zen judo

Are you still trying to contact the Portsmouth Zen Judo Club. If so send me an email to:

admin at zenjudo.co.uk

(replace at with @)

And I will get back to you.

There has been a lot of misinformation circulation on the internet about Zen Judo and it should be taken with a pinch of martial arts salt, as there seem to be a number of people out there with an axe to grind. You should also be aware that there was a difference in the Zen Judo taught in America and that taught in this country.

As far as Shiai (contest) is concerned Zen Judo doesn't practice with that as the end goal, but with the application of techniques without undue use of force.

If you are looking for the ability to win at all costs in contest, then you should probably look for a BJA club which specialises in contest. If you want to practice Judo techniques in a more relaxed manner, you should probably look for a club which teaches the Kyshindo style of judo (from which Zen Judo came), I belive that Sensei Jo Harbert runs a number of clubs in Portsmouth. Try looking at http://www.traditionaljudouk.com/index.htm

In Zen Judo gradings we do Shiai, but we are looking for "fighting spirit" and use of Judo rather than the ability to score ippon with one well practised technique.

This means that like most well rounded skills, it takes much longer to achieve a high level than it does if you only have to perfect a handful of techniques to win competition.

As for if Judo (and a Zen Club) or Jujitsu would be complimentary to you submission skills, only you can make that decision.

The main difference between Judo and Jujitsu is that in Judo we react to an attacking force (this is why contest Judo is so difficult) and in Jujitsu you can use a strike or kick to create a reaction that can be used to apply a throw.

A Jujitsu sensei once told me that he had a lot of respect for Judo as out of the two martial arts Judo was the most difficult to throw some one with, as in Jujitsu if your opponent didn't want to move you could use a strike to make him and then apply the throw.

What ever martial art you choose, give it a fair try and approach it with an open mind. There is no such thing as a bad martial art, just bad instructors and students.

Hope this helps and good luck.