1. Jiu-jitsu is cool.

It’s a martial art consisting of locking, throwing and striking techniques. Among other things, it focuses on yielding, balance and joint manipulation in response to a conflicting force. Our style isn’t competitive and focuses on practical self-defence, so you’ll learn lots of bad-ass techniques in that can be applied in real-world situations. Think of it as less like UFC and more like John Wick.

2. Martial arts are good for you.

In addition to all the obvious physical benefits (improving your strength, agility, and overall fitness), jiu-jitsu is a great mental outlet as well. It is important to blow off some steam during your university studies, and jiu-jitsu might be a great fit for you. And like most martial arts, jiu-jitsu emphasizes self-discipline, self-confidence, and respect, helping us to constantly better and improve ourselves as we all learn and grow together.

3. You don’t need to have any experience.

We welcome all skill levels, since we start with the basics of our style for every new recruit. If you’ve never stepped into a dojo in your life, you’re just as welcome as someone who already has experience in another martial arts style and is looking to try something new.

4. Self-defence is important.

Our style involves practice with pressure training in a safe environment, so you’ll learn how to keep your cool in high-intensity situations by using jiu-jitsu techniques to protect yourself. Ideally you will never have to deal with a threatening situation in real life, but it never hurts to be prepared.

5. You get to smash people around.

Safely of course. Jiu-jitsu emphasizes a balance of intensity and restraint, so you’ll learn to protect your training partners while still maintaining a vigorous training experience. You’ll learn how to protect yourself, too. The first thing you’ll learn is how to fall down properly by breakfalling, which is an important thing to know when you are being thrown.

6. You’ll get your own martial arts uniform.

If you stick around, you can buy a stylish training uniform (gi) to wear in the dojo. Wearing one has been shown to automatically improve your martial arts ability, obviously.

7. After you have your gi, you can upgrade your belt.

If you train regularly for the fall semester, you could be eligible for your first grading in December to upgrade your white belt to a shiny new yellow one. If you train all through the winter semester, you could move up to an orange belt by April. From there, you can work your way through green, purple, light blue, dark blue, brown and black (the first dan belt). So if you start training in your first year and train regularly all through your undergrad, you might grade up all the way to a blue belt, (or even brown, if you train extra hard), by the time you graduate. We also have other clubs in our style all around the province, so you can even keep training in another city after you leave Trent.

8. You’ll get to be part of our community.

After class we usually frequent the Olde Stone in downtown Peterborough to chat and get to know each other. Please come out to socialize after class, because we are always looking to get to know our community.

9. It’s free to try.

For the first sessions you show up to, you can just drop in. You can try a few classes to see if you like it first without committing to anything. Come to our classes to learn more about membership options, as our prices fluctuate based on how many students sign up.

10. Trent Jitsu is right on campus.

We train at the Athletic Centre Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 8:30-10:30 pm. Go up the steps after the changerooms and look for people in white gis. Wear loose clothing, like a T-shirt and track pants, for your first class.

If you have any questions, you can email trentjitsu@gmail.com or message @trentjitsu on Facebook or Instagram. See you there!