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Yawarakai Ju Jitsu & where it comes from.

  Ju Jitsu – Gentle Science 

Ever since I can remember I have had an admiration for the Martial Arts and Combat Sports such as No Holds Barred, Boxing and Wrestling.

Fed early on a diet of Bruce Lee movies, UFC/Pride/NHB and other great sporting events such as Boxing and Olympic Judo.

Legends like Sokaku Takeda (Daito Ryu Aiki ju-jitsu), Morihei Ueshiba (Aikido), Jigiro Kano (Judo), Bruce Lee (Jeet Kune Do), the Gracie family (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu), Rocky Marciano (boxing) amongst others became my heroes, role models and mentors and gave me the determination and passion to pursue the idea of training in these arts.

I began training in South Africa in 1980 at the age of 10 in Goju Ryu Karate under Sensei Colin and his wife Sempai Susan, which I carried on till 1983. Then after two years of experimenting in other styles I decided that boxing was the way to go to get a more realistic impression to self-defence, I trained at Malvern Amateur Boxing Club (Johannesburg) under Coach Greg Ferreira from 1985 to 1988 where I competed in National Tournaments.

Then due to a bad car accident in 1990 whilst completing my National Service in the South African Air Force, I was advised never to do full contact sport again.

So I began to search for a martial art that offered realistic self-defence training with minimum risk to injuries. A style where you could train hard, with an almost no rules realistic attitude and still not get hurt.

I trained Togakure Ninjitsu for a brief period under Sensei Lai Claasens in 1991, before settling in Goshin Ryu (Hard style) and Gishin Ryu (Soft style) Ju Jitsu and Aiki Jitsu at Samurai Dojo South Africa under Ex-Springbok Judo Champions Sensei Mel Miller (4^th Dan Judo, 5^th Dan Ju Jitsu), Sensei Mickey Davidow (? Dan Judo, 7^th Dan Ju Jitsu) , Sensei Brad Hoffman (3^rd Dan Ju Jitsu) and Sensei Michael Goldstein (3^rd Dan Ju Jitsu).

I was very fortunate to have travelled to France in 1993, 1994, 1996 where I trained Judo under Sensei Marcel Pietri (5^th Dan), Aikido under Sensei Werner (4^th Dan) and in 1999 Judo under Sensei Eric Colleuil (5^th Dan)

After 4 years of dedication and hard training, I was graded and recognised by the United Nations of Ju Jitsu and Southern Gauteng Ju Jitsu Council at Samurai Dojo Johannesburg to Brown Belt - junior instructor.

In 1995 I opened a Samurai Ju Jitsu Dojo in the Sandton area (Johannesburg) together with Sensei Brad Hoffman.

March 1996 I was graded and recognised by the United Nations of Ju Jitsu and Southern Gauteng Ju Jitsu Council at Samurai Dojo Johannesburg to Shodan-1^st Degree Black Belt Instructor.

Shortly afterward Sensei Brad Hoffman left Sandton Samurai Dojo to pursue other interests, handed and later sold me full ownership of the Sandton Dojo.

I then went on to open another Sandton Dojo in 1996 to 1997 at the Ernest Ullman Recreation Park and thus changed the name of both Dojos’ to Sandton Ju Jitsu Academy.

Due to the fact that Sensei Mel Miller had retired from active training, I began to seek out any other system with similar principles and cross train in order to improve myself, keep progressing and stay true to the original style of Aiki Jutsu and Ju Jitsu developed by Sensei Mel Miller with his emphasis on Gishin Ryu (Soft style) Ju Jitsu.

1997 I started training Tenshin Shinyo Ryu Ju Jitsu with Sensei Peter Healey whom I have become good friends with. I also trained under Sensei Norman Robinson who is one of the worlds leading exponents when it comes to Judo, Ju Jitsu and Karate.

Between 1997 and 2000 I was fortunate to train Judo, Ju Jitsu, Wrestling and Sumo with Sensei Mark Robinson (Multiple World Champion), Sensei Dave Hutchinson (Judo – 6^th Dan Black Belt - Japan) and Sensei Fred Kern (Judo - 5^th Dan  - USA)

1998 I was graded and recognised by the United Nations of Ju Jitsu and Southern Gauteng Ju Jitsu Council at Samurai Dojo Johannesburg to Nidan 2^nd Degree Black Belt.

Thanks to these great Sensei's I was able to work with freedom and discover my own way in the martial arts.

The style "Yawarakai" (meaning soft in Japanese) was officially named in April 2000. It is the projection of my interpretation, personality, self-expression in- and passion for- the art of Ju Jitsu.

The Sandton Dojo has and still continues to be a very successful club, where anyone of any size shape, age and style can come and learn Ju Jitsu and have fun doing so!

Oct 2000 I had the pleasure in giving the club over to one of my highest graded and dedicated students and friend Ruairi Sheridan (Graded and Recognised by the United Nations of Ju Jitsu and Southern Gauteng Ju Jitsu Council at Yawarakai Dojo Johannesburg to Shodan-1^st Degree Black Belt Instructor in Yawarakai Ju Jitsu. - June 2000) who still maintains the highest standard if not higher than my own! As I immigrated to the United Kingdom, London where I now live, work and teach Yawarakai Ju Jitsu

This style, Yawarakai, has stayed true to the original style taught by Sensei Mel Miller (5th Dan) and Sensei Mickey Davidow (7th Dan) in their dojos, while adapting to the new breed of hybrid Martial Arts constantly emerging worldwide.

Yawarakai teaches the traditional side of Ju Jitsu and Aiki Jutsu while also finding the most effective techniques for self-defence in the street and balances this with a touch of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and No-Hold-Barred fighting/Vale Tudo.

We strive to find the most devastating attacks, the most energy-efficient diffusions, blocks and parry's and the most sensible street-effective submissions and finishes while still training in a traditional art with a 2 500 year history and development.

 Maximum Effect, Minimum Effort!

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By: Greg Blatt Head of Yawarakai Ju Jitsu International

Ju-Jitsu (the gentle art) is among the most effective and potentially destructive martial arts. It is one of the most ancient martial arts, dating back over 2,500 years. Ju-Jitsu is also the basis for many of the more modern arts, including Judo (Nage Waza), Karate (Atemi Waza), Aikido (Katame Waza) and Kobu Jitsu (Weaponary). A student proficient in the art of Ju-Jitsu has studied techniques and applications that are a combinationa of all of these and other martial arts. A student proficient in the art has the option of doing great bodily harm to his adversary. The practitioner also has the choice of causing his opponent to sense severe pain without any actual injury taking place.

Because of this potential, the serious Ju-Jitsu student also accepts a philosophy of non-violence: a physical confrontation should be avoided whenever possible. The Ju-Jitsu student must adopt an attitude of self-control: He must bend like the willow. All of these will help the student become a better person and, at the same time, help him avoid unnecessary confrontations. It is the inner peace and confidence that the student develops that makes this possible. Patience is the key.

A properly trained student will do everything possible to avoid a physical confrontation, not only because he knows that such a confrontation is unnecessary, but also because he knows that he has a better than average chance of successfully defending himself (therefore, proving it is unnecessary), and because a physical confrontation is philosophically degrading, as it indicates that all other means of avoidance have failed. If it is necessary to use Ju-Jitsu against an adversary, the student must still use self-restraint and good judgment. He must use his knowledge only to protect himself and others from harm, and then only to the extent to protect and remove himself from the situation.

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