Zen Budokai Aiki Jujitsu

I study a few different martial arts, but I’m glad that Zen Budokai is my main one, for the simple reason that I felt like I could actually use it very early on in my training. This is not always the case, especially in more traditional schools where you are usually tasked with developing proper form before you get to learn any actual techniques. This is a very practical system that trains a range of responses to a threat. You can defend yourself in a life-​or-​death situation, AND you can show drunk Uncle Bob to the door without permanently damaging him. If you’ve studied other arts, this is also a great way to build on them, as ZBK is very welcoming of other welcoming of other styles.

I’m a big fan of the Zen Budokai jujitsu system, and I attend classes at the SF school and also at the Stanford school. Classes in SF have a good student/​teacher ratio and the current head of the system teaches at the SF school. Zen Budokai is not focused on one-​on-​one competitive jujitsu, but rather on jujitsu for self-​defense. Students learn many different practical fighting techniques such as: striking, throwing, falling, joint locks, come-​alongs, chokes, tensho (redirection of energy), and also a fairly unique set of «finishing» techniques known as gyaku (torture). The atmosphere in class is very friendly and relaxed.

I was a student for three years at Zen Budokai until my health and financial situation no longer permitted me to take classes. During that time I achieved my blue belt.
Classes are small, with lots of personalized attention. Both Professor Tim and Sensei Ned run classes well, come up with great drills, and always have insightful feedback about ways to do techniques better. The other regular students were also fantastic. As (usually) the only woman in the class, and a small one to boot, I was initially worried about not being taken seriously. However, the feeling in the class is very fraternal. As soon as students have their first belt, they take turns teaching students at lower levels. In this way, students are familiar with and feel responsible for each other’s progress. It also keeps techniques you learned a while back fresh in your mind, and you keep improving them as you teach them. I never felt uncomfortable and made friends with several classmates. No macho BS.
This is not Brazilian Gracie jujitsu, and not focused on competition, but a smaller school focused on effective self-​defense, perfecting techniques, avoiding injury and mutual respect.
If you are not familiar with jujitsu, it’s good to note that unlike karate or kung fu, which are striking arts, jujitsu focused on close-​in fighting, mat wrestling, throws, holds, escapes and joint locks. I chose it because as a small woman, I’ll never have the striking reach of a larger opponent. Any tussle I get into will wind up with someone trying to pin or hold me down. Thanks to my classes at Zen Budokai, I know how to deal with these situations. I hope that if someone attacked me, god forbid, I wouldn’t panic and freeze, but would know that I could escape and incapacitate my attacker. Once I got good at some throwing techniques and learned how to use weight and leverage to my advantage, I could throw a 250-​lb classmate over my head. I’m 5’2″, 120ish lbs. That’s just kinda cool.
I would recommend classes at Zen Budokai to anyone interested in learning self-​defense techniques in a respectful, encouraging and fun environment. I hope I can one day return to the school myself.