Highbury Jitsu Club : Minimum Effort, Maximum Effect

Looking for a physical activity that doesn't require the strength of Arnold Schwarzenegger or the agility of Jackie Chan?

Highbury Jitsu Club teaches practical self defence suitable for anyone; any size, weight or strength. As well as being fun and challenging, it improves balance, coordination and general physical condition.

Beginners are always welcome and the first session is free. Just turn up in loose clothing, or contact us if you have any questions not covered here.

News

Highbury Club is temporarily moving, as the Roundhouse is undergoing building works. We are not sure how long this will last, but we will be moving to:

Aubert Community Centre
Avenelle Road,
N5 1BJ

Full directions and a map are on the Sessions page.

Grading Result. Congratulations following the grading on Saturday 27th March go to:

Sean : Light Blue
Oliver : Purple
Edward : Yellow II (Junior)
Ben : Yellow I (Junior)
Isabella : Yellow I (Junior)
Well done.

30th October : London Regional Course
To be held at London Nautical School. From 1100, finish by 1600.

25th September : Grading.
To be held at London Nautical School. 1100 arrival for all grades.

22nd September : Guest Instructor
Sensei Liam O'Halloran will be taking the session.

19th September : AI / I / CI Course.
Instructor training courses open to Green+. AI is required for Purple, I for Light Blue and CI for Brown. Theory Section 1130 start, Practical Section 1400 - 1700. Held At LSE. Taught by Sensei A'Air, Phillips, Collyer & Garvey. Also excellent as a revision section for everyone else, as the Practical session will be pure syllabus.

14th September : The London Region SP awards.
This is an important event in your Jitsu Calendars. It'll be an opportunity to kick-start autumn by training with lots of folk under the tutelage of some of London's Finest Instructors (there's talk of the fabled Dream Team, and then some, being present). Moreover, it's an excellent occasion to recognise the dedication and effort of London Instructors who have contributed so much to Jitsu and the Region over the last few years. It'll be an evening of training, award-giving and fun, flowing Jitsu. Held at UCL Club, 8-10pm.
Awesome Instructors? Check
Awesome Jitsu training? Check
Recognition of the work and effort of TJF London Instructors? Check
Post-session Pubbington to continue the celebration? It wouldn't be Jitsu if there wasn't....

11th September : Pregrading
Revision course to prepare you for the Grading. Held at London Nautical School. Arrival at 1100, finish at 1600 latest. Several Sensei are taking the course and will provide the Club Sensei with feedback. You must attend this course or see your Sensei if you wish to grade.

1st September : Guest Instructor
Sensei Liam O'Halloran will be taking the session.

12th June : Blue Course (Brown Pregrading)
Training course for senior grades to prepare for specific grading requirements. At London Nautical, 1100-1500, £10. Taught by Sensei Horgan, Sandan.

30th June : Club Visit
Sensei Peter Hamer(Secondary Tutor) rounds out the final session of the Month. Founder of City Jitsu Club, he's also one of Sensei Dan's Instructors, and as such will most likely really enjoy himself.

23rd June : Club Visit
Sensei James Garvey (Nidan) continues our Guest lineup. London Jitsu's resident warrior-philosopher, he adds a touch of class to the Month.

16th June : Club Visit
Sensei Simon Hewings (Nidan) has kindly agreed to be one of our Guest Instructors. Famous for his humour and ability maul Blue belts, come along and marvel at the things he can do to Sean!

9th June : Club Visit
Sensei Ian Sillitoe (Senior Primary) has kindly agreed to kick off our Month of Guest Instructors. See him outside his usual enviroment of PreGradings and Brown Wednesdays and marvel at the things he can do!

5th June : Grading.
To be held at London Nautical School. Novice and Yellow 1100 arrival, Orange and above 1400 arrival

23rd May : AI / I / CI Course.
Instructor training courses open to Green+. AI is required for Purple, I for Light Blue and CI for Brown. Theory Section 1130 start, Practical Section 1400 - 1700. Held At LSE. Taught by Sensei A'Air, Phillips, Collyer & Garvey. Also excellent as a revision section for everyone else, as the Practical session will be pure syllabus

22nd May : Purple & Blue Course
Training course for senior grades to prepare for specific grading requirements. At London Nautical, 1000-1400, £10. Taught by Sensei Horgan, Sandan.

15th May : Pregrading
Revision course to prepare you for the Grading. Held at Astor College Hall Gym, 99 Charlotte St, W1T 4QB. Arrival times are; Novice, Yellow & Orange 1100, Green+ 1330. Several Sensei are taking the course and will provide the Club Sensei with feedback. You must attend this course or see your Sensei if you wish to grade.

8th May : London Regional Course
Regional Course at London Nautical. 1100 - 1600 for just £10! This is being taught with a focus on syllabus, as we have a short term and this will be an excellent day.

24th April :
Breakfalling Course
Having problems falling over? Iron out errors and tweak your technique with Sensei Shepherd. At London Nautical . Novice & Yellow 1100-1400, Orange+ 1400-1600. £5
TJF Junior Randori Nationals
One day event for the Juniors to do their stuff. Held at the Walsall Judo Centre in Brimingham. 10am - 5pm, £20. There is a minimum team size of 6, so let me know if you would like to go.

31st March : Club Visit
Sensei Kevin Grant Nidan has kindly agreed to take the session. Be there.

27th March : Grading.
To be held at London Nautical School. Novice and Yellow 10am arrival, Orange and above 12.30pm arrival

21st March : AI / I / CI Course.
Instructor training courses open to Green+. AI is required for Purple, I for Light Blue and CI for Brown. Theory Section 1000 start, Practical Section 1400 - 1700. Held At LSE. Taught by Sensei A'Air, Phillips, Collyer & Garvey. Also excellent as a revision section for everyone else, as the Practical session will be pure syllabus.

20th March : Purple & Blue Course
Training course for senior grades to prepare for specific grading requirements. At London Nautical, 1000-1330, £10. Taught by Sensei Horgan, Sandan.

13th March : Pregrading
Revision course to prepare you for the Grading. Held at London Nautical School. Arrival times are; Novice & Yellow 1000, Orange+ 1330. Several Sensei are taking the course and will provide the Club Sensei with feedback. You must attend this course or see your Sensei if you wish to grade.

11th March : Club Social
Once again, we are allowing CAMRA to host our social. The London Drinker Beer & Cider Festival happens this week at the Camden Centre. Having chosen to visit on the Thursday night, we will be there from the end of work till 11-ish, supping the best in British Ale, Continental Lager, Cider, Perry and other concoctions too tasty to describe. For more info, visit this page.

6th & 7th March : TJF Randori Nationals (BUCS event)
Course and competitions at the International Centre, Telford. A chance to meet 1000 other Jitsuka from all over the country. The courses are taught by the top Sensei the Foundation has to offer. The competitions heats are on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. Sunday also sees the Open Competition, showcasing the best of the Dans. Then there's the traditional Saturday Night Party, of which legends are made. There will be coaches leaving from Euston early (probably 6am) on Saturday morning. £30 for the event, party £5, Hotel prices TBC. State your interest NOW if you want to go.

20th February :
Breakfalling Course
Having problems falling over? Iron out errors and tweak your technique with Sensei Shepherd. At London Nautical from 1100-1400. £5
Judo Course - Newaza & Nagewaza
Basic skills and preparation for the Randori Nationals. Well worth attending to pick up and practise some new moves with Sensei Donaghy and Sensei Jabbar. Held at London Nautical from 1400-1800. £5

13th February :
Purple & Blue Course
Training course for senior grades to prepare for specific grading requirements. At London Nautical, 1000-1330, £10. Taught by Sensei Horgan, Sandan.
First Aid Course
Open to Blue+ for a Jitsu-specific First Aid course. Will be held at London Nautical in the afternoon. 1400-1800, £10.

6th February :
London Regional Course
Regional Course at London Nautical. 1100 - 1600 for just £5! This is being taught by 2 ex-London Sandan; Ian Lambert and Tony Finding. Both are awesome instructors and this will be an excellent day. Be sure to go if you can.
PlanetJitsu 2010
This is a course organised by the PlanetJitsu website. The Instructor list is currently:

Renshi Ben Ledwick - 6th Dan British Kempo Society
Sensei Mike McGarry - 6th Dan Goshin-Jitsu ryu
Sensei Karl T Grubis - 4th Dan Goshin Jitsu ryu
Sensei Colin Mortimer - 3rd Dan Jitsu Foundation
Sensei Lister Worthington - 2nd Dan Jitsu Foundation

Location is at Loughborough University, in the Edward Herbert Building, no. 53 on this map. Loughborough is easy to get to, either from St Pancras station or the M1. Please let me know if you would like to go, as price (around £10) is dependant on numbers. The more people we get, the cheaper it'll be. I'm going.

6th January 2010 : First session of 2010.
The Juniors session will start at 6PM. Please try to be early to help with the mats.

16th December : Session cancelled
The Roundhouse has closed the Studio to repair the floor. We will be back again on Wednesday 6th January 2010. Enjoy the break!

12th December : Grading.
To be held at London Nautical School. Times are; Novice 1000, Yellow & Orange 1200, Green+ 1400. Juniors £10, Adults £15. Sensei Jeff Thompson examining. Afterwards is the Xmas Party; Venue: The Basement Bar, The Slug and Lettuce, North Block, (1-63), 5 Chicheley Street, London, SE1 7PJ (near the London Eye). Time: 18.00 hrs till 00.00 hrs. Cost: FREE

6th December : AI / I / CI Course.
Instructor training courses open to Green+. AI is required for Purple, I for Light Blue and CI for Brown. Theory Section 1000 start, Practical Section 1400 - 1700. Held At LSE. Taught by Sensei A'Air, Phillips, Collyer & Garvey. Also excellent as a revision section for everyone else, as the Practical session will be pure syllabus.

28th November : Pregrading
Revision course to prepare you for the Grading. Held at London Nautical School. Times are; Novice 1000, Yellow & Orange 1200, Green+ 1400. Several Sensei are taking the course and will provide the Club Sensei with feedback. You must attend this course or see your Sensei if you wish to grade.

14th -15th November : TJF Atemi Nationals (BUSA event)
Course and competitions at the International Centre, Telford. A chance to meet 1000 other Jitsuka from all over the country. The courses are taught by the top Sensei the Foundation has to offer. The competitions heats are on Saturday and the finals on Sunday. Sunday also sees the Open Competition, showcasing the best of the Dans. Then there's the traditional Saturday Night Party, of which legends are made. There will be coaches leaving from Euston early (probably 6am) on Saturday morning. £30 for the event, party £6, Hotel prices TBC. State your interest NOW if you want to go.

7th November : South East Purple & Blue Course
Specialist training course for senior grades. This will cover syllabus and strategy for your Light & Dark Blue and Brown gradings. Taught by Sensei Horgan at London Nautical School, 1200-1600, £10

7th November : Breakfalling Course
Having problems falling over? Iron out errors and tweak your technique with some acrobatic Instructors. At London Nautical School. Novice / Yellow 1000 start, finish for 1200-ish. Yellow - Green 1200-1600 latest. £10

31st October : Regional Course.
To be held at London Nautical School. From 1100, finish by 1600. After-party is at the Slug and Lettuce on Stamford St, right opposite the dojo. Party starts at 1800 and is fancy dress.

10th October : Grading.
To be held at London Nautical School. From 1100, finish by 1600. Juniors £10, Adults £15.

4th October : AI / I / CI Course.
Instructor training courses open to Green+. AI is required for Purple, I for Light Blue and CI for Brown. Theory Section 1000 start, Practical Section 1400 - 1700. Held At LSE. Taught by Sensei A'Air, Phillips, Collyer & Garvey. Also excellent as a revision section for everyone else, as the Practical session will be pure syllabus.

26th September : Pregrading
Revision course to prepare you for the Grading. Held at London Nautical School. Arrive at 11am. Several Sensei are taking the course and will provide the Club Sensei with feedback. You must attend this course or see your Sensei if you wish to grade.

11th - 13th September : Summer School
Summer School is a long weekend in the Lake District. Held at Rydal Hall, overlooking Lake Windemere, we start on Friday and finish on Sunday. Spaces are limited, so book asap. There are walks, BBQ, a natural plunge pool and a session at the fabulous National Judo Centre in Kendal. The worst kept best secret in TJF.

6th August : Club Social
Once again, we are allowing CAMRA to host our social. The Great British Beer Festival happens this week at Earl's Court. Having chosen to visit on the Thursday night, we will be there from the end of work till 11-ish, supping the best in British Ale, Continental Lager, Cider, Perry and other concoctions too tasty to describe. For more info and to buy advance tickets, visit this page.

25th July: Jitsu Summer Ball.
Held in Manchester this year, at the Thistle Hotel. There will be the usual course to distract us during the day whilst the Dan gradings are happening elsewhere. Course and Ball £55, Ball only £45.

8th July: Club Visit
Sensei Neil Collyer, Nidan, will be visiting us to impart his own special brand of Jitsu. As well as being an excellent instructor (he is a part of the team that trains instructors), Sensei Collyer is also responsible for the development of Junior Jitsu in London. This is bound to be an excellent session, and lots of fun. Don't miss it.

6th June: Grading.
To be held at London Nautical School. Novices & Yellow from 1100, Orange+ from 1400. Juniors £10, Adults £15. Sensei John Hamer examining.

31st May : AI / I / CI Course.
Instructor training courses open to Green+. AI is required for Purple, I for Light Blue and CI for Brown. Theory Section 1130 start, Practical Section 1400 - 1700. Held At LSE. Taught by Sensei A'Air, Phillips, Collyer & Garvey. Also excellent as a revision section for everyone else, as the Practical session will be pure syllabus.

23rd May : Pregrading
Revision course to prepare you for the Grading. Held at London Nautical School. Times are; Novice - Orange 1045-1400, Green+ 1330-1700. Several Sensei are taking the course and will provide the Club Sensei with feedback. You must attend this course or see your Sensei if you wish to grade.