Cobra Staffordshire Ju-Jitsu Club
As I celebrate over 40 years of doing the martial art of Ju-Jitsu I look back at where it all started with a smile . I am extremely proud of the club’s achievements and have seen over 40 students pass their Black Belt and lots of them have gone to to achieve several Dan Grades .
I joined the local Ju-Jitsu club aged 6 years at Chesterton , Staffordshire , England in 1980 with my dad , uncles & cousins under the British Ju-Jitsu Association ran by Dave Griffin & Derek Sproson . We trained twice a week at Chesterton & Kidsgrove . Both Seniors and Juniors did the same syllabus and they worked us hard – male or female . Gradings in those days consisted of the Big Boss Man Prof Clark himself standing at the top of the dojo shouting out techniques from the ‘old’ BJJA syllabus of White , White-one green tab , Green , Brown -one red tab , Brown – two red tabs , Brown three red tabs and finally everyone had to go to the Headquarters in Fazakerley , Liverpool , England to take their Black Belt . We didn’t have brand new obis at each grading , we had to dye our previous belt – so you can imagine the different colours that came out and the dye stained gi’s on the mat . I have had the privilege to be graded by Prof Clark for every grading up until 2007 .
By 1984 , I was 11 years old and I had progressed up to my Brown Belt and was training at various locations mainly with my uke Jason Holford ( left photo ) . I wouldnt think twice about getting in a line up of adults and been thrown about , in fact I loved it . We regularly trained at the Headquarters in Fazakerely on a Monday night where I met and trained under various members of the early World Ju-Jitsu Federation pioneers . The dojo was based in an old cinema with a boxing ring on the stage and an old tatamai style mat made up of large heavy green straw mats held together by a wooden frame with nails on the end to hold the white canvas cover . By 1984 my old club had closed so I had settled at Kyusho-Tai Ju-Jitsu Centre with Sensei Phil Trueman ( a student of my old Sensei Dave Griffin ) who abided by the new WJJF Rules . In 1985 I travelled to the WJJF Headquarters in Liverpool and passed my Black Belt . I had a line up of about 6 seniors on which I had to do my own list of 25 straight throws but Prof Clark didn’t stop there , we kept going and did about double that . ( Nothing new for me as Sensei Dave had trained me up like that ) . I did what is now known as Senior Black Belt even though I was only 12 years old . ( Photo of : Lea Prince , Prof Clark & Deb at WJJF HQ Fazakerley )
A natural progression was for me to open my own club ; and that I did in 1994 at Audley , Staffordshire , England .By 1995 I had become a WJJF Senior Level 3 Instructor & a Technical Officer in 1996 and was a regular examiner at WJJF HQ during their National Black Belt Gradings where in 2001 my first student passed their Black Belt . I was asked to run several Self-Defence courses in Staffordshire by local Youth & Community Officers , Age Concern , Newcastle College and Newcastle-Under-Lyme Regeneration Scheme which lasted for several years until my second club was born at WJJF Chesterton in 1998 . My first student to pass her Black Belt from this club was in 2004 . At this time I was running 3 clubs in Audley , Chesterton and had recently took over my old club at Congleton . Now have a total of 100+ students and continued to combine the clubs with Bi-annual Gradings at Congleton Leisure Centre where Prof Robert Clark or Alan Campbell attended along with other Technical Officers from HQ every year . I became a registered International coach for the Females in Martial Arts WJJF Forum in 2004 which helped me to promote professional development skills for women by encouraging more women to enter the world of martial arts . By 2004 I had 6 students of my own to pass their Black Belt and 4 of them were female . ( Photo Katia Robinson-Tillotson , Deb & Kate Bonney )
WJJF Staffordshire celebrated 15 years of success in 2007 , I had passed my 4th Dan and City & Guilds NVQ Level 2 in Sports & Recreation ( Coaching , Teaching & Instructing Children & Adults in Ju-Jitsu ) by 2008 . My son had started Ju-Jitsu and one of my proudest moments was watching him pass his Junior Black Belt in 2012 at WJJF HQ in Fazakerley , England . He went on to reach Gtb 4 and pass his Senior Black in 2022 .
In 2015 I was appointed a member of the WJJF Management Team where I promoted Females in Martial Arts and published several issues of the WJJF Newsletter . In 2016 I was asked to run a Self-Defence course by a company called Bee Active who promote sports for children . From that I set up my 3rd club WJJF Blurton , Staffordshire . I am proud to announce that my first student to pass his Black Belt from this club was in April 2023 .
In 2020 I had to adapt to Covid-19 Rules and so created zoom lessons for my students which proved popular and so the club survived into 2021 . I asked my students to use cushions as pads and encouraged their siblings and parents to join in . I also got them to make their own weapons . Ploughing on through all the Covid Rules & Regulations we managed to stay open , abiding by the 2 meter rules & Bubble group training . As a reward for my dedication throughout Covid I was promoted to the Title of Renshi ( polished instructor ) and presented with a 40 Years Loyalty Certificate from the WJJF .
In 2021 the WJJF joined Cobra Martial Arts Association and I passed several courses through the CMAA including Level 1 Instructor , First Aid and Self-Defence Instructor . I was promoted to 6th Dan in Ju-Jitsu and transferred my clubs to the CMAA in 2022. The CMAA recognises all known styles whether they are Traditional, Freestyle or Mixed and with several thousand members throughout the United Kingdom and Europe it opens the door to learn from the other martial artists . Instructors are allowed to teach their own syllabus and have it verified . This was important to me as I needed to expand and so set to work on my own syllabus using skills that I had previously learned . I continue to teach Prof Clarks Ju-Jitsu which reflects its emphasis on manipulating an opponent’s own strength against them. It is a mixture of all different martial arts and uses a wide range of throwing, joint manipulation, blocking and striking techniques and weapon work including Katana , Tonfa , Sai , Nunchaku , Kama , Naginata , Bo & Jo . Based on the code of the Samurai warrior ( bushido code ) from Japan you will hear quite a lot of Japanese words used in our dojos . I have broken each grade down into 10 sections ; Rules of the Dojo , Breakfalls , Strikes & Kicks , Blocks & Strikes , Escapes , Techniques , Throws , Locks , Kata , Multiple Attacks & Weaponry . As we start off with White Belt each section builds on the basics , gradually progressing up to Black Belt where each section has complicated combinations and applications . We continue use our Merit Badge System which allows everyone the chance to be rewarded for their efforts during training . There is a badge for everyone irrelevant of grade but most are grade related so that you can work towards your next goal . Our Demonstrations are legendary and are a display of the blocks , strikes , katas , weaponry & the techniques that we do .
I have met so many WJJF masters ( too many to mention ) & other wonderful people through Ju-Jitsu , some who have remained friends for over 30 odd years and I look forward to meeting many more through Cobra . Our club certainly has started a family tradition , stemming from my grandad , dad , me , my uncles & cousins followed by both my husband and son joining us , so it makes me feel really old when some of my original students have also brought their children and the grandchildren to train at the club throughout the years .
2022 was a steep learning curve for me and I would like to thank all of the instructors , students & parents for all of the support that they have given over the past year . In 2024 Staffordshire Ju-Jitsu club will be celebrating 30 years and I would like to thanks to our long-term instructors Jason Holford , Katia Robinson-Tillotson & Cameron Forster-Sargent who are still with me today along with John Kenny . Special heartfelt thanks go out to my mum Pam Forster ( who still does the admin for the club with the help of Julie Edwards ) for her 40 years of support and encouragement .In 2023 the club is still going from strength to strength ; we have 7 Junior Black Belts and 6 Senior Dan Grades who are all on the National Black Belt Register which can be found at www.blackbeltregister.co.uk . We also have 13 Junior Cadet Leaders and 4 Level 1 Instructors . This is our first year with the CMAA and I cannot thank Andy Morrell enough for all of his support and look forward to future . We have already attended some of his courses and our students cant wait to attend more . Even though Ju-Jitsu can trace its history back over 2,000 years , it is still relevant in today's society as it lends itself to so many self-defence skills . My goal is to continue promoting Prof Clark amazing legacy through teaching his Ju-Jitsu combining both traditional and modern techniques and along with my wonderful Team of helpers making it accessible to all .
See our 2023 poster below . Please contact Renshi Deb or Pam for further information .
