Sensei Morris so impressed

ONE of the world's highest-graded Jiu Jitsu instructors, Soke Richard Morris, 9th Dan, has been in the island demonstrating his skills to members of the local club. Morris is the founder of Jiu Jitsu International and co-founder of the World Kobudo Federation, one of the largest martial arts organisations in the world.

He was accompanied by Sensei Debbie Hortwhite, 5th Dan black belt from London.

While in the island Morris was able to view the operation of the club, the quality of the instruction and the overall standard of the students.

He left happy with everything he saw and praised everybody involved in the Sarnian organisation

Morris and Hortwhite also held a training session, allowing the local instructors the chance to forget the responsibilities of teaching and have the opportunity of doing some training themselves.

It also provided the students with the opportunity to receive some of the best tuition available in the world, to appreciate that different instructors have a different approach to their teaching and that the style of their techniques also varies.

Sensei Jolly uses a lot of Jukoru Jiu Jitsu in his teaching, where as Sensei Taylor prefers the Ike style.

Morris explained that the different styles that could be developed within Jiu Jitsu proves how it provides the student the opportunity to learn everything from the throwing techniques of judo, the kicking and punching techniques of karate, along with the locking techniques of ikedo and the weapon skills of the kempo and iedo arts.

Because Jiu Jitsu is so diverse, it had something to offer anybody, for nine to 90-year-olds and both the able-bodied and the disabled.

Taylor says Jiu Jitsu is becoming a family sport, with lots of children training in the mini and junior section of the club while their parents are training in the adults section.

Taylor's own son, Reece, 12, has trained since he was five and has a good record in his licence of people that he has met.

Taylor, senior, has travelled quite extensively to do his sport and normally his wife and family go along too.

'World kobudo is like one big family,' said Taylor who has made many new friends on his travels.

Anybody interested in taking up Jiu Jitsu can contact Beau Sejour for further details, or visit the website at www.ju-jitsu-guernsey.co.uk