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See The Moves
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Total Self Defence Black Belts
Sensei Sally-Anne Smith I first became interested in Martial Arts in 1987 when I left Cheshire to go to University in London. I felt quite vulnerable in the big bad city and took a self defence course through college. I was very impressed with the simplicity and effectiveness of the basic techniques we were taught, I was also inspired by the trainer being a female black belt. Years later I did another self defence course with the Metropolitan Police and this reawakened my interest in taking the skills I had learnt further. I didn’t know which martial art would suit me so I checked out a few by sitting in on classes. One night in 1994 I went along with a friend to watch a Ju-Jitsu class in Muswell Hill. That was it, I was hooked, I liked the fact that all the different levels trained together and how the higher grades were so supportive of the lower belts. Everyone seemed so friendly and I was always treated with the same respect as the boys. I finally achieved my black belt in 2003 ( I took my time about it) but if you train hard and regularly you can achieve your first Dan within 3 to 4 years. From my point of view, I’d like to see more women making it to higher levels in Martial Arts and the number of women in the classes has grown over the years. For women, Ju-Jitsu is an especially useful and practical Martial Art because it teaches you real defences against real attack scenarios. Size and strength do not matter as it works whatever your size, it’s all about technique and using them correctly, a poorly executed technique wouldn’t work whether you are an 8 stone female or a 16 stone man. At ‘Total Self Defence’ Jujitsu, emphasis is very much on teaching workable techniques. Ju-Jitsu is not for the feint hearted, but you are introduced to it slowly and at your own pace, learning basics such as how to break falls and simple blocking techniques, it’s also good fun and can be’ positively’ life changing. 
Muhmet Kosova 1st Dan My name is Muhamet Kosova I have been training in jiu-jitsu with Total Self defence under the instruction of Prof. Stephen McDade (Shihan) since the year 2ooo and I have reached 1st degree black belt. I feel that Ju-Jitsu is not only an art of self-defence but is a very enjoyable training experience altogether. It has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and my capabilities. The training we do helps develop your mind, character, and confidence, and for me personally, has helped me in many ways in many different aspects of life in general. The skills that I have learnt have improved my co-ordination and balance. I have learnt how to defend myself from all situations including ground fighting, stand up defences, close quarter combat and I am now able to progress to Kobudo (weapons training). For me, jiu-jitsu has proved to be the martial art that I have been looking for; having studied various other martial arts previously I found jiu-jitsu to be the most realistic and complete form of self-defence. 
Sensei Clare Pollitt 1st Dan Before I started Jiu-Jitsu, I had practised Judo for some years, being introduced to it at school when I was around 12 years old. Growing up with two older brothers, I had always found it essential to have to defend myself! I first saw Ju-Jitsu in action back in 1989, when I went to see my boyfriend take his purple-belt grading. I was so impressed by the art that I started training at his club the following week. My Judo background helped me take to Jiu-Jitsu straightaway. After a few years of hard work, I was delighted to achieve my black belt, and am proud to be the longest-serving Female instructor at (Meadway Jiu-Jitsu Clubs) now total self defence Ltd. Although a little older and creakier now, I still enjoy training and teaching when I can and my passion for the art is as strong. I feel it is essential to keep the skills I have; you never know when you might need them! Jiu-Jitsu is a superb all-round, practical form of self-defence, especially for a woman. I thoroughly recommend it. You do not have to be particularly fit to do it (although fitness will increase as you progress through the grades), and size does not matter! Women train with men, and this helps develop technique, co-ordination, strength and suppleness, as well as confidence. 
Sensei Ioannis Amaslidis 1st Dan After hearing from friends how fulfilling and enjoyable ju-jitsu is, I decided to join Total Self Defence within a month; I knew ju-jitsu would be a life-long interest for me. I like the techniques I learn, the atmosphere of the dojo, and the honour of being taught by the sensei’s. The sensei’s are very considerate, patient and helpful, especially in the beginning when I had some difficulties in adapting to the ‘world’ of martial arts and some of the techniques I could not get right at first. Now that I have achieved my first degree black belt, I am finding that I am more conditioned to training when being thrown by someone else, more appreciative of the amount of time and effort that is needed to get far in training (especially obtaining the black belt) and generally more and more confident. When I was doing various other sports before ju-jitsu, I was always extremely tired due to lack of stamina and endurance to continue to the very end. In ju-jitsu however, I developed my stamina not only through vigorous warm up exercises and training experience, but also through the concept of pacing myself and the correct breathing techniques. I have learnt so much in ju-jitsu and gained so much confidence that I have also developed my own ideas and style and lately started to incorporate into the various techniques when training off syllabus with my fellow instructors and the senior black belts. I will always remember: in the early stages of my training, I would copy the exact movements of the senseis and if I did not get it 100% perfect, I would get very disappointed and cross with myself. My self-esteem was very low! Through my time in ju-jitsu however, I have realised that humans are not robots. Even though it is always good to strive in applying the techniques to perfection, nobody is perfect. If one does not do a technique correctly at first, one should never give up and try to get it right next time. I am very pleased that I am learning self-defence and grappling from this form of martial arts. As I must admit I have become a little addicted to it. I want to express my thanks and honour to all the sensei’s and higher grades alike at this time for their patience and willingness to teach and pass on the invaluable knowledge to me. I would now equally like to pass on all the knowledge I learnt on the mat to you. Ioannis Amaslidis 
Steve Christou 1st Dan I have been a student of martial arts for the past eleven years. In this time I have tried many arts including Kung Fu, Karate, Kick Boxing and even Capoera. On committing to the Total Self Defence system, I learnt more on how to defend myself in the first six months than I did in all the six years of previous training. The knowledge within the club is enormous. It is common to have two or three 1st Dan black belts along with at least one 2nd Dan grade on the mat at any one time. it is also a privilege to be on the same mat as Professor Steve McDade 6th Dan. He is always willing to give his time and knowledge to all, from Black Belts to new starters alike. It is an honour to have achieved the rank of Shodan and I thank everyone in the club for helping me take this first step. I train to defend my loved ones and to better myself as a person. Whatever your reason for training I look forward to passing on all I have learned. See you on the mat! 
Sensei Usman Jaleel
Being both deterministic as well as confident I have found Ju-Jitsu to be a natural choice for me. I was eleven years old when I first heard about martial arts, and his had been heavily influenced by one of the greatest fighters, Bruce Lee.
Sensei Gary Kattenhorn 1st Dan
I first became interested in Ju-Jitsu after watching a training session at the club in Tottenham, run by Professor James McDade.
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