Seminars
David Walker
Mat Wisdom, Street Lessons
​Since starting Jiu Jitsu in 1979 David Walker has had the opportunity to study under some of our most influential Jiu Jitsu Sensei including Hanshi Matthew Komp, Shihan Brian Graham and most notably Sensei Peter Farrar. Outside of TJJF David has also trained with many of the founding figures of Jiu Jitsu in the UK and abroad. In his session David will be sharing some of the techniques and skills he learnt from his own instructors underpinned by real life Jiu Jitsu stories from the mat and the street. Be prepared to expect quite a bit of humour and irreverence in the session without overstepping the mark. Sensei David will take us through the close quarters Jiu Jitsu approaches he learnt from Shihan Graham, the darker side of Jiu Jitsu taught by Sensei Farrar and the perils of relying too much on the physical side of Jiu Jitsu to get out of tricky street conflicts. To end the session Sensei David will introduce us to some of his favourite state dependent training approaches to recreate ‘real life’ situations in a safe training environment to help us
Simon Ogden
Holding space and taking space - sutemi waza principles into clinch work.
This seminar will cover the why of sutemi-waza, style of ukemi, the connection for ukemi as introduction to the session, then start with Nage-No-Kata’s tomoe-nage.
Then we’ll highlight the posture required for connection in sutemi waza (i.e. the fighters crouch) using tomoe-nage and sumi-gaeshi, which all cover the holding space requirement when there is resistance.
We will then cover the “disappearing” versions of tomoe-nage and sumi-gaeshi during randori and the why in a neutral structure exchange, into makikomi-nage as renraku-waza. All looking at taking the space.
If there's time, we can transition those concepts into a brief look at clinch work, and out-fighting - so it links to other classes being taught.
Raj Soren
Tag Team Combat Seminar: Unlock Your Martial Arts Potential!
Join us for an exciting Combat and Sparring Seminar designed for martial arts enthusiasts of all levels! This seminar emphasizes teamwork through a unique tag team format. Team up for kick defense drills and light sparring sessions that will enhance your reflexes and put your core skills to the test. Discover the fundamentals of grappling as you learn essential takedowns and submissions, and multiple attackers all while supporting one another. Don’t miss this opportunity to sharpen your skills and build lasting connections with fellow martial arts practitioners!
Cameron Edmunds
Single leg X - is it a good choice?
This seminar will cover:
- Context - where it sits within the layers of your defence, its uses and limits.
- Entries - what triggers to use to know when to enter this guard and how to do it.
- The tactical battles to maximize efficacy.
- Techniques against the "uninitiated".
- Techniques against various lines of resistance, I.e. turning away to extract the leg, dropping to the rear knee, stripping outside leg etc.
- Transition into other guards.
We will look at the guard across back takes, leg locks, sweeps, wrestle ups etc. So no specific theme or concept other than boosting general knowledge.
Steve Donaghy
Core skills: what it means & how to use it across the board to develop your Jiu Jitsu
This seminar will focus on what 'core skills' really means and why it is so useful for your Jiu Jitsu. It will include a variety of examples, ranging from striking, throwing, locking, and grabs, to knives, blunt weapons and multiple attackers.
We will examine some fundamental yes/no questions you should be asking yourself when developing each of these areas, as well as attack drills so that your Jiu Jitsu is guaranteed to improve. Grades only.
Ian Lambert
Big Throw, Little Fall
This technical seminar will explore the subtlety of kuzushi (balance-taking) in the timing and effectiveness of throws that control the shoulder. With a focus on the uke, this course is ostensibly an exploration of embu (harmonious training, aiming for perfected flow) and ukemi (falling), suitable for novices with a few weeks of falling experience to senior black belts. Instructors will be interested in this tried and tested approach to teaching advanced throwing safely and without injury. By the end of the class, all students will be able to perform and, more importantly, fall safely from an advanced throw.
Juniors (under 18s) are welcome, but smaller ones might consider bringing a similarly sized training partner.
To warm down, if there is time, we will explore the application of some unfashionable locks.
Simon Barnett
Force necessary
In this course we will breakdown the reasons why people attack you into four categories. Then through some memorable drills we will explore de-escalation, pre-emptive and counteroffensive responses to improve your chances of going home and not hospital or jail.
Kia Dunn
At the Centre of Every Technique
There is a paradox in long training: practice any technique long enough and its parts can blend together to something singular, essential. This can be beneficial for execution, but opaque to explanation. As anyone who has started teaching can tell you, doing is one thing, understanding another.
This seminar will explore locking and throwing technique through the lenses of two concepts: tanden, which will help us understand the notion of centre; and shinshuku, which entails the relationship between extension and compression.
The aim is that you leave with not only new ways of deploying your techniques, but the concepts needed to understand why they flow or resist you and adapt; concepts which will help you explain, refine, and pass on what you’ve learned.
Charlie "Richard" Robinson
Capitalise on your Clinch!
Many fights end up getting up close and personal and we end up in a clinch scenario desperately trying to seize some form of advantage. In this seminar you will improve your clinch work, ensuring you have options to strike, take balance, and even throw. You will also learn how to defend yourself against attacks in the clinch.
At the end, those who wish can do some sparring clinch work to see who can get the best advantage.
Andreas Lerch
Jitsu from the Ground Up
In this seminar we will start on the ground and work our way up. How do you move from a position of disadvantage to a position that is even to one of advantage? What are the fundamentals to bear in mind there? The seminar will cover the main themes we have been working on in the Vienna Jitsu club over the past year: keeping yourself safe on the ground, throwing fundamentals and having a Plan B. We will do this through a mix of teaching, situational sparring and combination drills that put all
these aspects together. Expect a fun, varied seminar that challenges everyone according to the level and pace they are comfortable with.
Davis Cook
Asymmetrical winning conditions - beyond technique to strategy
All sports have the same winning conditions for participants, while for self defence the conditions differ for each participant (for example, survival vs submission). We’ll start by looking at how to develop appropriate competitive strategies to win in a sport context, then how these need to be adapted for self-defence, and close with how this can evolve your learning and teaching strategies.
The session will focus less on tactical aspects of jiu jitsu and more on strategic decision making; I'll run some pre-seminar WhatsApp conversations to provide a more personalised learning journey for everyone that joins!
Karen Lambert
Change in the moment
Henka-waza, or transitions in Jiu Jitsu are vital to our training. When a technique is blocked or countered, what happens next? When Uke blocks or counters Tori's technique, we will explore the momentary vulnerability of Uke which Tori can exploit and transition to another technique. We will start with some technical transitions and move towards participants utilizing their skills and knowledge to come up with their own Henka-waza techniques. By the end of this session, participants will be able to respond when their techniques are countered and transition fluidly showing awareness, timing and adaptability. This seminar is suitable for all grade levels.
Simon Ogden (standing in for Stenfinn Olivecrona)
Clinch System of Olivecrona Jiu Jitsu
​We’ll be teaching the four full clinches of OJJ, the first steps of learning to apply Jiu Jitsu in a dynamic fight setting. You’ve built your tools with learning techniques from Shorinji Kan Jiu Jitsu, now use OJJ as a system to utilise those tools.
José María Vaquer
Intelligent atemi or how to combine strikes with throws
Strikes, or atemi, are a fundamental part of practice, especially in self-defense contexts. However, we often focus on strikes and neglect the technique itself. This leads to strikes and techniques being applied in ways that are contradictory to the movement and the position of the uke.
In this seminar, we will explore different types of atemi, considering the position of the uke at the moment of executing a throw or projection, emphasizing fluidity of movement and coherence between strikes and techniques.
Andy Clifton
The power in the circle
In this seminar Andy will take apart some well-known techniques and demonstrate how to generate a large amount of power using speed, posture and positioning. You will learn how to connect with with an attack, gain ‘control of the circle’ and how you can build impact through timing and technique. The aim will be to explore some core principles that you can use to adapt and build your own personal Jitsu.
It will start slowly and gently to develop the concepts building to include some more realistic attacks and fast break falls.
Anna Hunt
Jiu Jitsu, your way
Jiu jitsu for me is all about using my body in the most effective way possible to apply techniques. As I've gotten older, this is even more important as I'm not as strong as I used to be and can't rely on grip strength to control my opponent. Come to my seminar where we explore your current training practices and how to adapt them for improving your longevity in Jiu Jitsu.
Ady Tredwell
Drills & Thrills - Converting your Jiu Jitsu Knowledge into Experience
This seminar will include a series of scenarios that will explore situational awareness.
Scenarios will enable you to assess the threat and self-assessing your own personal tools, skills and abilities to identify your most effective way to deal with the situation.
The scenarios will escalate and de-escalate as necessary to enable reflection and learning. This will include self learning and learning from peers.
We will also explore fighting back from a position of disadvantage.
The mat will be open to any grade or experience, but it will be physically demanding.
You will utilise the skills you already have, so higher grade Jitsuka will have an advantage, or will they?
Paul Huston
What is kenjutsu’s place in modern unarmed techniques?
While modern jujitsu focuses heavily on empty-hand combat, its roots are deeply tied to kenjutsu and battlefield arts. Many jujitsu techniques—particularly disarms, joint locks, and tactical positioning—originated from samurai-era systems where unarmed skills complemented sword combat. Studying kenjutsu enhances a practitioner’s understanding of maai (combative distance), timing, and the biomechanics of leverage, all critical in jujitsu’s evolving pedagogy. Paul will be exploring the principles that bridges tradition with practicality, offering students an opportunity to explore how historical weapons arts inform contemporary self-defense.
Andrew Edwards
What grapplers can learn from Strikers - Part 2
In Vienna we looked at aspects of forms (kata), stances and punching combos. In Argentina we will be focusing on kicks by working on body mechanics, pivoting and pad drills. We will look at kicks from Martial Arts, Martial Sports and combative standpoints. So bring your glutes - it will be leg day.
Matt Susac
Leaf on the Wind Seminar: Don’t Sacrifice Uke
Explore the art of ukemi applied from sutemi waza (sacrifice throws). We will be playing with some advanced ukemi, a fancy way of saying “probably not the way it's taught on your syllabus”. There will be a large focus on uke, their breakfalling and role in training. Be the best uke you can be to help tori (the other person) look/learn better. Ideally green and above.
Adam Rings
Getting a Firm Grip: The Gentle Art of Using Both Hands
My seminar is about how we can use 2 on 1 control to implement the Jiu Jitsu you already know in different ways.
We will look at alternative ways to break balance and structure through movement, striking, locking and continuation techniques to apply our Jiu Jitsu in a more problem solving, and organic approach.