Any Ju Jutsu in the Boston or Boston West Area?

**KelticZen** · 05-08-2011, 19:33

Hello...I know there are many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools around, I live down the street from one of the biggest & most reputable. Forgive my terminology if it is incorrect, but I'm looking for Traditional or Japanese Ju Jitsu.

I know about Master Dave Castoldi's School but I've also heard his school is very rough & tumble....I'm 44yo with several medical issues. I've looked up Ed Melaugh's Small Circle school in Woburn and The Theodorou Academy in Watertown, but I know nothing about them.

I was severely let down today when I went to sign up for a Ju Jutsu class but was told I would not be allowed to study any other arts. This is the policy of the school and its association.

Ideally, I'd love to find someone who teaches both Traditional and BJJ but that would be mission impossible. I don't care if they teach out of their basement, dojo or garage. I loved Traditional Ju Jitsu 15 years ago when I did it and just want to do it again.

Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks, Tom

**Koshu** · 05-21-2011, 11:28

Hi Tom, and welcome.

Since no one familiar with jujutsu in your area has chimed in, perhaps the best thing to do is take a look at those schools and see how well they fit what you're looking for (which, given you have experience in jujutsu, would be the best gauge anyway regardless of what any of us recommend here).

All the best in your search!

**Webmaster** · 05-21-2011, 16:34

Mert! You're still alive. Welcome back.

**Webmaster** · 05-21-2011, 16:54

Originally Posted by KelticZen

Hello...I know there are many Brazilian Jiu Jitsu schools around, I live down the street from one of the biggest & most reputable. Forgive my terminology if it is incorrect, but I'm looking for Traditional or Japanese Ju Jitsu.

I know about Master Dave Castoldi's School but I've also heard his school is very rough & tumble....I'm 44yo with several medical issues. I've looked up Ed Melaugh's Small Circle school in Woburn and The Theodorou Academy in Watertown, but I know nothing about them.

I was severely let down today when I went to sign up for a Ju Jutsu class but was told I would not be allowed to study any other arts. This is the policy of the school and its association.

Ideally, I'd love to find someone who teaches both Traditional and BJJ but that would be mission impossible. I don't care if they teach out of their basement, dojo or garage. I loved Traditional Ju Jitsu 15 years ago when I did it and just want to do it again.

Any help would be greatly appreciated....Thanks, Tom

Hi Tom and sorry that I missed your post.

I have taken a look at the website for all three schools (links below), and nothing stands out as a red flag, but I was wondering why they (which one?) said you could not train in other arts? I know some schools have practical reasons for not allowing this, but there can also be some pretty BS reasons as well. I'd just be curious as to what you were told.

http://www.castoldijujitsu.com
http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome....jujitsudefense
http://www.bostonselfdefense.com

You mentioned that you have some medical issues, and while you seem to be shying away from "rough & tumble", you should know that all Jujutsu should be at least a little "rough & tumble". The real question is what sort of medical issues do you have, and what limitations will that place on your training? My dojo's training is definitely in the intense category, and we can be very "rough & tumble", but I also have a number of students with medical conditions that limit what they can do. A good dojo will teach you to work around those limitations and still remain safe.

**Koshu** · 05-21-2011, 21:52

Hi Robert -- Thank you much! It's been an interesting and worthwhile transition to life in Hawaii, and I'm fairly well settled in here with my family now.

Lots of wonderful people in the martial arts here! Currently training with a mix of like-minded aikido, koryu and ICMA practitioners in the park. A few of them have taken a liking to being on the receiving end of Hakkoryu shiatsu as well.

In the meantime, I've been itching to open a dojo, and that seems to be getting closer and closer to becoming a reality.

Hope all's been well with you and yours (family and student body).

**jujitsuka** · 06-21-2012, 10:01

Hi Tom,

I realize I am replying to your post more than a year after you wrote it, but I study Jujitsu in the Boston area, and wanted to tell you about two schools that weren't on your list in your post.

First, there is the All Traditional Jujitsu Society. One of my co-workers is a former student of this school and he has great things to say about it: www dot traditional dot ws slash index dot html

Also, there is my dojo, where I have been studying for 2 1/2 years. I love it there, but a web search doesn't necessarily bring up information about it, because we don't have a big web presence: www dot yelp dot com slash biz slash house-of-samurai-shoto-kan-karate-somerville

I hope these links help you. (Sorry, couldn't post working hyperlinks, because of permissions on the forum. I hope you are able to figure out how to access the links I described.)

If you have any questions, you can reply to this post or send me a private message on the site. I would be happy to help you. Good luck with your search!

Rebecca

I'm editing this post to add my review of my dojo from Yelp, so you won't have to search for it. Here it is:

I have been studying Jujitsu with Perry sensei (informally, Mike sensei) for 2 1/2 years. He is a life-long martial artist and experienced teacher who genuinely cares about the development of his students. Mike sensei is particularly good at fine tuning instruction to match different students' body types and real world needs. We are not a competition-oriented dojo; the focus of our Jujitsu training is on self-defense, emphasizing strategy, creativity, and adaptability. As a dojo, we are a tight-knit group, very supportive. Men and women train together and everyone is respectful of one another. Some of us have previous training in other arts; some are training in the martial arts for the first time. I have previously studied Kempo, Aikido, Matayosi Kobudo, and Jodo with other teachers, and would say that Mike sensei is one of the best teachers I have had. Our Jujitsu syllabus includes stand-up techniques as well as ground work. If you've been thinking about studying gendai (modern era) Jujitsu, this is a great place to do it.