restrict your movements so
something like a tracksuit or just loose trousers and a t-shirt would
be fine. Begineers are always welcome at any session.
All TJF club instructors teach on a voluntary basis and the club is operated by the committee as a Community Amateur Sports Club (we are currently in the process of apply for formal acceptance of our CASC status from the Inland Revenue), a form of non-profit organisation specifically tailored to the provision of coaching and sports training facilities, so while there is a charge for lessons (£5.00 for adults, £3.00 for juniors) this is used to pay for the hire of facilities and insurance for the Dojo (training hall) without which we would not be allowed to hold the sessions. Any surplus funds are used to subsidise the clubs trips to regional and national events. In addition to the session fees there is an annual fee of £20.00 for adults or £12.00 for juniors to cover the individual insurance without you would not be able to attend the lessons (Luckily there is a short grace period so you can try it out before you need to pay this licence fee).
I hope this has helped answer some of your initial questions and I look forward to seeing you at one of our sessions. I have any further queries feel free to email me at sensei@cheshamjitsu.org