MTuesday evening, Saint-Thomas d’Acquin high school gymnasium. About fifteen licensees of the Luzien club de Nihon Tai Jitsu kneel on the blue tatami mats of the dojo to greet their teacher Richard Folny. This mathematics teacher, whom he teaches in the establishment, created the association in 2006. Sixteen years later, it is still the only one of its kind in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
MTuesday evening, Saint-Thomas d’Acquin high school gymnasium. About fifteen licensees of the Luzien club de Nihon Tai Jitsu kneel on the blue tatami mats of the dojo to greet their teacher Richard Folny. This mathematics teacher, whom he teaches in the establishment, created the association in 2006. Sixteen years later, it is still the only one of its kind in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques.
“When I arrived here, there was no club, I said to myself that something absolutely had to be done. Which took him three years. “Initially, I had only one student. We were training at my house. It is the passion, the flame that never stops. “Today, they are about thirty to indulge in this still little known discipline, which offers self-defense techniques.
body techniques
“Adjime! “. The course is launched for 1h30 at high intensity. A few sit-ups, around fifty push-ups, and coordinated jumps in pairs on the tatami as a warm-up. We quickly get to the heart of the matter with the first circular movements to free ourselves from potential aggression. This martial art, which literally means “body techniques” in Japanese, allows you to assimilate different methods to free yourself from an attack. The students repeat the gestures taught under the sharp eye of their teacher. It’s all about control, mutual respect.
“The martial art adapts to the society in which we live”, explains Richard Folny between two exercises. Whatever the belt color, everyone finds it. “What’s great about this discipline is that it’s good for everyone. Someone who starts with a white belt will find as much pleasure as me who is a black belt, ”says Dimitri, a loyal member of the Luzian club. The first sequences come, releasing his arm by twisting, slightly of course, the wrist of his evening partner, then mowing it down. A fluid repetition of gestures that requires extreme concentration, but whose gratifying effects stand out at the end of the sequence, as evidenced by the smiles of the practitioners.
“The Voice of the Cunning Man”
Unlike judo or karate, Nihon Tai Jitsu imported into France in the 1950s by Master Roland Hernaez (87 years old and higher in the discipline), is based on three main principles that the professor explains philosophically as “The voice of the crafty man”.
The emotional layer first: the fear of being touched, assaulted. The physical aspect then by the knowledge of the human body. The last principle concerns the intellectual: how to respond to potential aggression. “What is a self-defense situation? It’s a crisis situation, the person who attacks opposite closes all the doors. We try to open them one after the other,” continues the teacher. The man wearing his 6th dan belt (there are a maximum of nine) thinks learning Nihon Tai Jitsu is useful in everyday life.
Sentiment shared by Dimitri: “Bringing together these three elements on a tatami, in everyday life, it helps. I was on the train at Denguin during the accident (in 2014, a TER had hit a TGV, the collision causing 35 injuries). It was a stressful situation. Decisions had to be made. I guarantee 100%, that it was the martial arts that helped me manage. »
Visit of the founder of Nihon Tai Jitsu
Going from student to teacher, it was obvious to Richard Folny: “The only way to thank the one who initiated me is to pass on what he gave me. To teach is to learn twice. You acquire the technique then you learn it a second time when you restore it. »
After a last sequence, comes the hour of the ultimate salute in respect between the teacher and his students. Master Folny will leave his kimono for his math teacher outfit the next day. To meet this enthusiast and the licensees, it is possible to test and register every Tuesday and Friday evening from 6 p.m. at the Saint-Thomas d’Acquin high school gymnasium.
A few practitioners from the Luzian Nihon Tai Jitsu club surround the club’s founder, Richard Folny (kneeling, center).
Julien Laurenceau
An internship in the presence of Master Roland Hernaez
A national Nihon Tai Jitsu course will take place on Saturday January 22 and Sunday January 23 for all levels, respectively from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. discipline, Roland Hernaez. On mandatory presentation of a mandatory health pass and a sports license (regardless of discipline).
