What is Freedman’s Method?
What is Jujutsu?
What is Ketsugo Jujutsu?
What is Arnis?
What is reiki?
Are all classes taught by Sensei Freedman?
Can I study martial arts without taking injury?
What is the best martial art to study?
If I want to take your classes does it matter if I am a novice beginner or a
seasoned black belt from numerous other systems?
What should I look for when choosing a martial art school or teacher?
What distinguishes your dojo from others?
In addition to your classes and seminars for men do you have classes and seminars for
women and children?
I have an injury and I’m afraid that if I take your class I might exacerbate my
pre-existing injury. What do you think?
How long will it take before I can defend myself?
How long will it take before I can start learning how to defend against weaponry?
Do you teach ground fighting?
Can I try out one of your classes for free to see if I like Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu?
What is a good way to learn more about Freedman’s Method before actually attending a class?
What is Freedman’s Method?
After studying martial arts for over 43 years Sensei Peter Freedman developed a revolutionary holistic teaching approach for self-defense, personal development, and wellness. When applied to self-defense the method allows students to learn martial arts at an unprecedented pace. Instead, of trying to memorize hundreds of techniques and katas student learn by gaining an understanding of the underlying and hidden principles and concepts that create all of the various techniques. These principles or gateways serve as the root of everything. By learning to see principles the students can then apply their newfound thinking not just within the martial arts, but in all areas of their life. This enables students to learn, process, and understand information in a much more efficient and expeditious manner.
In many schools students are taught to memorize hundreds of techniques until they get to the level of black belt. Upon reaching that milestone they are then taught how to put everything together. Essentially, they then begin to learn how to use their martial art.
Every school has its own style of teaching and presenting information. Like most others, Sensei Freedman once learned in this manner. As he gained a better understanding of martial science he began to disagree with this type of teaching and mode of learning since it forces the martial art student to mould his body movements and mind-set to the confines of a particular art. The student in a sense becomes a “prisoner” to the art.
Sensei Freedman feels that it is advantageous to learn in a manner where the art moulds and conforms to the student on day one. It is problematic and inefficient for the student to spend 10 to 20 years memorizing techniques only to be taught at the end of that time how the techniques within the system fit together. Moreover, it is inefficient to then have to backtrack and unlearn many conditioned habits, reflexes, and body-movements all in an effort to gain a personalized working and practical understanding of the art. Mimicry will always limit your true potential.
Consequently, the martial arts should liberate you and free your creativity rather than confine your physical movements and thoughts, forcing you to move and think like someone else. Through Freedman’s Method the student is nurtured and guided to create his or her own individual style of martial art (visit www.mysensei.net for more information).
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What is Jujutsu?
Jujutsu is the martial art that was used by the Samurai on the battlefields of Japan. Initially, it was only used to maim, cripple, and kill multiple opponents while engaged in combat. From Jujutsu came the sport off-shoots of Judo and Aikido. In the early 1900’s Gracie or Brazilian Jiu-jitsu was developed primarily from Judo, Boxing, and Western Wrestling as an effective style for one-on-one full contact mixed martial art competitions.
Jujutsu is a versatile art. It can enable you to injure an attacker if necessary for self-defense. It can also allow you to softly blend with your opponent’s energy so you can subdue the opponent without causing injury. The inherent flexibility and versatility of the art sets it apart from many other disciplines.
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What is Ketsugo Jujutsu?
Ketsugo Jujutsu is a martial art with a foundation or base in Jujutsu that draws upon principles and concepts from Karate, Tae Kwon Do, Savate, Judo,
Aikido, Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thay, Kung-fu, Tai Chi, and Arnis.
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What is Arnis?
Arnis, along with Kali and Escrima, are combative stick, knife, and sword fighting arts that originated in the Philippines. To this day the Filipino’s stick and knife fighting systems are some of the most effective weapons arts that the world has ever seen.
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What is Reiki?
“REI “ (soul or universal consciousness), “KI” (energy or life force)
Reiki, is a Japanese healing art of the laying on of hands. In addition to the hands, energy can be transferred through the eyes, the breath, and the feet. Just as with the martial arts, Reiki is a spiritual practice and not a religion. As a result people of all faiths routinely practice Reiki as a means of helping themselves and others.
Reiki was “discovered” by Dr. Mikao Usui, a student of Kiko, a Japanese version of Qi Gong. Dr. Usui or Usui Sensei later became a Buddhist monk and founded the Usui Reiki System of Healing after many years of exploration into the healing arts.
Unlike many other healing modalities Reiki does not deplete one’s own energy as the source of the energy originates from outside the practitioner’s body and is then channeled into the practitioner’s body to heal. The energy is not guided by the practitioner, but, instead is guided by a higher consciousness to simultaneously correct any physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual imbalances, injuries, or sicknesses within the practitioner while he or she is contemporaneously healing the patient.
There are many different types of Reiki and also many different systems of energetic healing besides Reiki. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Reiki compared to other bio-energetic arts is that one can attain the ability to channel energy and heal others after simply receiving an attunement rather than having to develop the skill through years of extensive meditation and breathing exercises. Amazingly, once the beginner receives an attunement from the teacher he or she can instantly begin to channel and “direct" the energy into others.
Reiki has been used in the past to treat virtually all maladies. It is particularly good at inducing sleep and removing headaches, pain, swelling, and stress from the body. Please note that these claims have not been evaluated by the FDA and it is important for people to first seek the opinion and advice of a medical doctor before pursuing alternative health remedies.
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Are all classes and seminars taught by Sensei Freedman?
Many classes and seminars are indeed taught by Sensei Freedman. Other classes and seminars are taught by Sensei Freeman’s senior students. It’s to the martial art students benefit to study not only with Sensei Freedman, but also with the other instructors of Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu. Each instructor has his or her own distinctive style, focus, and interpretation of the art along with his or her own individual way of teaching. The exposure and experience of studying with the different teachers of Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu helps to give students a more well-rounded martial education.
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Can I study martial arts without taking injury?
Absolutely yes! In many schools injuries are common place and, in some schools, they are actually encouraged as a way of “toughening” and conditioning one for combat. Growing up, Sensei Freedman learned martial arts through various schools that injured and hurt their students. He realized the hard way that taking injuries did not make one tough. Arguably, it really just helped to age one’s body and make one more vulnerable to attack while recovering in the injured state. One’s body should be conditioned over time to be able to take a fall or jolt without becoming disoriented, but this type of training should be done in a slow and controlled manner to prevent injury.
It’s rather dangerous to approach street fighting with the mindset of wanting to take a strike in order to then employ a more devastating strike or take-down. In the street just as you allow what you assume to be a light blow, the attacker could stab you repeatedly with a concealed blade. Moreover, if the opponent were a student of internal striking that one shot could end the fight, and, perhaps your life.
Instead of conditioning the body through pain and injury, Sensei Freedman’s Dojo prefers to condition the body’s skin and eyes in a gentle fashion so the student can develop heightened sensitivity. Every injury that the student takes actually hinders this sensitivity and impedes the student from developing a high level of sensitivity and skill with his or her art.
One of the benefits of focusing on sensitivity is that it allows you to practice and be effective even in your elderly years. Unlike strength and athleticism which is limited by your youth, genetics, and conditioning, sensitivity knows no bounds.
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What is the best martial art to study?
Perhaps we’ve touched upon the question of questions. Some martial arts schools boast that their style is the ultimate and best martial art ever created. These schools often speak badly of other disciplines. If you have the pleasure of encountering such a school perhaps you should run away as fast you can!
In light of the above it’s important to find a style that complements your particular body structure and personality. For example, it wouldn’t make much sense for a petite women or a smaller guy to practice a martial art like sumo wrestling or something in which size and power are essential for the practice. Instead, they would probably be more effective martial artists practicing a martial art that helped to complement their natural attributes and smaller size. Maybe they would fair well choosing an art that seeks to blend with energy and use the attacker’s force against them. That way they could empower themselves and be effective despite their small stature.
It’s also wise to decide whether you would like to study a sport oriented martial art that will allow you to spar at full-speed and compete in various tournaments or a combative system that is strictly designed for survival and self-preservation in the streets. This decision should not be taken lightly. Arguably, trying to do both can be problematic and counter-productive as each way promotes certain approaches, reflexes, and habits that may not translate well in both environments.
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If I want to take your classes does it matter if I am a novice beginner or a seasoned black belt from numerous other systems?
No, it does not make a difference. Many of our students are completely new to the martial arts while others are veteran black belts and martial arts instructors from other systems. Everyone is welcome. The only thing that we ask is that you remain humble and respectfully question what is taught and presented.
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What should I look for when choosing a martial art school or teacher?
It’s important to study in a school that helps to open your mind as opposed to closing it. As mentioned above some schools will tell you that their style is superior to all others. Consciously or subconsciously your exposure to this type of attitude will condition you to also develop a closed mind and prejudice to other styles not your own. In the end this really only weakens your overall martial education since all martial arts are good and have something valuable to teach. Whether one chooses to integrate the principles and concepts from another system into their art is a personal choice. However, it is imperative that one at least be familiar with other systems so one knows how to defend against as many different types of attacks as possible.
It’s also important to study with a teacher who trains in a safe manner where students do not take injuries. Similarly, it’s crucial to study with a teacher who is secure enough with his or her own abilities that the teacher will not injure the students if the teacher cannot counter a physical technique or a challenging question. In some schools students are not allowed to ask questions. Students are just forced to do as they are told.
Lastly, it’s essential l that you study with a teacher who will strive to remove your ego and who is also working diligently to remove his or her own ego. As you mature in the martial arts you should become more open-minded and less prone to fight. You should only use your martial art on a physical level as a last resort. It’s crucial that we be kind to others.
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What distinguishes your dojo from others?
Although there appear to be more sport oriented dojos than combative dojos nowadays, there are other combative dojos. Many are difficult to find as they cannot promote themselves through various tournaments as many other martial arts can.
With that being said, Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu is a combative system strictly for street self-defense. In our dojo the student’s safety, health, and well-being is our primary concern. It’s imperative to be able to learn a street effective martial art in a manner in which no one gets hurt.
Unlike many other sport oriented or combative schools, although techniques are presented in class, the focus of each lesson is not on the techniques but instead on the underlying principles and concepts that make the techniques work. That’s the beauty of Freedman’s Method. Upon learning a principle our students are immediately asked to explore and play with the principle to come up with variations on the techniques that are presented. Students are taught that it is okay to make mistakes. Even the greatest masters make mistakes. From these mental exercises we try to instill the ability to create and to keep creating even when a mistake is made. That way a new technique can be created from the “mistake” without freezing or experiencing a mental “hiccup". This is an invaluable skill to develop for self-defense on the street.
This freedom to be able to create and develop your own techniques and counters allows each student to adapt the martial art to his or her person. This is an empowering experience to be able to cultivate your own style of martial arts that is designed solely for you and no one else. Students also seem to learn martial arts much more quickly through Freedman’s Method.
To further expedite the growth of our students all students are encouraged to ask questions so they can thoroughly understand what, when, how, and why various techniques work or don’t work. They should never walk away from a class with a question unanswered or doubting the effectiveness of a principle, concept, or technique.
Unlike many other schools students are also taught how to use their martial art skills and martial mind-set not just on a physical level, but in their everyday life to solve problems more effectively, become better at negotiating, overcome daily obstacles, become more creative, increase their analytical abilities, and see the elusive underlying connections among seemingly distinct and separate activities from sports to music to acting to running a business to their personal relationship with others.
There are not many schools where a combative martial art is taught in a safe, fun, and nurturing environment in which students are encouraged to laugh and make mistakes.
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In addition to your classes and seminars for men do you have classes and seminars for women and children?
Yes, we do. We have classes strictly for children and teenagers. Some women enjoy training in our adult classes that are open to both men and women while other women prefer to train in our classes that are open only to women. It’s an individual choice.
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I have an injury and I’m afraid that if I take your class I might exacerbate my pre-existing injury. What do you think?
It is always wise to speak to your doctor before engaging in physical activities especially if you have an injury or illness. If you are concerned about an injury we encourage you to speak up during class and let other students know of this injury. That will allow the instructors to tailor your learning around this injury so it will not be irritated by the training. Moreover, if there is a particular exercise or drill in class that bothers your injury we encourage you to sit out during that portion of the class. Safety is the most important aspect of our dojo.
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How long will it take before I can defend myself?
It really depends on the person. Some students are able to defend themselves and have had to defend themselves in just a few moths of studying. For others it may take years. It really depends on how honest you are with your training and what you are willing to do to make sure that you understand everything that you’re being taught. That’s why Sensei Freedman frequently states that “everything you learn in the dojo is bullshit till the day you use it.” He can make it work, but you need to personalize the teachings and make them work for yourself. Otherwise your movements are really nothing but a dance. Proficiency will come with a comprehensive personal understanding along with the proper mental intention behind your techniques.
With that in mind it is not the teacher who will make you effective. The instructor is just there to guide you and present ideas for you to work on. Consequently, you attend class to see new ideas, but you really become effective on your own time. You are your own best teacher.
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How long will it take before I can start learning how to defend against weaponry?
From your first day of class weapons are taught. It’s critical that you know how to fight with a weapon so you can learn how to effectively defend against that same weapon. Our students are taught how to use and defend themselves against edged, impact, flexible, and projectile weapons. They are also taught how to pick up ordinary household objects and use them as weapons for self-defense.
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Do you teach ground fighting?
We do teach ground fighting, but it is not our dojo’s only focus and it differs in its approach than other schools since Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu is designed to teach defense against multiple attackers and weapons as opposed to one unarmed individual. In the context of the street if the fight goes to the ground it needs to be ended quickly. It’s imperative that you do not become a prisoner to your opponent by becoming tied down to him or her. It’s important to be skilled on the ground as well as sitting or standing. Knowing how to defend yourself against all possible scenarios is the only way you can prepare for the street where anything goes. There is no such thing as a “dirty trick” in the street.
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Can I try out one of your classes for free to see if I like Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Jujutsu?
Absolutely yes.
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What is a good way to learn more about Freedman’s Method before actually attending a class?
You could look around the website or check out the testimonials. You’re also encouraged to call the dojo at 603-529-3564 or email us with any questions or concerns that you have.
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