Visiting this site generally means that you are interested in learning Martial Arts or perhaps you are a parent looking for a club for your children. On this page you will find some information on what to expect from your first session as well as some answers to frequently asked questions
THE FIRST LESSON
At
reACTION
your safety is our first priority.
Despite the combat based nature of Jiu Jitsu we want all
our students to
be safe and comfortable at all times.
Because of this your first few lessons are likely to
involve tumbling
drills to ensure you can safely fall when training with a partner.
Prior
to
beginning training we request that you inform us of any pre-existing
issues
which may influence your training experience and also further contact
details
(for emergency use)
Untill
you decide to join we do not require
students to wear a gi, just normal sportswear will suffice – we do
generally
recommend long pants rather than shorts for personal comfort
FAQ
Q1 How
long will it take to get my black belt???
This is a
common question which is very difficult to answer accurately. It depends on the prior experience of the
student, their work ethic and their natural abilities.
Q2 How
much does it cost???
reACTION
has a range of payment options available depending on the type of membership
and the frequency of training, please speak to an instructor for information on a membership
plan which best suits you.
Q3 What
is the best style of martial art??
We
obviously have a bias towards Jiu Jitsu as we believe it encompasses the full
range of fighting distances. At
reACTION we try to teach our students
how to cope with self defense situations from a range of distances including
techniques such as striking, grappling, wrestling and immobilization of
opponents. Other martial arts may
highlight one area of fighting ie punching and kicking and not really pay any
attention to another like clinching or wrestling but we aim to teach a general
range of skill to give you options from all ranges in a self defense situation. For more detail see Information on
Martial Arts Styles.
Q4 Do
I have to register with the police if I achieve a high level of martial arts
skill??
This form
of urban legend appears to be hard to shake off …. I don’t know what movie it
came from but let’s be realistic. A
skilled softball player is more likely to kill somebody with a bat in a fight
and they don’t have to go to the police and get registered.
Q5 How
long until I learn to kill with one punch???
Theories
abound this style of training and as a general rule we don’t encourage this
type of thinking. Firstly the constant
levels of training required to maintain the necessary technique is impossible
to achieve in part of something you consider a hobby and secondly we want our
students to be able to safely (and legally) defend themselves using reasonable
levels of force depending on the situation.
Q6 Why
should girls do martial arts?? Everybody knows guys are stronger and will
always win
Sweeping
generalisations are exactly that …. sweeping, Men being always stronger is no
more true than saying tall people are better at basketball, or that women are
worse drivers. We aim to provide our
students with a range of skills and the confidence to use them which should
improve their chances of successful resolution in a self defense
situation. It’s small minded ideas like
this which have perpetuated the “women are victims” mentality and have stopped
many women rising above this untrue stereotype because they have let themselves
be convinced of this fallacy. I like to
remind my students of the hare and the fox fable and compare it to a self
defense situation; the fox was only running for its lunch, the hare was running
for its life – Survival is a HUGE motivating factor.
Q7 What’s
with this contact thing? If I wanted to roll around on the ground with someone
I would have joined a different sort of club
To be truly
prepared for a self defense situation a skilled martial artist should be
comfortable at a range of distances. It doesn’t matter how skilled you are if
you are too busy being put off by the fact that the attacker is too close you
are unlikely to rapidly react with an efficient and effective defense. In self defense situations response time
matters so being worried about how “gay” it might be having a guy pin you up
against the wall might be a luxury you don’t have time for.
Q8 My
dad always told me that all it took was a good kick in the nuts, why bother
with all these other options???
At reACTION
we want to provide our students with options which will enable them to counter
effectively in a wide variety of situations, just in case that “magic bullet”
the old kick in the nuts either doesn’t work or isn’t an option.
Q9 How
often do I need to practice?? Do I need to go to the gym every day to
supplement my training??
As with any
skill the key to mastering jiu jitsu is practice, but we aim to provide a wide
and varied rage of options to meet the needs and abilities of all members. You don’t have to be a big huge muscle bound
gym bunny to be able to successfully defend yourself but cross training can aid
your endurance and add additional skills to your arsenal. As our members
develop their skill base they are encouraged to develop their own style (this
enables them to highlight their strengths and attempt to develop ways to
overcome things they have trouble with).
Q10 Do
you do kata?
We believe
the most important skill we can teach to a martial artist is versatility and
open mindedness. As part of this we
encourage our students to always train with a partner so they are constantly
learning how to deal with the fact that all people are different and modifying
their response accordingly. Because of
this we don’t do kata in the traditional sense of the word but we do have a
structured syllabus for people to work through.
Q11
What is the difference between Jiu Jitsu and Karate ? or Judo?
See Information on Martial Arts Styles.
Q12
Do you teach weapon techniques?
As part of our traditional
syllabus we do not cover weapon techniques as we consider ourselves
predominantly a self defense based art.
Our self defense syllabus includes defenses against weapon, but not how
to use a weapon defensively as carrying a weapon is potentially illegal.
Q13
What is the difference between Jiu Jitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
The most
important factor that differentiates Brazilian Jiu-jitsu from most schools of
Japanese Jiu jutsu, is that BJJ places much more emphasis on ground fighting.
This is responsible for BJJ's great strengths in ground fighting, and also for
its relative weakness in standing techniques, which some remedy by cross
training.
Q14
Do you train full contact?
At reACTION
we believe that there are key concepts which can be learned without the need
for constant full contact training. Also
the use of joint locks and strangles are very specialized skills and better
learned at a controlled contact level to minimise the risk to training
partners. We also encourage flexibility
in our defensive response and think that always using full contact techniques
can limit your options.
Q15
Is there any opportunity for international level competition?
Competitors
on the SJJ tournament circuit can qualify as
jiu jitsu FAQ