Ibushi Januzi

I am from Kosovo, and while I was in my country I have been training in Judo and Karate for more than 5 years. But when I came to England I was very interested to start a new style, which is Ju-Jitsu.

Since I started training in Ju-Jitsu I have realised that I have got more confidence in myself and feel I can handle any situation far better than ever I could before, because in Ju-Jitsu we use the power of the attacker and we learn close and distance fighting skills including grappling etc.

Ju-Jitsu, it is not just the art of self-defence, but it is also the art which teach you to respect other people’s responsibilities.

Thanks to my professional instructor Prof Steve McDade 6th Dan and his father and all the other instructors from Total Self Defence.

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Sensei Sally-Anne Smith

I first became interested in Martial Arts in 1987 when I left Cheshire to go to University in London. I felt quite vulnerable in the big bad city and took a self defence course through college. I was very impressed with the simplicity and effectiveness of the basic techniques we were taught, I was also inspired by the trainer being a female black belt.

Years later I did another self defence course with the Metropolitan Police and this reawakened my interest in taking the skills I had learnt further. I didn’t know which martial art would suit me so I checked out a few by sitting in on classes. One night in 1994 I went along with a friend to watch a Ju-Jitsu class in Muswell Hill.

That was it, I was hooked, I liked the fact that all the different levels trained together and how the higher grades were so supportive of the lower belts. Everyone seemed so friendly and I was always treated with the same respect as the boys.

I finally achieved my black belt in 2003 ( I took my time about it) but if you train hard and regularly you can achieve your first Dan within 3 to 4 years. From my point of view, I’d like to see more women making it to higher levels in Martial Arts and the number of women in the classes has grown over the years.

For women, Ju-Jitsu is an especially useful and practical Martial Art because it teaches you real defences against real attack scenarios. Size and strength do not matter as it works whatever your size, it’s all about technique and using them correctly, a poorly executed technique wouldn’t work whether you are an 8 stone female or a 16 stone man. At ‘Total Self Defence’ Jujitsu, emphasis is very much on teaching workable techniques.

Ju-Jitsu is not for the feint hearted, but you are introduced to it slowly and at your own pace, learning basics such as how to break falls and simple blocking techniques, it’s also good fun and can be’ positively’ life changing.

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Muhmet Kosova 1st Dan

My name is Muhamet Kosova I have been training in jiu-jitsu with Total Self defence under the instruction of Prof. Stephen McDade (Shihan) since the year 2ooo and I have reached 1st degree black belt.

I feel that Ju-Jitsu is not only an art of self-defence but is a very enjoyable training experience altogether. It has given me the opportunity to learn more about myself and my capabilities. The training we do helps develop your mind, character, and confidence, and for me personally, has helped me in many ways in many different aspects of life in general.

The skills that I have learnt have improved my co-ordination and balance. I have learnt how to defend myself from all situations including ground fighting, stand up defences, close quarter combat and I am now able to progress to Kobudo (weapons training).

For me, jiu-jitsu has proved to be the martial art that I have been looking for; having studied various other martial arts previously I found jiu-jitsu to be the most realistic and complete form of self-defence.

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Steve Christou 1st Dan

I have been a student of martial arts for the past eleven years. In this time I have tried many arts including Kung Fu, Karate, Kick Boxing and even Capoera. On committing to the Total Self Defence system, I learnt more on how to defend myself in the first six months than I did in all the six years of previous training.

The knowledge within the club is enormous. It is common to have two or three 1st Dan black belts along with at least one 2nd Dan grade on the mat at any one time. it is also a privilege to be on the same mat as Professor Steve McDade 6th Dan. He is always willing to give his time and knowledge to all, from Black Belts to new starters alike.

It is an honour to have achieved the rank of Shodan and I thank everyone in the club for helping me take this first step.

I train to defend my loved ones and to better myself as a person. Whatever your reason for training I look forward to passing on all I have learned.

See you on the mat!