AN Ellesmere Port martial arts group welcomed a masterclass in self-protection from a combat expert.

The Bushido Ju Jitsu Headquarters Dojo in Ellesmere Port, located above the Old Royal Bank of Scotland opposite Kwik Fit, recently held a self-protection workshop for families and adults by Tommy Moore, a combatives instructor from Essex.

Tommy has toured across the UK and Europe, teaching bespoke courses for clubs across a range of different martial arts styles.

The Bushido Ju Jitsu Headquarters Dojo recently held a self-protection workshop for families and adults.

The Bushido Ju Jitsu Headquarters Dojo recently held a self-protection workshop for families and adults.

The session was attended by complete beginners to high grade 8th Dan Instructors from a variety of backgrounds, including NHS/council workers, police, firefighters, door supervisors, university lecturers and some who are retired.

Chief instructor Phil Rhodes said: "Since holding several 'Join the junior sessions' for our families on breakaway techniques and padwork, we decided to invite Tommy as this is his area of speciality and passion."

The self-protection workshop was led by combatives instructor Tommy Moore.

The self-protection workshop was led by combatives instructor Tommy Moore.

Tommy discussed what an easy victim can look like, de-escalation, what you might do when going somewhere new, conflict resolution drills, and scenarios where conflict may occur.

He highlighted self-protection apps such as:

  • Findmyphone on Apple or Location services on Android and testing it before needing it.
  • what3words can help identify your location to a three-metre square.
  • MySOSfamily – allows you to set up a group which can all be contacted with your location at the press or a button or by saying a keyword out loud.
  • Citizenaid – developed by the British Army and St John’s ambulance. Can advise how to respond in different situations eg a stabbing, bombing, hijacking etc.

A nice tip for students carrying a phone was to have a small keyring powerbank charger, should they need to recharge your phone in an emergency.

From Tommy’s presentation, it was worrying to see data that someone in Merseyside gets stabbed every 16 minutes, and 16- to 24-year-olds are those most affected. Students therefore covered emergency first aid and what to say when calling 999.

Seniors then worked on developing a practised combination of strikes that worked for them.

The Ju Jitsu classes at Ellesmere Port are from four years old to adults. For more information, visit facebook.com/bushido.jujitsuheadquarters or email patmaguire261@live.co.uk.