Authentic Japanese Martial Arts

YOSHINKAN DOJO

Southern England Branch

Classes for Adults and Children

About Us

The Yoshinkan Dojo, Southern England Branch is a Japanese Martial Arts Dojo in Crondall, serving Fleet, Church Crookham, Farnham and the surrounding area.

Suitable for anyone, from beginners right through to experienced martial artists, regardless of your age, size or current fitness levels we're here to help you achieve your goals.

We promote a common sense approach to Self Defence. Our aim is to give you real life skills (physical and mental) which will give you confidence and enable you to protect yourself and stay safe in a violent and/or potentially life threatening situation.

The same skills used by Samurai for generations to stay alive in a culture where death and killing was an accepted way of life, on and off the battlefield.

With a direct connection to our Hombu Dojo in Japan, our students are able to regularly visit for training. Yasumoto Sensei has also visited our Dojo, and we have regular visits from other Japanese Sensei.

Our name was given to us by Yasumoto Sensei, Soke of the Moto-Ha Yoshin Ryu school of Jujutsu to which we belong, Eikoku Nanbu Yoshinkan Shibu Dojo - Yoshinkan Dojo, Southern England Branch.

Children's Classes

Our aim is to offer children a chance to learn authentic Japanese Martial Arts (Budo) from a school who's lineage dates back into Japan's actual Samurai period in the 1600's.

Our classes are not what you would typically expect from a Martial Arts Dojo (from movies or potential experiences with other organisations). Our classes are small, no more than 10 students to a class, with no emphasis placed on competition and a very simple grade structure. We believe Budo is a gift to be shared, not a way to fatten our wallets with endless charges for courses, gradings, equipment, etc...

The Young Samurai Class teaches core fundamentals of Japanese Martial Arts including; Jujutsu, the Japanese sword, and staff. We keep practice light hearted and fun, but with a serious approach to maintain safety while practicing techniques and to develop focus.

Our older class then takes this up a notch with practice of Moto-Ha Yoshin Ryu Jujutsu, and the chance to work toward grade recognition from Japan and entry into the school. Parents are also welcome to train in this class alongside their children, offering a great way to bond through practice.

There are many benefits that can be attributed to martial arts training. Beyond the physical aspects and self defence ability, confidence, concentration, etiquette, can all be enhanced through practice. Our small classes allow those who are perhaps not so confident in large groups to train comfortably and the changes we see in these type of students are phenomenal. Please check out our video section to see these guys in action in their Children's Class Embu!

We also organise additional events where possible to further educate and aid development, these have included visits from Japanese Sensei, talks from representatives of Japanese Cultural organisations such as Tendai Buddhism UK, Japanese Calligraphy, and as mentioned above the children take part in public demonstrations of their skills (Embu).

Please contact us for further information, or if you have any questions regarding our classes.

Jujutsu

Jujutsu (柔術) as we consider it is a strategy of total body fighting, using everything at your disposal to overcome your enemy, including strikes, joint manipulation, throws, chokes, strangles and even weapons, but without the need to pit strength against strength, or force against force...

This is done using natural body mechanics and principles of movement, which when manipulated correctly can render an attack useless and allow the practitioner to overcome and unbalance their opponent.

There are lots of interpretations of the word Jujutsu: Gentle Art, Supple Art, Art of Yielding, etc, however the translation that we find suits our practice is Soft Skill. Ju 柔 is the Softness that stops us clashing with an opponent, and 術 Jutsu is the Skill and Technique that allows us to use this to our advantage, breaking their structure and overcoming them. This is a very simplified description for the purpose of getting across the basic idea, but the concept goes far deeper than can be explained here.

Starting something new as an adult can be a fairly daunting prospect, even if you have previous experience.

Lot's of things come to mind; What are the existing members like? Will I fit in? What if I do the wrong thing? Am I fit enough? I'm nervous about getting hurt, I don't want to feel like I'm holding up the more experienced students, etc.

With this in mind, we've created a 4 week beginner course that helps to remove these concerns and allow you to experience training and decide if it is right for you without any obligation. Please use the contact form to find out more.

Beginners' Courses

Self Defence

If you are interested in Self Defence, Jujutsu is a very effective Martial Art.

Japanese Jujutsu relies on manipulation of an attacker's structure and natural body mechanics to overcome them without the use of muscular strength. This makes it an ideal system for anyone looking for self defence, regardless of size and/or ability.

Unfortunately finding the right kind of Self Defence class can be tricky!

Self Defence is one of the most common reasons for people to learn martial arts beyond childhood, so is used excessively in marketing and advertising campaigns to help drive new students through the door...

...but not all things are equal, what's good for one person may not be right for another.

Here are some things to think about if you are looking for Self Defence classes:

Aesthetics mean Nothing!

It doesn't matter if the adverts show people training in military style fatigues or combat gear, traditional martial arts clothing, casual sportswear, etc. Does the content of what's being taught seem realistic and will it work for you?

Is it Strike Heavy?

You have to be prepared in a self defence situation to do all necessary, which will usually involve some form of striking or hitting, but does it rely too heavily on striking to make it work? Or is it only striking? This may be fine for someone fairly strong, but can someone of a slighter build do this effectively when their attacker is stronger and pumped full of adrenaline?

Don't be fooled by Gimmicks!

Lots of modern 'self defence' systems use gimmicks to make them appealing. Whether it is quoting a military connection or something from a popular movie, look beyond the surface. A system taught to military or law enforcement personnel sounds impressive, but does someone looking for a way to defend themselves in their day to day life have the same physical requirement as military personnel?

Watch out for a False Sense of Security!

Is using the system's techniques all that is taught, or are you encouraged to escape? Are there methods for de-escalation or avoidance? Is there an encouraged over confidence in the techniques taught?

Is it Simple?

Anything fancy or complicated wont work in the heat of the moment, are they teaching simple principles? If what they are teaching takes more than a split second, will it really work when needed?

Is there a strong Sport Element?

Sport martial arts can be great for fitness, strength and overall confidence. The techniques employed to score a point however may not translate well into actual fighting to defend yourself. In the same vein being able to hit and score a point is very different to being able to hit and stop an attacker, think about this.

If you are looking for Self Defence, we would be happy to talk to you and look at how we may be able to help, please contact us today to discuss.