South Mountain Martial Arts

South Mountain Jujitsu is our form of classical judo, the powerful, practical, & sophisticated method of combative grappling which gave rise to the modern era of the martial arts. More than mere jacket wrestling, & far more than a struggle for petty points & penalties among the hyperfit, our forms of judo & jujitsu are balanced, consuming, lifetime activities which sharpen both the body & the mind - and, in which the elements of personal development, freeplay (randori), & training in practical, yet ethical, self defense are given equal weight. ( Note: Students may also train in Kodokan judo.)

The most elegant and sophisticated of the combat arts, fencing well requires skill and dedication, but it's exciting! It can be used to train both the body and the mind.

Kempo , or Kenpo , is a Japanese term meaning "Fist Code" or "Fist Method", and it is used to refer to martial arts of Chinese origin. In kenpo, the endlessly innovative energy of the Chinese barehanded fighting systems has been channeled by the systematic and intensely pragmatic Japanese approach to close combat in order to form an integrated, comprehensive, and practical martial art. The style taught at SMMA has its origins in the Japanese migrants to Manchuria in the early 20th Century. At that time, Japanese, Koreans, Okinawans, Chinese and even Mongolian people lived in the area (known as Manchukuo) along with native Manchurians. A number of Kempo/Kenpo styles developed there and they show influences from all those collected populations, though the systems are largely Japanese in orientation and tradition. As the name implies, kenpo practitioners are experts in eclectic styles of kickboxing, but they must also be proficient in very close quarters fighting, and they must be knowledgable grapplers.