JEFF LONGDEN

My name is Jeff Longden and I’m an instructor in the Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Ju Jutsu system of combat martial arts.

My journey into this was rather unexpected. I had absolutely zero interest in martial arts when I was younger. When I was about 12 or so, my mother brought me to check out a local karate studio for a trial class to see if it sparked any interest. At the time, Karate was the latest in a series of extracurricular activities my parents had hoped I may get involved with. Prior to the Karate class, I had started and soon after quit: track, soccer, football, guitar and drum lessons. Karate seemed too intense and I didn’t want to get hurt or beat up – so it was a quick “no” and a financial sparing for my parents!

By the time I was in high school, I took an interest to the early days of mixed martial arts, back when it truly was a mix of different martial arts systems. I was inspired by the legendary Ken Shamrock and began following his extensive career in Pankration and the pioneering days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. My senior year in high school would be the first year a club wrestling program was started. I decided to join and for the first time in my life, I didn’t quit! Despite only having a handful of matches that first year, I won my weight class and was captain of the team.

Once in college, I found myself craving something new. One day, while working out with a buddy at our local YMCA, I saw a flyer for a free evening Ju Jutsu class. Expecting MMA, we went to check it out. Enter Grand Master Peter Freedman and his non-MMA system. We debated cutting out before things got started, disappointed that it was not what we had expected. In life, there are split second decisions and moments that will forever change the trajectory of one’s path. Unknowingly at the time, this was one of those moments. I decided to stay. Why not? Worst case, it would be a one and done.
It was not.

By the end of the class, we both signed up and I’ve never looked back. That was the Summer of 2003. Me in a martial art. This was going to be interesting. None of this was going to come easy or natural. While I consider myself to be athletic, I’m not a natural athlete. My mobility has been limited my entire life due to a mild spinal kyphosis. I’m not a visual learner, which makes recreating drills difficult and coordination is virtually non-existent. I have been blessed with some natural skill sets of course, I believe we all are, but none in the martial arts arena. This compounded with a past lacking commitment to any one given thing would lend itself to being a short-lived experience, however, as I write this short bio 22 years later, I now find myself with a second-degree black belt and instructing others in this very amazing, fun and effective lifesaving system.

My philosophy when it comes to teaching is to first identify the style learner my student is. Some people are visual learners and learn through observation. Others learn through listening via analyzing what they’re being told. And lastly, some learn through sensitivity or feeling their way through a drill or exercise. This is the type of learner I am and I tend to teach using a lot of sensitivity. None of these are better or worse than others, just different.

The key to success in a combat system is to train slow and fight fast. While I admire competitive fighting sports and have many friends who participate in those arts, I personally believe the goal of a martial art is to defend and protect our bodies, not damage or hurt them. This is accomplished through lots of explanation, knowing when to tap or communicate to your training partner to ease off and of course through humility. Martial art is more than just the physical. There are also holistic, spiritual, emotional and psychological elements that must be worked into the way of life for a martial artist. Sensei Birmingham’s Combat Science, which is the child of Freedman’s Method Ketsugo Ju Jutsu encompasses everything one will need to best fit their unique and individual journey in the martial arts universe. Whether beginner or advanced and looking to cross train, I highly recommend checking us out!

3rd degree black belt (Sensei) in Freedman’s Method Ketsugo JuJutsu

Book Recommendations:
Karate-do: My Way of Life by Gichin Funakoshi
Code of the Samurai by Thomas Cleary

YouTube Channel Recommendations:
Jason Hanson
Dr. Eric Berg

Recommendation Watches:
Fight Science series (National Geographic)
Above the Law
Shogun
Lie to Me