4th Dan Belt Black In Jujitsu
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 teaching and being taught.
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.