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Jujutsu runs deep along family lines

Tom RabeStirling Times

THE sport of Jujutsu runs through three generations of the Newcombe family, who have been studying the Japanese martial art since 1958.

Colosseum Martial Arts owner Dan Newcombe, a fourth Dan in Tsutsumi Jujutsu, said the sport encouraged respect and humility while equipping students with self-defence knowledge.

Mr Newcombe was introduced to the sport by his father Ron, who started training in Jujutsu in the late 1950s under Master Jan de Jong.

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The engineer and project manager said he was proud to introduce his son to the sport as a five-year-old in 2009.

"I got my son involved so he could also learn those same lessons and make the most out of his life and career, wherever it may lead him," Mr Newcombe said.

The Newcombes' journey in Jujutsu has run parallel with the family that introduced them to the sport over half a century ago.

Master Jan de Jong's son Master Hans De Jong taught Mr Newcombe the martial art and now instructs at Colosseum Martial Arts in Osborne Park.

Mr Newcombe said he had decided to start teaching Jujutsu after obtaining his first black belt in 2006, more than 20 years after he began in the sport.

"I have always believed that you learn the most when you teach, and I am still very much on this path and learning every day along with the 80 other students in my club," he said.

Mr Newcombe said anyone could train in Jujutsu, as strength and weight were not critical factors in the sport.

"Perhaps more importantly I find that the way students" attitudes develop, as the realisation comes that there is always more to learn and always room for improvement," he said.

"This is a humbling experience and tends to translate to all areas of a persons life."