Sea-Town SAMBO / Seattle Jujutsu

**lionknight** · Posted On: 1/16/2011 5:22pm

I have been training at Sea-Town SAMBO for some time now. I had around 4 years of good grappling (BJJ) training before switching gyms and I am really glad to now call Sea-Town SAMBO my home for grappling and Judo. That’s not a knock on BJJ; it’s just that I find the SAMBO approach is more compatible with my way of learning. Aaron Fields is a top notch coach and brings a depth of knowledge to grappling / judo that is hard to match. I should also mention for those that don’t know that I am a martial arts school owner (SAMBO helps me round out my traditional / striking game and thanks to Aaron my curriculum too) and even I make the long trip down to Seattle because I find the training there to be worth both the time and effort.

This place is a 10 in every way shape and form. I say that now because I know how Bullshido’s grading works and I don’t want any confusion just because people don’t see 10s across the board; below I will go through the Bullshido code for grading, but in my mind I really think of this place as a 10.

Aliveness: 9
The only reason this gets a 9 instead of a 10 is because it’s grappling / judo only. I just feel that in order to have a 10 here there would need to be striking training to complement what else goes on at this club. The grappling / Judo component is top notch however with many students having competed in grappling, Judo, SAMBO and submission grappling tournaments and doing very well.

Equipment: 7
Since this is a SAMBO school it mainly comes down to “what are the mats like”. The floor is covered with tatami mats that I believe have wrestling mats underneath, the floor is also elevated with 4x4x2 high density foam blocks underneath for that extra give that makes a comfortable area to practice on whether you are doing judo throws or working on your ground game. There are also a couple large crash style mats that can be put down to assist while learning hard throws or to just practice throwing harder. All mats are in good shape but some show a little wear as would be expected in a school that has been around this long.

Gym Size: 7
Sea-Town SAMBO just moved into a new place not long ago and increased it training space. The floor is wide open with no polls or other obstructions in the middle to hamper your training. It’s not a big “health club” style place it’s more of we need to train we don’t need a lot a fancy stuff to do that kind of place.

Instructor/Student Ratio: 9
The only reason I give this a 9 is because Aaron doesn’t run all the classes and while he has some very talented assistance, let’s face it he is the glue that makes this place work so well. For those that don’t know Aaron is a firefighter and sometimes that work means he can’t make classes, he is there a majority of the time however and he finds the time to make sure you have your questions answered and are making the gain in skills necessary to improve your over all grappling / judo game.

All the assistance are also highly skilled and more than willing to work with you on general skill building or addressing any certain issue you may need help with.

Atmosphere/Attitude: 10
Great place to train. No egos and always a friendly smile, often feels like home but with more sweat, slams, knee bars, chokes and locks.

Striking Instruction: NA
This is sport SAMBO / CAMBO not Combat SAMBO, so you will need to look for your striking training elsewhere.

Grappling Instruction: 10
You just can’t find much better instruction no matter where you look. Aaron has a depth of knowledge that is hard to compare too.

Weapons: NA

**dwkfym** · Posted On: 1/16/2011 11:52pm

The spring board is usually tires underneath :) It doesn't make a difference when executing throws and such, but when you fall on it you really notice the difference

**Lindz** · Posted On: 1/16/2011 11:59pm

What kind of jujutsu do they teach there?

**Aaron Fields** · Posted On: 1/17/2011 11:31am

Just noticed this thread.

The tires underneath isn't the best option. 13 years ago, in our first location, tires is how the floor was built. I have built a number floors since.

The current design uses 4x4x2 in high density foam blocks as the "springs."

The jujutsu that I have a background in is a Meji period judo-esque jujutsu. The two brothers that brought it to this country made the tour as carnival-style fighters in the early 1900s. In truth, most everything in that era coming out of Japan, (other than strict Koryu,) had a heavy judo influence and played by a similar rule-set. Keep in mind judo today and judo then were different beasts.

The focus is a split between ground and standing, equal focus on both.

**lionknight** · Posted On: 1/17/2011 2:42pm

Originally Posted by Aaron Fields

Just noticed this thread.

The tires underneath isn't the best option. 13 years ago, in our first location, tires is how the floor was built. I have built a number floors since.

The current design uses 4x4x2 in high density foam blocks as the "springs."

The jujutsu that I have a background in is a Meji period judo-esque jujutsu. The two brothers that brought it to this country made the tour as carnival-style fighters in the early 1900s. In truth, most everything in that era coming out of Japan, (other than strict Koryu,) had a heavy judo influence and played by a similar rule-set. Keep in mind judo today and judo then were different beasts.

The focus is a split between ground and standing, equal focus on both.

Ahhhh... I had forgotten about the foam blocks, I will edit that info back into my review for accuracy sakes.