The Development of the JDJ Jujutsu Grading System Part 3.1: The Mon System Introduction

The following introduction to the mon system is taken from Jan de Jong: The Man, His School and His Ju Jitsu System (Jan de Jong Self Defence School, 1995) (the 'JDJ book'):

The Tsutsumi Hozan ryu ju jitsu system originally commenced at Rokku (6th kyu - yellow belt). Jan de Jong has made incremental changes in the techniques and the system over the years, however, the most substantial change was the introduction of the 'mon system' in 1978. (p. 12)

The introduction of the kyu system was discussed in a previous post. 

That post included that the individual levels and colour belt system of Jan de Jong's (JDJ) kyu system reflected that of Tsutsumi Hozan Ryu (THR) included in Tsutsumi Masao and Higashi Katsukuma's Die Selbstverteidigung (Jiu-Jitsu): nebst einem Anhange über Kuatsu (Wissenschaft der Wiederbelebung Verunglückter): mit 72 Abbildungen nach dem Leben (Self-defense (Jiu-Jitsu): along with an appendix on Kuatsu (science of resuscitation of casualties): with 72 illustrations based on life) published in Germany in 1906. It is unknown whether the content of the two grading systems were the same. It is unknown if the JDJ kyu grading system is the THR jujutsu kyu grading system.

It should be noted that a former JDJ jujutsu instructor who ended up teaching for him full-time has stated that during his time (1963-1974), JDJ did not discuss THR in classes or that what was being taught was THR jujutsu.

The mon system was introduced at the front end of the JDJ grading system, however, it will be seen that the same influence had a major impact on the development of the dan system at the back end. How it fits with the kyu system in the middle, well ...

The mon system is comprised of 1st mon to 7th kyu. Why did JDJ refer to the last three gradings in the mon system as kyu grades? From the abovementioned JDJ book (p. 31):

Entry Levels

Age Requirements and First Grading

Under 12 years - 1st Mon

12-15 years - 3rd Mon

Over 15 years - 9th Kyu 

It would appear that JDJ considered mon grades, junior grades and kyu grades, adult grades, when he developed the mon system.

Until the introduction of the 'mon system' (refer pate 12) in 1978, people of all ages attempted the yellow belt grading first. Paul Connolly (refer page 19) started under the old system at the age of twelve. Two years later he was the youngest person to grade purple belt showing that it was a challenge but not an insurmountable one. (JDJ Book, p. 27)

The mon grades opened up a whole new market for JDJ - kids and youths/teenagers. Before the mon system, there was only 6th kyu that was trained by and with adults. The above statement concerning the 'old system' being a challenge but not insurmountable is being generous to an extreme.

The 'mon system' is a series of gradings that supplement the original grading system and primarily examine the fundamentals of ju jitsu. It is a rational, scientific approach to the teaching and learning of ju jitsu.

By providing novice ju jitsuka (ju jitsu students) with a basic framework of ju jitsu skills and understanding at the beginning of their training, they are better prepared to tackle the demanding grading system and attain a higher level of proficiency more quickly. The outcome of this bold move has proved extremely successful with the graduates of this system having a deeper understanding of ju jitsu earlier.

These fundamentals link all the techniques and provide a 'system' of self defence rather than a collection of unrelated 'tricks'. Armed with an understanding of these fundamentals, an experienced ju jitsuka could develop their own style of ju jitsu. In ancient times this could mean the loss of likelihood for the original master, or even a challenge for his position or life. Thus these fundamentals were closely guarded secrets and only revealed to very advanced and trained yudansha (black belt holder).

The JDJ book was researched, written, and edited by me, with contributions by the senior instructors of the school and with extensive consultation with JDJ, as acknowledged at the start of the book. The book was based on my understanding of the grading system back in 1995. That understanding has changed significantly in the meantime with further study and reflection, as these series of posts demonstrate.

The gist of the above understanding was derived from Greg Palmer (one of five to complete the JDJ technical grades and be awarded sandan before being awarded yondan for his contributions to JDJ and his school). Greg was able to gain those insights that lead to a new and better understanding because he was a professional trained teacher. How much of those insights were shared by the other instructors and their teaching of the mon system and application to the teaching of the kyu system is open to question.

The reference to 'system' and 'tricks' is reference to systems theory. In the context of systems theory, a system refers to a complex whole, comprised of interconnected and interdependent parts or elements. Systems thinking is an approach to understanding and solving problems that emphasises the examination of the entire system, rather than focusing on its individual components. 

Another way of understanding this approach is contained in the chapter on analysis in my book on the science behind all fighting techniques. In that chapter I refer to Gerry Carr, Sports Mechanics for Coaches, 2edn, 2004:

Carr explains how it is easy to be overwhelmed by the complexity and speed of a skill when it is performed in its entirety. He suggests that when the skill is divided into phases it is far easier to analyse each phase of the skill separately rather than concentrate on the total skill. Dividing a skill into phases also allows us to teach, learn and train each phase separately before combining them to perform the complete skill. It enables us to identify the similarities and differences between different skills which has been described as the core of all learning. Identifying the similarities between techniques and defences means that by training the similar phases we are training a part of a number of techniques or defences rather than just the technique or defence in question. This produces efficiencies in training and produces a system rather than just a collection of techniques.

The reference to 'tricks' in the above JDJ book excerpt, and which has been discussed in a previous post, is reference to skills being considered in their entirety and independent of all other skills. The reference to 'system' is reference to the phases in the performance of a defence; the fundamentals of ju jutsu as the above JDJ book excerpt refers to them as. These phases/fundamentals form the basis for the mon grades, however, how they fit with the kyu grades is another matter.

The idea that these fundamentals in the mon system were the 'secrets' of the THR grading system that JDJ chose to go against tradition and share with novice students was a myth that grew out of JDJ's penchant for not acknowledging the source of his teachings. 

What is missing from the above description of the mon system is that it is based in large part on Yoseikan Budo (YB) teachings. JDJ adopted those teachings and developed the mon system based on those teachings without acknowledging the source of those teachings. Anyone from the YB tradition could comfortably pass all of the mon grades without any instruction from the JDJ tradition. They would also do pretty well with a lot of the gradings in the dan grades.

In terms of the comment in the above extract regarding attaining a higher level of proficiency more quickly and that the outcome of this bold move of introducing the mon system at the front end of the grading system, and how it has proved extremely successful, I will refer to an interview that JDJ participated in. The interviewer asked if JDJ thought it was a good idea to change the system to suit the students.

Yes, I know what you're saying, but you know you can learn all the time. And if the results are better one way than the other, why carry on in a way that gives poorer results? I'll give you an example. In 1978 a Major Greg Mawkes MBE asked me if I would go and teach the army self-defence. I said okay and soon afterwards found myself teaching members of the SAS and the Commandoes. Shortly after I had started to do this the Major and I had a discussion about things. He told me that he thought the method of fighting was really good and he was pleased with that. But he said the men were having some difficulty understanding it all. I said this was the usual way of things and that my students were the same. He then explained the army did not have unlimited time to spend on this and that what he needed was quick results.

So it was at that point I had to think things through and see what I could come up with. I looked at the usual way the army taught things and decided I would alter the way I was teaching and come more in line with the army way of doing things. Well, do you know, the people started to pick things up much faster than before, and they could do the techniques much better than before! So I had a talk with my Instructors and said I thought that we should change things so that we were teaching everyone like this. And at that time we changed the way we taught the students. The techniques were still the same, it was only the method of teaching them that was different. And since then things have been much better.

The JDJ ryuha that are teaching JDJ's grading system in any large degree should take note of JDJ's comment regarding carrying on in a way that gives poorer results. I have long argued that JDJ's grading system is 1.0 and is in need of revision. It is overly cumbersome, overly burdensome, and disjointed, not to mention the faults that are contained therein. The grading system is in need of rationalisation and integration. Without it, the JDJ tradition will die, which can be seen through the ever-diminishing JDJ ryuha since JDJ's passing.

If grading system 2.0 is to be realised, one must understand how system 1.0 was developed or evolved. That is one of the main purposes of these series of posts.

JDJ's reference to Mawke's comment that his men (SAS troopers) were having difficulties understanding JDJ's teachings is reference to the kyu system approach. The reference to the Army way of doing things is reference to the mon system approach, which is basically a YB system approach, and which involves the division of a skill into phases (see Carr above). An understanding of this approach can produce the abovementioned improved outcomes, however, as will be demonstrated in the following posts, that understanding is lacking in many of the instructors within the JDJ tradition, including to a large extent JDJ.

Is that understanding lacking, at least in part, due to the way the mon system was introduced? The mon system was introduced into the JDJ grading system in 1978 when the senior instructors were already the instructors to which JDJ referred to in the above interview extract. The ones he referred to talking with about the introduction of the mon grades. In which case, did the senior instructors go through the mon grades? Were their introductory sessions that enabled the instructors who would be teaching these grades to gain an understanding of their content? It has to be understood that the mon grades are a significantly different system to the kyu grades. They are different in the very basis of their conception.

Am I the first black belt to have gone through the mon system? In which case, I am the first to complete the technical grades in the JDJ jujutsu grading system that included the mon grades (only five complete the technical grades and were awarded shodan; me and four of my instructors).

The next post will start to delve into the mon grades in some detail.

Jan de Jong's Shodan Grading

I recently had reason to study the Jan de Jong grading system and it proved quite enlightening.

Sensei Greg Palmer (my mentor) often said that in most Japanese martial arts systems, shodan was where you were considered to be a student but in JDJ's system, shoden was a 'master' grading. Greg was of course correct, however, my research now supports and adds substance to that contention.

The traditional 'rank' system in the Japanese martial arts is the menkyo kaiden system. Menkyo kaiden means teaching license and the licenses were awarded at the discretion of the soke of the system.

Jigoro Kano introduced the dan ranking system in 1883 when he awarded dan grades to two of his senior students. There were no formal examinations and they were awarded at  Kano's discretion. While the new dan ranking system retained the discretionary nature of the menkyo kaiden system, it did not signify mastery as the latter system did.

Kano was a professional educator and based on his professional experience he later introduced formal requirements and examinations into his Kodokan Judo grading system. It is not known when Kano introduced the formalised requirements and examinations for gradings in Kodokan Judo.

JDJ was graded sandan by his instructor, S. Saito 8th dan, in the 1930s. Folk lore has it that this grading was the final 'technical grading' in the system, however, there were no formal requirements nor examinations. The awarding was at the discretion of Saito. It was a Kano dan-menkyo kaiden system.

The first grading system for JDJ is seen in his seven kyu grades being taught in 1950. Where he was introduced to a formal examination system for his grades is unknown. It could have been while training with judoka in Holland during WWII. It could have been through the study of martial arts books that he commenced collecting during the same period. Either way, the JDJ grading system consisted of seven kyu gradings in 1950.

In 1978, JDJ introduced the mon system at the front end of his system and significantly modified ikkyu (blac & white). This is what JDJ had to say about that modification to his grading system when he answered Mike Clarke's question whether it was a good idea to change the system to suit students:


Yes, I know what you're saying, but you know you can learn all the time. And if the results are better one way than the other, why carry on in a way that gives poorer results? I'll give you an example. In 1978 a Major Greg Mawkes MBE asked me if I would go and teach the army self-defence. I said okay and soon afterwards found myself teaching members of the SAS and the Commandos. Shortly after I had started to do this the Major and I had a discussion about things. He told me that he thought the method of fighting was really good and he was pleased with that. But he said the men were having some difficulty understanding it all. I said this was the usual way of things and that my students were the same. He then explained the army did not have unlimited time to spend on this and that what he needed was quick results.

So it was at that point I had to think things through and see what I cold come up with. I looked at the usual way the army taught things and decided I would alter the way I was teaching and come more in line with the army way of doing things. Well, do you know, the people started to pick things up much faster than before, and they could do the techniques much better than before! So I had a talk with my Instructors and said I thought that we should change things so that we were teaching everyone like this. And at that time we changed the way we taught the students. ... And since then things have been much better.

In 1978, JDJ had a grading system to 1st kyu with no yudansha (black belts) in his school other than himself. His instructors were graded ikkyu with only JDJ being yudansha. That would be unthinkable in this day and age, however, he built a school of over 1000 students with no person/instructor being yudansha other than himself.

JDJ visited Europe in the late 70s and was invited to return by the WJJF. During that visit he saw that all of the schools had yudansha teaching students. JDJ did not. (a) He realised that his instructors would not be respected if they were not yudansha, and (b) he saw that his instructors were the equal of or better than the European higher graded instructors. So JDJ set about developing a shodan grading so that he could (a) appropriately recognise the expertise of his instructors, and (b) so that he could be accompanied by yudansha when he returned to Europe to teach. The first shodans were awarded in 1981 and JDJ's first European teaching tour was conducted in 1982 where he was accompanied by a number of his newly awarded yudansha.

What has to be understood is that JDJ did not develop his shodan as part of a dan grading system.  There was no thought of developing a dan grading system. The shodan grade was developed as a standalone grading. It was the top of the mountain. It was a teachers grade; a masters grade.

The Japanese marital arts grading system has shodan signifying a mastery of the basics of the system. Sandan (3rd dan) or godan (5th dan) is where the attainment of teacher or mastery was signified. JDJ's shodan was the equivalent of sandan or godan in most (all) other Japanese martial arts systems.

This is but the commencement of an understanding of the JDJ grading system. A study of the system will conclude that it was developed piecemeal by someone who had little or no experience or knowledge of the Japanese grading system approach. Consequently, the resultant grading system is disjointed, laborious, inefficient, and not 'benchmarked' with the Japanese martial arts grading system approach. For all of that, it is a remarkable achievement.

JDJ developed his grading system with no experience of a grading system with formal examinations and requirements. No knowledge of the Japanese grading system approach. He developed it while in occupied Holland during WWII, in Indonesia post WWII, and in Perth, Western Australia, where there were no examples to follow even if other schools would be willing to share their grading system with him. There was no internet to obtain precedents. Imagine if you had to develop a grading system under those circumstances.

What are the implications of this understanding of JDJ's shodan? One is that it could be argued that all of the former instructors who graded ikkyu and all students who did likewise are the equivalent rank of at at least shodan in other schools. Those graded shodan the equivalent of at least sandan in other schools.

Another implication is that if the JDJ dan grading system was to be benchmarked with other Japanese martial arts grading systems, that the formal gradings currently in ikkyu and shodan should be spread over three-five dan grades. There is only one offshoot of the original JDJ school that is currently doing just that so that the fall in line with current practice. Some of the other offshoots are compounding the problems inherent in the dan grading system by adding more and more grades.

Shin Gi Tai: Karate Training for Body, Mind, and Spirit - Jan de Jong's Passing

Mike Clarke published Shin Gi Tai: Karate Training for Body, Mind, and Spirit in 2011. It contains the following passage associated with Jan de Jong's passing, which I will comment on.

Some years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a master of jujutsu; his name was Jan de Jong.

Followers of the last couple of postings will be left in no doubt with regards to the esteem with which Clarke held De Jong.

He died in April 2003, and in many respects his death was nothing unusual. He was in this eighties and had lived through many difficult and challenging times. Fighting against the German occupation forces in his native Holland during the Second World War, as a youthful member of the Dutch Resistance Movement, gave him a particular slant on life and the best way to live it.

Readers of this blog will be acquainted with De Jong's WWII experience. As to the 'best way to live', I would suggest his experience gave him a way to live life, not necessarily the best way to live life. Does a sexual assault victim/survivor's experience give them a perspective that enables them to determine the best way to live life? It gives them a particular perspective on how to live a life, that is all. De Jong's compulsion to eat everything that was put in front of him born of near starvation during the Hunger Winter in 1945 in Holland could never be described as the best way to live. There are many paths, as the over used axiom goes.

When De Jong was diagnosed with a terminal condition, it came as a shock to everyone who knew him, especially his family. As you might expect, people close to him grew more and more sad as his health declined, and he entered hospital to receive what comfort the medical world could offer.

I'm not sure how much of a shock it came to everyone who knew him. I cannot say for sure how his family felt as I was estranged with them by that time. De Jong only entered hospital in the last few/couple of days before he passed away. Did people grow more and more sad as his health declined. I cannot speak for anyone else. All I can do is speak for myself. Someone who loved De Jong, who thought of him as more than the head instructor of a tradition/school in which he was emotionally invested. I thought of him as a very dear friend. Our relationship transended the Australian ultimate relationship of mateship. Was I sad as his health declined? Not really. You see, De Jong really did teach philosophy without being preachy or pious about it. He taught pragmatism; by whatever Eastern philosophical name you care to attribute to it. We all die, not everyone lives. De Jong lived, now he was going to die.

But for the man himself there was no sense of sadness, only acceptance.

Reinforcing my previous statement. Not once in all the times I saw him did he ever even utter a regretful or sorrowful word.

He spoke of having a wonderful life and of being blessed by his wife, his children, and his many long-time students, some of whom had trained with him for well over thirty years.

He didn't speak of those things to me, not when he was terminal and in his home. De Jong did the 'Tuesdays with Morrie' experience with me when I would take him to dinner and/or the movies and we'd sit in my car outside his house when I'd taken him home. Otherwise, De Jong was always, always looking to the future. The last time I saw him, three week before he passed away, he was giving me instructions on what I needed to work on to demonstrate to the pencak silat instructors class, and he wanted to contribute to the how-to book I was writing on the jujutsu that he taught. Reflection was not a very big feature of De Jong's, unless it was to inform the future.

It has to be said, however, De Jong was very proud of his instructors. His jujutsu dan grades were and are oriented towards producing instructors, not necessarily practitioners. His dan grades are about 'training the trainer'. He spoke often of how proud he was of his instructors and their ability and knowledge to instruct.

He laughed and joked and made light of the finality of the event about to take place, and when it came, he stepped away from this world lightly as a butterfly lifting from a leaf.

Clarke nailed it with the laughing, joking, and making light of his shifting off this mortal coil, but the rest of the description is his own literary expansion. For me, it does not tend to be reflective of De Jong. He was a restless soul. If there is another existence after this, De Jong would not have drifted into it. Forget the butterfly, and despite machismo-oriented, he was no hawk, but he would have been some busy bird constantly flying about building something. He would have emerged from with existance with a desire to be active and to build.

He not only lived well, but he had the great personal courage to die well. He was aware of what was happening and faced it clearly, calmly, and with great dignity. As strange as it might seem to some, his example of being 'present' at his own death displayed a level of almost unimaginable gallantry that I find truly inspirational.

Now THAT is a sentiment I can stand behind. I'll buy that t-shirt. His final act in this world was an inspirational act. He lived, and died, by example.

Budo Masters: Paths to a Far Mountain

Michael Clarke published Budo Masters: Paths to a Far Mountain in 2000.

The publisher's note describes Budo Masters as being about some of the teachers who fashioned not only the scenes of martial arts which were being played out all over the world during the days of Roaring Silence (another of Clarke's books), and whose influence, now somewhat diminished by the passage of time, still continues to play a part in the present martial arts world.

Clarke provides the following description of Budo Masters on his blog:

Budo Masters is a series of nine interviews, just some I have conducted with notable sensei from different martial arts and backgrounds over the years. From Judo - Robin O'Tani, from Aikido - Seiichi Sugano, from Jututsu - Jan de Jong, from Kung fu - Tei Seiryu; and finally from karate there are interviews with Shoshin Nagamine, Eiichi Miyazato, Hirokazu Kanazawa and Tatsuo Suzuki, and Shigeru Kimura. Many of these men are no longer with us and so their words and opinions are even more worthy of consideration and preservation.

Too true, too true. That is the reason for this blog site. To preserve for posterity and to share the De Jong story.

De Jong is the only Caucasian budo master included in Budo Masters.

Much of the chapter on Jan de Jong is based on the Fighting Arts International article which was the subject of the previous blog.

With over sixty years of martial arts training behind him, that knowledge is extensive, as is his personal library of books and video tapes. I noticed also, for it was hard not to do so, that he still retains his enthusiasm; not only for jujutsu, but also for silat, and other martial arts.

De Jong's study, where you would most often find him when he was at home, was lined floor to ceiling with shelves filled with books. The magazines were stored in the adjoining room, and special books were kept in his bedroom. Seated in that room talking to De Jong, you felt embraced by this martial arts knowledge.

Dr Suess: 'Be awesome! Be a book nut!' De Jong was awesome.

Dr Suess: 'Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than to remember me and cry.' A sentiment that echoes De Jong.

Clarke's observation concerning De Jong's enthusiasm for jujutsu and silat is accurate. The last time I saw De Jong, three weeks prior to his passing, he ended up demonstrating certain techniques he'd been thinking about, and gave me a sequence of silat moves he wanted me to study and demonstrate in the silat instructor's class. The last thing he said to me was that he was looking forward to seeing the work I'd done on the how-to book on his jujutsu. Being an elderly man, he would sometimes fall asleep while at the table talking, however, when the discussion turned to martial arts, he was always wide awake.

When describing aspects of the jujutsu methods he teaches, he refers to six types of blocks. He also refers to unbalancing methods which includes four types from four different hand grabs. Given the focus on theory to inform practice in the school, the six types of blocks were often referred to as unbalancing methods from moving attacks.

When unbalancing is considered from a biomechanical perspective, it's easy to see that three of the six types of blocks do not physically unbalance an opponent. When this anomaly was raised by myself with senior instructors, certain explanations were provided that attempted to fit practice with theory. These explanations were wrong. These explanations were (a) an exercise in shoehorning, and (b) a misunderstanding of the purpose of classifying blocks. The classification came out of De Jong's silat and was not a classification of unbalancing methods from moving attacks. This serves as a salutary tale where theory is used but does not inform practice; where it is misapplied.

The civilian population lived in fear of their lives, and even a trip to buy food could end in disaster. With no other obvious way open to him to make money, De Jong sensei started teaching jujutsu. After the first year he decided to open his own school and within a few months he had over 300 students enrolled. He never asked the Germans what they thought about this.

I recall De Jong making that comment on many occassions about not asking the Germans what they thought about his teaching jujutsu.

He told me of a time when he and a few friends were walking together and they were approached by some German soldiers. The soldiers were selecting a certain number of Dutch civilians to be executed in reprisal for a Resistance action. Two of the group were selected for execution, obviously not De Jong. When it is your time ... There was no reason the soldiers chose the other two and not De Jong. He showed me a newspaper clipping of the notice in which the execution of the ten people was announced, and for their various 'crimes.'

Back in 1955 I had ten students, but no mats to train on. One day I was demonstrating what we call a 'bridge fall' when both my legs crashed through the floor boards. That's when I definitely decided to get mats!

For a long time I taught only jujutsu. I did have a small number of students to whom I taught silat, but I did this only to maintain my own level of training. Nevertheless, I wasn't too keen to teach silat to westerners at that time. What I did was to wait and see if someone could apply himself really well to jujutsu. I looked to see if I could find people with really good character and attitude. If I found one I would ask him if he would like to study silat.

Each year he receives many requests from jujutsuka around the world by letter, fax and email. The demand is so high that De Jong sensei annually leaves Perth and embarks on a teaching tour around the world. Then he also teaches in other places in Australia, and given the size of the country this involves as much travelling as would a tour of Europe.

Clarke over extends his argument. De Jong's teaching tours were of Europe and not the world. I discussed this with De Jong after attending a number of seminars conducted by Wally Jay in London. Jay conducted world tours; De Jong conducted European tours. De Jong was the equal of Jay in every way. In fact I found, after analysing their seminars in preparation for my own to be presented in Rotterdam, Holland, that they used the same seminar technique to motivate the interest of the attendees, even though they didn't recognise the technique themselves.

Jay used a 'principle' (small circle theory); De Jong adopted a systems approach to understanding and studying his tactics, although he didn't understand he adopted a systems approach and the power of that approach. When I convinced him to adopt that approach in his seminars in southern Sweden one year, the level of interest in De Jong's teachings by instructors was unprecedented.

The difference between Jay and De Jong that explains why the former conducted world tours and the latter only European tours lays in the fact that the former published two books and the latter published none. Jay's two books, it has to be said, are nothing special, but they are publications nonetheless. They promote Jay and his teachings and lend credibility to those teachings. I tried to convince De Jong to publish any how-to book, but he always declined. He said that if they had a book they wouldn't need him. No matter how hard I tried to convince him that the exact opposite would be the case, he wouldn't be convinced.

Dr Suess: 'Oh, the places you'll go. The things you will see!' ... if only you'd have listened to me :).

Michael Clarke and Jan de Jong

Michael Clarke (not the Australian cricket captain) is a noted karateka and a published author. He's had articles published in magazines both in Australian and abroad, and has published a number of books, all to do with the martial arts.

Clarke writes a very informative and interesting blog titled Shinseidokan Dojo (shinseidokandojo.blogspot.com.au)

Remembering the past, but heading for the future - a conversation with jujitsu master Jan de Jong, 8th dan. Australasian Fighting Arts. 1991. 14(6): 11-16.

By anyone's standards Sensei Jan de Jong ... is an impressive man. Not because of his physical build or an overly forceful character, but because of his presence. he is an easy man to relax with and this is due, in part, to his age ... and the fact that he goes out of his way to make you feel welcome.

De Jong describes how he met Rienier Hulsk in Holland in 1940 which started his lifelong jujutsu teaching career.

At that time I was graded 3rd dan by my Sensei, Mr Saito, who lived back in Java. I really needed the money and so that's how I started teaching. Then after a year I decided I would open my own school and within a couple of months I had about 300 students!

Regarding the war:

De Jong: it's not a time I really like to talk about. Because war is such a stupid thing and it turns people into creatures that do the most horrible things to other human beings.

De Jong describes his response to a question posed by his pencak silat teacher, Suhadi:

'Why do you want to do silat? You're a white boy; you should be doing tennis or something like that.' I told him that it was my heart that wants to do silat. I had always been very interested in Indonesian art and the culture, and to me this was a part of that.

De Jong on training silat in Indonesia in late 1940s:

To me it was playing. Things then were not like it is now. You did not have the strict discipline that there is in martial arts classes today. But you know, I think that sometimes you can take discipline too far. For instance, I had a couple of English guys training with me once and they said how nice it was that they could actually talk to me. I asked them what they meant by that, and they told me that in England they could not talk to the Shihan directly unless he spoke to them. Now that's ridiculous, I think. In all the time I was in Japan training I never had rules like that to contend with. I think that's taking things too far.

I actually experienced this when I trained in England, and saw it evident in some instructors on various seminars we presented at in Europe. Not only were you not suppose to talk to the instructor on the mats, but also in the dojo generally, and even outside the dojo. I kid you not.

We often liked to think we were immune to this way of thinking. Generally that was true, but not always. I recall a senior instructor instructing me not to question De Jong during an instructor's class. De Jong taught us very well. If what he was teaching went against the principles he taught us, I suggest it is disrespectful not to question the teaching.

De Jong demonstrating his lifelong love of food in his description of Perth when he emigrated in 1952:

Perth was not a big, modern city it is now. In fact, in many ways it was a backward place. ... Do you know I could not even get a Chinese meal in Perth at that time? Nor could I get an Indonesian meal either. There were three Italian restaurants and that was it!

De Jong explains that he originally didn't teach silat to the general public. Attendance to closed-door training sessions was by invitation only, and only after De Jong had determined the prospective student was of 'good character and attitude.' In the mid sixties there was a large demand for karate instruction, so he relented and advertised classes in the newspaper:

To my surprise, on the day of the classes there were queues of people all the way down the road. Many of the top karate people in Perth started with me around that time. Brian Mackie - who is with Goju Kai now - he stared with me at that time. Also Denis Purvis got to yellow belt in jujutsu before he left me and went his own way.

Mackie is director and chief instructor of the IKGA in Australia, 7th Dan Kyoshi Shihan, and has been teaching at the Karate Academy of Japan in Perth since 1966. Purvis went on to form the Denis Purvis Karate Academy. There was also Branco Bratich who is now Chief Instructor for Yoseikan Ryu Karate Australia.

De Jong explains how he changed the Indonesian way of teaching to fit the Australian culture. Clarke asks if De Jong thought it was a good idea to change the system to suit the students.

Yes, I know what you're saying, but you know you can learn all the time. And if the results are better one way than the other, why carry on in a way that gives poorer results? I'll give you an example. In 1978 a Major Greg Mawkes MBE asked me if I would go and teach the army self-defence. I said okay and soon afterwards found myself teaching members of the SAS and the Commandoes. Shortly after I had started to do this the Major and I had a discussion about things. He told me that he thought the method of fighting was really good and he was pleased with that. But he said the men were having some difficulty understanding it all. I said this was the usual way of things and that my students were the same. He then explained the army did not have unlimited time to spend on this and that what he needed was quick results.

So it was at that point I had to think things through and see what I cold come up with. I looked at the usual way the army taught things and decided I would alter the way I was teaching and come more in line with the army way of doing things. Well, do you know, the people started to pick things up much faster than before, and they could do the techniques much better than before! So I had a talk with my Instructors and said I thought that we should change things so that we were teaching everyone like this. And at that time we changed the way we taught the students. The techniques were still the same, it was only the method of teaching them that was different. And since then things have been much better.

A bit on Mawkes (not included in Clarke's article):

Major Mawkes (Retd) served in the Regular Army for 22½ years including two tours of Vietnam with 1 SAS Squadron. He was appointed as a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to SAS in the 1982 New Year’s Honours list, specifically for establishing Australia’s military counter-terrorist capability.

De Jong's explanation is very telling. It shows that he was results oriented; results being defined in practical terms. It shows his leadership style was often consultative. It also shows his never ending quest for finding better ways to teach.

What's not included in the explanation is the influence of Mochizuki's Yoseikan in De Jong's army-inspired new way of teaching. What was this new way of teaching? As we've seen above, De Jong was not a fan for an 'army style' discipline way of teaching. No, what it was was to divide a tactic into phases in order to be able to better teach, learn, and analyse it. A very readable book on this approach is Gerry Carr's Sport Mechancis for Coaches. This division into phases can be seen in Mochizuki's Nihonden Jujutsu. You can check for yourself. A copy of this book is available for sale on ebay, for US$4,000.

The next few blogs will be devoted to Clarke's works on De Jong.