Table of Contents
…
Where/when do you meet?
We have just moved from our former location in Littleton to our new location near River Point Shopping Center at the junction of three cities: Englewood, Sheridan, and Littleton. Mountain Martial Arts meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 7p-9p. All members are also able to attend Red Dragon dojo (also Danzan Ryu Jujitsu) on Tuesdays and Thursday. The most current information can be found on our schedule page.
When can I start?
Beginners are welcome to join at any time. Classes are led by a black belt instructor and run in such a way that the more senior students aid in the learning of the junior students, so you’re never really “behind”. If you would like to take the class please visit our schedule page and contact the instructor for more information.
What should I wear to my first class?
Loose, comfortable clothing should be worn for the first few classes. Sweats and a t-shirt are perfectly fine, but jeans or anything with buttons/zippers should be avoided. Old gi’s (uniforms) from previous martial arts are also acceptable provided they are of sufficient strength. After a few classes, when you have decided to make a commitment, a judo gi may be purchased through the club at a reasonable cost.
Will I get hurt?
Martial Arts are inherently dangerous and the potential exists to get hurt. Our Jiujitsu instructors make every effort to maintain the safest possible environment. Students are taught at their own pace with safety taking priority. In fact, many of the arts taught to a new student on his/her first night of class are specifically to protect the student from being hurt.
This class sounds amazing, but how much does it cost?
Less than you might think and certainly less than most commercial dojos. Our class fee is less than $100 per month. All students must also be a member of the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation in order for our insurance to be valid. Membership includes a supplemental health and accident policy in case you get hurt. The cost is pretty minimal at $75 for adults and $45 for youth per YEAR! That’s it. No contracts. Shorter term memberships are also available for a lower cost.
Our dojo is not out to make a huge profit. All income from class fees goes to support the dojo (school) including purchase and maintenance of mats, gear, practice equipment, etc. None of our instructors are paid, but work on a volunteer basis because they love martial arts and everything martial arts have to offer.
How do the belt rankings work?
Jujitsu belt ranks are different than those more commonly seen in Karate or Tae Kwon Do. However, the rankings for Danzan Ryu are fairly consistent throughout the greater DZR community. They are:
Jukyu (white belt)
Shichikyu (yellow belt)
Rokyu (2nd degree blue belt)
Gokyu (1st degree blue belt)
Yonkyu (green belt)
Sankyu (3rd degree brown belt)
Nikyu (2nd degree brown belt)
Ikkyu (1st degree brown belt)
Shodan (1st degree black belt)
From here on, black belts accumulate degrees, 1-10.
*Note that ranks between Jukyu (10th class) and Shichikyu (7th class) exist, but are generally reserved for children.
Do you have a children’s class?
At this time we only have an adult class consisting of ages 15 and up. Exceptions may be made for exceptionally mature children or when a parent is taking the class with the the child. Special cases may be considered, but are ultimately at the discretion of the Sensei. A children’s curriculum exists and a class may be added in the future as resources allow.
I’m moving to (insert place), where are there Danzan Ryu Jujitsu dojos?
Danzan Ryu Jujitsu is practiced all over the world. Usually there is a dojo nearby. These sites have dojo lists as well as a wealth of other information:
The American Judo & Jujitsu Federation
The Christian Jujitsu Association
The Danzan Ryu Jujitsu Home Page
If you can’t make it to our dojo in Littleton, here are some other Danzan Ryu Jujitsu dojos in the Denver area:
Red Dragon Jiujitsu-Littleton, CO
Konjo Dojo – Castle Rock, CO
What does Sankei Renshuujo mean?
Sankei Renshujo is the name of our dojo. Sankei means “mountain path” and is symbolized in the school emblem as a river winding down the path from a temple. Renshujo is a slightly different version of the word school in that it is more precisely translated as “training hall” or “place of practice”. Thus, Sankei Renshujo can be translated as Mountain Path Training Hall. The mountains and river are symbolic of the landscape in the Rocky Mountains where the Sankei Renshujo is rooted and continues to thrive today. The river also symbolizes one of many paths connecting the top of the mountain to the bottom representing that no one person’s journey in life is the same as another’s. The Sankei Renshujo prides itself on maintaining the true tradition of Danzan Ryu Jujitsu as set forth by Master Okazaki and Professors Bud Estes, Dick Rickerts, and Ray Law.
I took Karate/Tae Kwon Do/Judo will that be of aid to me in my training?
Although no experience is necessary, students who have previous martial arts experience often do well in Danzan Ryu. You may also wear an old gi to the class provide it is of sufficient strength to handle Judo throws.
What is the difference between Brazilian Jiujitsu and Japanese Jiujitsu (or Jujitsu)? Wait, what is Hawaiian Jujitsu, for that matter?
Danzan Ryu literally translates to Sandalwood Mountain Style, but is actually how the Japanese referred to Hawaii. Thus, Danzan Ryu Jujitsu more appropriately translates to “Hawaiian Style”. Brazilian Jiu-jitsu is the more general name for any number of styles of Jiujitsu popularized by the Gracie family in the 1990s and is actually a derivative of Judo, which is a derivative of traditional Japanese Jujitsu. Thus, it could be said that Hawaiian Jujitsu and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu share the same roots. However, BrazilianJiu-Jitsu focuses primarily on mat work (grappling) and conditioning. It was made popular in the United States during Royce Gracie’s run of the early Ultimate Fighting Championships in the mid 90s. Fun Fact: the UFC and MMA actually began in Denver. Advanced practitioners of Danzan Ryu will find that the same techniques in Brazilian Jiujitsu are contained within Danzan Ryu. That is, Danzan Ryu includes a great deal of mat work, but also has the many other aspects from Japanese Jujitsu mentioned in What We Teach.
Wait… you just spelled “Jiujitsu” 20 different ways. Is it Jiu-Jitsu or Jujitsu or Jiujitsu?
The short, and somewhat confusing answer, is: “None of the above”….and “all of the above”. Truthfully, it should be spelled 柔術 and pronounced “Jūjūtsu”, where the macron (little bar) over the ‘u’ indicates that the vowel sound is held a bit longer, similar to the sound made when saying the word “Shoe”. The Japanese Kanji (characters), 柔術, are actually ideograms representing ideas and the sounds are spelled phonetically using “Romaji” so that westerners can pronounce it. This transliteration took on multiple forms prior to being (mostly) standardized after WWII.
Will you train me to fight in an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Tournament?
No. That’s not what we do. While the arts you learn in our martial art could be applied in an MMA tournament (and a great deal more that would get you disqualified), the focus of Danzan Ryu Jujitsu is self defense and the perfection of character. Please see our section on Philosophy. Our arts are to be used in the defense of oneself or in the defense of other innocent persons. However, for those desiring to compete, we do have multiple forms of competition including Judo, Freestyle, Kata, and Karate.
