Tag Archive for: jutaijutsu

New Self Defense Course, Spring 2023!

The next edition of our tried-and-tested self-defense classes will be happening from March 16 to April 6 in Berlin Schöneberg! As usual, it is open for women, non-binary and LBTQIA* folx and will offer a safe space in which to work on discovering your strengths, reading situations and people (e.g. body language), training to handle stressful situations while staying calm and able to respond, and applying some basic self defense techniques.

There are no prerequisites for the course, anyone can attend – no fitness requirements and no martial arts experience needed. This is not a fitness-oriented class; we will move around the gym physically and will train different techniques together, but the goal is mainly to work on successful self defense in different situations.

Sign up here!

Here is a little bit about what you can expect from this course.

Session 1 (March 16): Round of introductions and some background to the course, followed by some short, fun self defense exercises

Session 2 (March 23): We will work on our personal “circle”, how to recognize it and how to keep it safe in everyday situations. We will also practice a couple of basic techniques

Session 3 (March 30): We will leave the gym and explore a bit outside, our goal being to scale a few obstacles. When we return, we will check out a few pads and mats and see if we can hit and/or kick them – this might not sound fun right now, but we can promise you it’s a lot of fun once you start!!

Session 4 (April 6): We will return to and strengthen our use of basic self defense techniques, and there will be a surprise element to end the class on a high note 🙂

Interested?

The class will take place on Thursdays at Interkulturelles Haus Schöneberg, Geßlerstr. 11, 10829 Berlin, from 7pm to 8.30pm. You’ll need to bring some comfortable pants and a t-shirt, some trainers for Session 3, and you’ll be ready to go. Due to limited space at the gym, places are limited, so go ahead and sign up!

We are asking for a donation of your choice for this class. All proceeds will be forwarded to Woman* Life Freedom Collective, a grassroots collective supporting the feminist uprising in Iran.

Sign up here!
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Don’t Feed the Trolls: Tradition and Authenticity in Martial Arts

Tradition and authenticity are big topics in martial arts, obviously. The closer any school can prove to be to the “authentic origins” of its martial art, the more legitimate and recognised it tends to be in any martial arts community. If teacher X of a certain school, for example, has spent a few years in Asia and learnt from important masters there, this will hugely increase recognition for her school, and decrease any delegitimising attacks from detractors or competitors.

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What is Jutaijutsu? Is it like Jujutsu?

Jujutsu, which you might have heard of, translates as the “gentle art.” Tai is Japanese for body, so Jutaijutsu is the “gentle art of moving your body.” This is about the idea of using your opponent’s energy to your advantage, going with the flow rather than resisting, staying flexible in dealing with new situations – both mentally and physically. To an observer, Jutaijutsu might not always look particularly “gentle,” since we do sparring and some of our techniques can be quite impactful. It is more about versatility, understanding situations and staying flexible in your response.

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