Full-Time Dojo

When you were training for your gradings, particularly training for shodan, how did you train? Where did you train? Did you do more than attend classes, and if so, where did you train?

Attending classes should not be the standard that prepares a person for shodan. Particularly given that classes are at best a couple or few times a week. And within the JDJ tradition, even more so given that JDJ tradition classes are not training.

You don't pass school by attending classes. You're expected to do homework. The general rule of thumb when I attended University was for every one contact hour the student should do three non-contact hours of work. That is also true of the martial arts. If all a person does is attend classes, is that sufficient to be awarded a black belt?

JDJ told me the story of how Yoshiaki Unno wanted to fail a proficient student because he did not have the same attendance record of classes as that of another less proficient student. That is beaucratic nonsense. There are two interrelated aspects to a shodan awarding - proficiency (and understanding) which is the product of training. And that training is not necessarily conducted in classes, particularly when classes are dedicated to teaching and learning (as are those in the JDJ tradition).

I was unique. No doubt. I have never known anyone with the same training ethos (also known as 'obsession') as I possessed from day one.

In the third week of April 1983, I commenced training jujutsu at the Jan de Jong Self Defence School in Sensei Ian Lloyd's class on a Wednesday night at 6pm. I started by doing two classes a day, six days a week, plus extra training. I attended most of the classes at the JDJSDS located at 996 Hay Street, Perth (CBD) and made up others at suburban branches. But, all extra training was conducted at the full-time dojo at 996 Hay Street that was open from 9 till late five days a week and 9-5 on Saturdays where one could train in purpose built premises.

I was unique because I adopted that training schedule. I was lucky because I had the opportunity to do so which was facilitated by the unique opportunity of having access to a full-time, purpose built training facility. That was a unique opportunity that I have come to understand is not appreciated or valued by most people training martial arts.

The JDJSDS provided that unique training opportunity at 996 Hay Street. When JDJ passed and the Jan de Jong Martial Arts Fitness ryuha was established down the road and around the corner, it was a full-time dojo, but I'm not sure of the training opportunities. Now that they have relocated to renting space in a community hall in Melville, there is no training opportunities provided by the JDJMAF.

There is only one JDJ ryuha that does offer the opportunity of training at any hour in a full-time purpose built facility and that is Sensei Daniel Newcombe's Self Defence Central Dojo. While you can discuss the various merits of the training provided by the various instructors in the JDJ tradition, you cannot question the training opportunity provided by a true full-time training facility as that provided by DN's SDCD.

This is in no way a promotion of DN nor his SDCD. It is simply sharing an insight into the unique value that is afforded by a true full-time, purpose built training facility.