Welcome To UConn Jujutsu

(An "A" Club of the USJA-Jujutsu Division)

Dr. Yiannakis started the UConn Judo Club in 1976 but the name was changed to UConn Judo and Jujutsu Club in 1995, and then finally to UConn Jujutsu Club in 1999. The official Japanese name for the club is BUDENKAN, the school of traditional martial arts. The club is the home of Wa Shin Ryu Jujutsu, a holistic, comprehensive system of unarmed combat founded by Prof. Yiannakis in 1983. The system has a basis, in form and philosophy, in Koryu Bujutsu (classical martial arts) but as an evolved system it may be best described as a modern martial art with classical moorings. Unlike most classical, or classically based systems, however, the art stresses the development of effective combative skills by training students in live sparring situations in distance, close quarter and ground fighting contexts. Such forms of training develop sustained focused concentration, hand-leg-eye coordination, and create for students a high degree of realism that set routines and repetition training alone cannot provide. However, the purpose of such intensive training is not to make us violent. The goal is to empower us so that we can walk away with confidence, if that is deemed the appropriate response at the time!

An effective martial artist is an empowered individual. And empowered individuals have the confidence to make choices and decide whether to engage in violence, or to contain/defuse a situation by other means. Thus, in the modern world an empowered martial artist is a type of person who, by having many options can make the choice to avoid/prevent violence, or when the situation demands can save himself/herself and others. The unempowered individual has no such options or choices!

In developing the system the Founder integrated the traditions of the old, with the best of the new, to form a budo system that serves: (1) As a personal discipline, (2) As a way of life, and, (3) As a path to self actualization in the physical, psychological and spiritual domains (the ultimate goal of the system).

The club includes both male and female students and community participation is encouraged. Club membership costs $20 a semester. The club is free to occasional guests and other visitors. To earn 1 credit for Jujutsu at the University of Connecticut (As AH1200-03), a permission number is required. Contact Sensei Kane if you wish to do so.

NOTE: We put on demonstrations and give clinics and workshops for law enforcement, the military and security agencies.
If interested drop us a line at: info@wsrjj.org