Portugal Ju-Jitsu |
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| Training Times | Infants (5-8 yrs) |
Juniors (8-13 yrs) |
Intermediates (13-16 yrs) |
Adults (16 yrs +) |
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| Mondays | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 8:00pm - 9:00pm | ||||||
| Wednesdays | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 8:00pm - 9:00pm | ||||||
| Fridays | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 7:00pm - 8:00pm | 8:00pm - 9:00pm | ||||||
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| General Information | The latest Portuguese dojo opens on September the 1st 2003 under the instruction of Hélio Perdigao Sensei. The academy is located inside Linda-a-Vela, an outskirt of Lisbon, at the local town club. It has good access by car and public transport. Car parking is available down in the streets around the academy. It has changing rooms with showers and a small bar under the academy. "What style of Ju-Jitsu do you do?" Its a question people ask me often, in Portugal, and abroad. The first answer that comes to my mind is "Ju-Jitsu Portugal", since it identifies what we do at our academies, and also distinguish us from other academies that also teach this art. Although we are a part of Ishin Ryu, we dont have a classical name for our style, so I think the best way to describe it is on the mat, and using the answer I just gave. Technically we have a system designed to work by leverage and strategy, as most of us are small in size and don't weight much. This has allowed us to fight bigger people effectively, since we do not depend on power or strength. At a normal class we train with all kinds of techniques. Strikes, throws and takedowns are trained with in regular classes, as well as ground fighting. With this foundation, we can use the techniques in any situation, such as defences against strikes, grabs, and weapons. Control, quick takedowns, search and transport techniques are also taught, as well as the use of impact weapons (Kubaton and Stick). Tactical knife fighting is left for higher grades, since it is a lethal weapon and caries a lot of responsibility in its use and teaching. Technical groups are trained individually and then composed with the other groups, forming a specific combat scenario. All the moves are done on both sides and everything is trained slowly and with all the details, so that the move is done with precision. Speed comes after that, by reducing the dead times that exist in the moves. Ju-Jitsu is about speed and precision, but precision supersedes speed. No one cares much about the gradings at our academies, all our students hunt for the knowledge and the better application of every move, effectiveness, what we call maturity in the technique. In order to organize students we use a simple grading structure: basic, intermediate and advanced; and then black belt. No belts are given by time, it is all based on ability and technique. Another important part of our style is the physical training. Far from what people expect, we don't do push-ups and abs very often. We mostly use a mix of yoga and natural movement of the body, what we call "Ginastica Natural", using our own body weight, always training mobility, balance, endurance, stretching, with moves that are very close to what we do in a fight. All this prepares us to avoid injuries, keeps the fitness level high and also contributes a lot to our health. There is no point in taking a latest model of a tank to war if it is rusty. With this there is also information available for our students about nutrition "you are what you eat, and you don't want to be an hamburger." For instructors, first aid (based on acupuncture/acupressure) and massage knowledge is mandatory. If you know how to destroy, you must know how to heal. Through time, experience, research and development we have narrowed things down to effectiveness, and discarded all the moves that we haven't found practical in a real situation. This has become Ju-Jitsu Portugal... and over here we think it's still in an embryonic state. Joao Santos Ju-Jitsu Portugal | ||||||||
| Contact | For further information, please contact us. | ||||||||
 Sensei Joao Santos applying a modified arm bar. |