Welcome to Merville Ju-Jitsu Club

About the Club

The club is scheduled to run on Thursday evenings.

The Junior session lasts one hour from 6.45 – 7.45 pm , and is aimed at the 7 – 15 yr age group. Experience has shown that it's very unlikely any child younger than seven will have the gross motor skills and concentration necessary to train safely in the type of activities we intend to practice.

An adult session runs from 8 – 9.30 pm ,and caters for the 16+ age group.

Activities covered

The martial art of Ju-Jitsu traces it's roots back over 2000 years to it's origins in China & Japan . Throughout it's long history, it has constantly evolved and adapted to cope with the changing developments in society.

In the world of the martial arts, there are several paths to success. Rather than trying to take each person and mold them into the mirror image of some “ancient master”, we teach the fundamentals that every functional martial artist must know and then let the individual develop their own “style” based upon their body's attributes and their personal tastes.

This is exactly the same philosophy we use at each Kaizen Club ( www.kaizenjujitsu.org ) .

How is this done?

The model we use is called Play as the Way™ and not only is it the best way for a student to develop actual self-defense skills, it is infinitely more fun than the traditional static training methods used in most martial arts schools.

We are very fortunate to have links with many of the World's Leading Coaches / Competitors who nearly always now include Northern Ireland in their European tour arrangements. Using these international influences and a large local talent pool of black belts , anyone training at the club will be exposed to the most progressive training methods available.

Because of our busy lifestyles, and since class time is limited , we are very careful about what activities we choose to practice and encourage. Everyone is taught basic drills . Student's develop confidence and real self-defense skills that they put into practice, against resistance, in a safe, supervised, training environment -- every training session. And they have fun doing it !

Anyone exhibiting particular natural talents like flexibility, balance or speed is then identified and their special talents are incorporated into training to improve and complement their basic skills. This includes skills in striking, throwing, and wrestling, which forms an excellent foundation in self-defense skills & fitness, as well as sport, if they choose to compete.

We run regular competitions within the Association for all who wish to compete. These events are professionally organized and referreed .They are optional – not everyone chooses to compete to test their skills and we understand and respect each individual's decision. (Purely by coincidence , the Ju-Jitsu World Championships will be held in June 2007 in Belfast , with more than 45 countries already confirmed as attending the event ).

Ju-jitsu is a contact sport . The Club Coach(es) will do everything possible to minimize the risk of injury but it is a requirement for all members to obtain Insurance cover through the club as a precautionary measure. In addition , every club member receives a personal licence to record all their belt and / or competition achievements.

There is a nominal fee for membership of the club and larger Kaizen Ju-Jitsu Association , which entitles members to use all the facilities and support services of the group.

Measures of Progress

There are different belt colours in Ju-Jitsu , each used to signify a particular level of knowledge & skill acquisition . All club members will be taught using a set syllabus structure , to ensure that the vital skills required at each stage are covered .

There are regular gradings (practical tests) planned to allow an opportunity to advance to the next stage of development. All gradings are performance based – they are not simply certificates of attendance .

Any club member must be able to demonstrate to an independent examiner that they can perform the movements competently, to be successful . Think of a grading as equivalent to the driving test ….. you must be proficient in ALL areas to be successful . Any weaknesses will be identified at the grading and these can then be worked on .It would be reckless to allow any student to progress until they have sufficient skills to cope within their new belt group.

Experience shows that the most effective way to ensure success at gradings is simply to train regularily. The routine of weekly attendance reinforces learning and develops the student's skills in a gradual , progressive manner.

What you need to get started

Basically, just come along in loose fitting clothes – preferably a Black ‘T' shirt and track bottoms or long length shorts .

After a few weeks, you'll probably find it more useful to buy a kimono (Gi) as these are more comfortable to wear for physical training.

All children should arrive fully prepared, changed & ready for training , as no changing facilities are available in the Community Centre.

The hardest part of starting training is making the initial commitment – once done , it gets considerably easier. Why not come along & give it a go ? We look forward to seeing you .

We gratefully acknowledge the support of Newtownabbey Borough Council's Sport's Development Grant & The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation , without which our Club would never have been able to purchase the Safety Matting & Equipment , so vital to our continued existence.