Tewkesbury
Jujutsu Club.
A friendly adult club in a community centre, running since March 2023 and teaching a syllabus that has been forty-five years in the making. No egos, no shouting, no minimum term.
A complete
system, taught
properly.
Taijutsu Kai teaches an advanced syllabus of Japanese Jujutsu — the original mixed martial art — including throws, takedowns, striking, submissions and joint locks. TJK Tewkesbury has been running since March 2023 and brings that syllabus to Tewkesbury unchanged.
We are part of the TJK Association — which has been teaching martial arts to thousands of students across Worcestershire and Gloucestershire for over forty-five years — while running as our own independent club here in Tewkesbury. That means the association's grading standards, insurance and seminars, taught by instructors who answer to them, in a club with its own character.
What that looks like in practice is a friendly, welcoming class with a structured syllabus, suitable for anyone who wants to learn a martial art, get fit and enjoy themselves — and rigorous enough that the people who want to go deep have somewhere to go.
- Adults only, 16+, all ages and abilities
- Structured grading syllabus from white belt up
- Fully insured, first-aid trained instructors
- Seminars with senior instructors across the association
Who teaches
you.
Graded, insured and first-aid trained — and still training under instructors of their own every week.
Sensei Mark
Mark first started Jujutsu in 1999, reaching blue belt under Sensei Rob Tiene before stepping away. He came back in 2014 — this time under Sensei Rob Tiene, Sensei Lee Iannoccaro and Sensei Ross Iannoccaro — and has trained continuously since, travelling to every club in the association to train five days a week.
He holds 2nd Dan in Jujutsu, is a level 2 qualified fitness instructor and level 3 first aid trained. He teaches every class at TJK Tewkesbury, including the new Tuesday beginners hour.
- 2nd Dan Jujutsu, graded under Sensei Ross Iannoccaro, 8th Dan
- Level 3 first aid trained and fully insured
- Level 2 qualified fitness instructor
- Beginners taught on their own mat, at their own pace
Sensei Gemma
Gemma holds 2nd Dan in Jujutsu and runs the Ladies Area on her own mat every Sunday, 5.00pm to 6.00pm — a women-only space within the main class, open to all levels and abilities. Most of the people who train with her arrived having never done a martial art of any kind.
Sensei Jen
Jen holds 1st Dan in Jujutsu and trained alongside Mark across every club in the association from 2015. She now looks after the club side of things — memberships, bookings, gradings and the admin that keeps a club running — rather than teaching on the mat.
Sensei Ross Iannoccaro is head of Taijutsu Kai, holding 8th Dan Jujutsu, 2nd Dan Judo and 1st Dan Karate. He has been teaching Jujutsu for over forty-five years and has spent that time building, refining and expanding the TJK syllabus into one of the most comprehensive self-defence and Jujutsu systems in the UK.
Alongside his son Sensei Lee Iannoccaro, he continues to evolve and update that syllabus — which is why the material we teach in Tewkesbury is a living system rather than a fossilised version of something from the 1980s.
Traditional roots and Japanese lineage are highly valued across the association, and that shows in the standards it holds its clubs to: professionalism, respect and honour throughout, from a first free trial to a black belt grading.
TJK Tewkesbury has run independently since March 2023, bringing that syllabus — unchanged in substance — to a community centre five minutes off the A38.
We empower
students to take
control & stay safe.
Our structured self-defence programmes are an accumulation of over fifty years of experience and knowledge, based on a blend of traditional and modern aspects of the art. Everything we teach is judged against that one sentence.
Grading &
the syllabus.
Structured, graded, and run through the association — so what you earn here means something everywhere TJK trains.
The introductory programme
Every new student starts on the white-belt syllabus. It usually takes around ten sessions and covers breakfalls, stance, core strikes, releases, first throws and basic ground work.
Grading
Gradings are run through the association to a common standard. Personal monitoring and development lead up to each examination — nobody is put in for one before they're ready.
Membership & insurance
Annual TJK membership includes your syllabus book and insurance, and is taken once you decide to stay past the introductory classes.
Seminars & events
Association seminars give access to some of the world's most experienced martial artists, plus safe competitions at all levels for anyone who wants them.
Wheatpieces
Community Centre
Free parking on site, five minutes from the A38 and a short walk from Walton Cardiff.
- Address
- Wheatpieces Community Centre, Tewkesbury, GL20 7SP
- Train
- Ashchurch for Tewkesbury — ten minutes by car
- Message
- Facebook Messenger or Instagram
- hello@tjktewkesbury.co.uk