3rd Dan Black Belt Hitchin
I started training in martial arts when I was 9 years old where I achieved an orange belt in Tang Soo Do and a first grade in Muay Thai, I only trained for about a year, but it always felt like I had unfinished business.
I discovered Total Self-Defence Ltd when I was in my mid 20s and have never looked back, I didn’t know anything about Ju-Jitsu at the time, but I could see immediately that there was so much to learn and that this was the art for me. It’s not just the Ju-jitsu at the club that I enjoy (it’s a lot of fun) but to learn from some of the finest instructors in the country is such a privilege and also the camaraderie at the club is fantastic.
Training in Traditional Ju-jitsu has become a way of life for me now, it infiltrates the way I move, the way I think and my various interactions with people…I can’t open a door without practising a knife-edge strike to the carotid artery!
The reason I originally joined was to “focus my energy”, I wanted to be able to defend myself, but I also needed a sense of purpose in my life, with the ultimate goal of becoming a black belt. It’s helped build my confidence, my fitness, my instincts and my reactions.
Now that I am an instructor, it has opened up a whole new level for me, it gives me real sense of satisfaction to help a student achieve their potential and of course I am always still learning because every day is a school day right?
Martial arts were one described to me as a language, learning the techniques is like establishing a vocabulary, understanding the reason for using the technique is like the grammar and repeatedly practicing them is how to become fluent, once you have learned the language you can then express yourself with the techniques
Below is a video of Sensei Mike in action at a jujitsu workshop in Kent.