Dec 08, 2023
It has been a busy couple of months for Southampton Jiu Jitsu to close out the year, with something seemingly happening every weekend. But there have been a couple of major highlights which have proven conclusively that 2023 was a great year for the club.
First, major congratulations to our own Jonathan He for achieving bronze in the dark blue category at the annual Atemi Nationals. Held in Sheffield, the Atemis is the heart of what we do: a weekend of great training, tough competition and socialising with friends across the country. The next national event will be the Randori nationals in May 2024 - see you there?
But whilst we were still recovering, 7 of our members (2 adults and 5 juniors) were put through their paces at a grading, and we are pleased to announce a 100% pass rate! These accomplishments reflect the hard work, dedication, and perseverance of our members. Each belt represents not only a new level of expertise but also a commitment to continuous improvement in the art of Jiu Jitsu.
- Alex C: Promoted to Junior Yellow
- Alexis: Successfully achieved Yellow 1
- Chris: Achieved Orange 2
- Finn: Promoted to Junior Purple
- Isabel: Advanced to Junior Light Blue
- Simone: Attain Junior Yellow 1
- Zara: Earned her Junior Light Blue
Last session of the year will be Dec 21st, and we will return on Jan 4th. Until then, have a fantastic Christmas from everyone at Southampton Jiu Jitsu!
Nov 18, 2023
Southampton's junior Jiu-Jitsu squad once again left an indelible mark at the TJJF Junior Nationals in Walsall last weekend, showcasing their skills and determination. The entire squad walked away with well-deserved proof of their success.
Isabelle's outstanding performance secured her a gold medal, a testament to her dedication and prowess on the mat. Zara and Finn displayed impressive skills, earning them silver and bronze medals, respectively. capping off the day on a high note, Alex B clinched the title of junior national champion by emerging victorious in the open competition.
The instructors and fellow students of Southampton Jiu Jitsu are bursting with pride for Isabelle, Zara, Alex, and Finn. These achievements not only highlight the individual talents of these rising stars but also underscore the club's commitment to fostering sportsmanship, healthy development, and instilling valuable life skills in its members. Congratulations once again to Southampton's junior Jiu-Jitsu sensations!
Apr 04, 2023
After months of hard training, the under 18s in the club had their opportunity to put their skills to the test in our Spring Junior Assessment. We are pleased to announce the presentation of SEVEN new belts to our fantastic juniors. Congratulations to:
- Simone - graded to 8th Kyu (Red) from Novice
- Leilani - graded to 9th Kyu (White w/ Red) from Novice
- Ian - graded to 7th Kyu (White w/ Orange) from Yellow
- Callum - graded to 7th Kyu (White w/ Orange) from White w/ Yellow
- Zara - graded from 6th Kyu (White w/ Green) from Yellow
- Blake - graded from 5th Kyu (Green) from Orange
- Alex - graded to to 7th Kyu (White w/ Yellow) from Novice
An incredible performance by all. Well done for coming and showing off!
Mar 25, 2023
Congratulations to Milo and Alex for representing Southampton Jiu Jitsu at this year's Junior Randori Nationals and coming out victorious!
Alex B won gold in standing and ground resulting in one overall gold medal. He also won gold in the open.
Milo (for whom this was his first tournament) fought in the ground competition and came away with silver.
Amazing performance and a great day out with Sensei Sarah and various other instructors and students from around the country. Now it's down to the adults to see if they came score similar victories in the adult nationals!
Dec 22, 2022
Please be aware that there will be no training tonight. This is despite tonight having been previously advertised as our final session of the year.
The instructor group would like to take this opportunity to say well done to everyone who trained this year (even for one session!) and for your continued support of the club. It has been a fantastic year, now let's give everyone a good couple of weeks of RR&R (rest, relaxation and recovery!) and come back with a bang in January.
First session back is Thursday January 5th 2023! See you all there! đź’Ş
Dec 08, 2022
November has been a busy month for Southampton Jitsu, with both the junior and senior Atemi Nationals competition, followed by a grading to take us into December. But it was not without results!
Juniors Kiran and Alex headed to Walsall (properly accompanied of course) to represent SJC’s juniors and came out with a medal each: Kiran won a silver medal in his belt category, while Alex won gold in both his belt category and the large open. This continues our streak of victories at junior competitions; long may it continue.
Then the latter half of the month saw a trip to Sheffield for the adult Atemis. Together we embarked on a fantastic two days of training (and some drinking…) with some of the best Jitsuka from this country - and beyond! It was great to see and mingle with Vienna Jiu Jitsu International, which now includes SJC alumni Jose. Great to see you again, Jose, see you again at the internationals!
The weekend was another success as both Anthony and Jonathan represented the club in the competition, and Jonathan came away with a silver medal in his blue belt category. Meanwhile, Senseis Alex, Sarah and Justin got to flex their vocal chords as mat controllers.
And last, but certainly not least, we closed out the month with a grading, where Isabelle, Anthony, Alex and Jonathan successfully graded to green, orange, light blue and dark blue belts respectively. Fantastic to see all the hard work paying off.
Unless anything dramatic happens at the Christmas party (let’s hope not bar perhaps a few hot toddies… sorry Sensei Alex!) that probably represents the last of the news for this year. Bring on 2023! Until then, congratulations again to Alex B, Kiran B, Antony, Isablle, Jonathan and everyone else who has trained with us this year. You have all done us proud.
Oct 06, 2022
Blue or White Judogis can now be worn in training, competition and at gradings.
After recent feedback from students and instructors, the tertiary board of The Jiu Jitsu Foundation unanimously voted this week to allow anyone to wear a blue judogi, instead of the traditional white one.
TJJF prides itself on being a progressive martial arts organisation, while also being respecting of our tradition and roots. Consequently, although this is probably the first major change to our uniform in the last twenty years, it has been universally welcomed.
SJC instructors have already embraced this and were sporting new blue gis at our Monday session. We look forward to wearing them at the upcoming atemi nationals in November.
Students should note that we request please, if possible, for either a white or blue to be worn and not a mix and match of the two.
Jul 18, 2022
Hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying the hot weather (and taking proper measures to keep yourself safe of course!); we certainly did, as SJC this Saturday went to Cardiff for the first EVER Welsh Junior Nationals. It was a great day out bonding as a club, meeting lots of other students and instructors from around the country and engaging in some friendly competition.
And what a result it was, as four SJC students proudly represented the club on the winners' podium. In their respective belt categories:
- Joe went away with Silver in the Yellow Belt category;
- Finn scored Silver in the Green belt category;
- Kiran came away with Gold in Green belt; and
- Alex won gold in the Purple belt category.
However, it didn't stop there, as Finn, Kiran and Alex placed respectively 3rd, 2nd and 1st in the open competition!
We're all very proud of them all; it's a fantastic result for the club and for the students, two of which had only been their current belt for a little over a week. Most importantly, it was a great day out, with a fun time had by all.
Jun 07, 2022
Southampton Jiu Jitsu will be holding a club grading tonight in place of the usual session (Thursday July 7th 2022).
Please do not come to train unless you are grading or intending to uke.
Best of luck to all those who are grading, and we are looking forward to seeing all our members back on Monday, where we will hopfefully be handing out lots of shiny new belts!
May 24, 2022
I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!
Last week marked the club's 2022 AGM meeting; thanks to all who participated and contributed their opinions. The constant feedback and input from all our members is vital to the continued progress of the club!
Afer much discussion, we have opted to extend the Monday session for adults only to optionally 9pm (juniors will continue to finish at 8:30 as previous). Also for Thursdays, we are going to be trialling an earlier session start of 7pm, to bring it in line with Monday. Both of these changes will be reviewed in a month's time.
The motivation for these changes is that we have been struggling lately to find time to fit in desired material given the higher numbers of people (a good problem to have certainly!). We also wanted to align the sessions a bit closer for clarity.
The timing is strategic; we are aiming to hold a grading in the next couple of months, and anyone hoping to grade should really be aiming and make it to both sessions when they can.
Thanks, see you on the mat!
