Barnet Jujitsu Club Visit

Sensei Rob Robotham - Oct 2018

On Monday, 29th October 2018, we were very pleased to welcome Sensei Robert Robotham, of Barnet Ju-Jitsu, along with his students, to a shared training session at Seishin Ju-Jitsu.

The evening was well attended by members of both clubs, creating a lively, friendly and enthusiastic atmosphere on the mat.

Students of all levels took part, from absolute beginners still finding their feet to more experienced martial artists with many years of training behind them. It was a great opportunity for everyone to learn together, exchange ideas and enjoy a different perspective on the art of Ju-Jitsu.

One of the great benefits of shared training sessions is that they allow students to see how different instructors and clubs approach similar principles.

Although Ju-Jitsu techniques may share common roots, every instructor brings their own experience, interpretation and teaching style. This makes events like this especially valuable, as students can broaden their understanding while still working in a relaxed and supportive environment.

Throughout the session, time seemed to fly by as we worked through a varied range of practical techniques. Training included wrist escapes, knife defences, throws, locks and counters. These are all important areas of traditional Ju-Jitsu training, helping students to develop confidence, timing, awareness and control.

The wrist escapes gave beginners a useful introduction to movement and leverage, while also allowing more advanced students to refine their timing and body positioning. The knife defence work added a more serious self-defence element to the evening, encouraging students to think about distance, angles, awareness and decisive movement.

Throws, locks and counters provided plenty of opportunities for students from both clubs to work together and test their technique in a friendly but focused way. Training with people outside your regular class is always useful, as it helps students adapt to different partners, different reactions and different body types.

At the other end of the mat, the brown belts were given the opportunity to demonstrate their black belt techniques to Renshi John Michell. This gave them the chance to receive helpful, impartial advice in preparation for their upcoming grading. Having another experienced instructor observe and offer feedback can make a real difference, especially when students are working towards such an important milestone in their martial arts journey.

The whole evening was a fine example of the spirit of Ju-Jitsu: learning, sharing, mutual respect and friendship. Everyone trained hard, supported one another and enjoyed the chance to spend time with fellow martial artists.

After training, the evening finished in the best possible way with a few well-deserved drinks at the local pub, where everyone had the chance to relax, chat and reflect on a very enjoyable session. There was also the promise of another get-together in the future, which we very much look forward to.

Our thanks go to Sensei Robert Robotham and all the students from Barnet Ju-Jitsu for joining us, and to everyone from Seishin Ju-Jitsu who helped make the evening such a success.

With thanks to Gabi for taking the photos.