The Kobukai Dojo
The Kobukai Jujitsu Dojo was founded in 1993. The technical curriculum at Kobukai Jujitsu is a combination of the best techniques from ZenBudo-Ryu Aiki Jujitsu (founded by Hanshi Duke Moore in the 1960s), Kodenkan Danzan-Ryu Jujitsu (founded by Prof. Seishiro Okazaki in the 1930s), Yoshida AikiJutsu (a version of Daito-Ryu Aikijutsu done by Yoshida Kotaro), and Military Combatives. Shihan St. Hilaire and training partner Sensei Carvalko took the most effective techniques from these styles which they had studied and combined them into the Kobukai Jujitsu Curriculum.
What sets Kobukai Jujitsu Dojos apart from others is the Teaching Methodology which uses a building block approach to learning and understanding Jujitsu. Each technique must meet the following requirements: Easy to Learn, Easy to Remember, Easy to Execute under Pressure. There are approximately 200 Self Defense Techniques to learn to earn your Blackbelt at Kobukai Jujitsu, with more advanced waza to learn as a Blackbelt.
The Kobukai Jujitsu Dojos believe you can learn a highly effective self-defense form of Jujitsu in a Traditional Japanese training atmosphere, without having to engage in external competitions.
Kobukai Kensington Dojo
The Kobukai Kensington Dojo is run by Sensei Chris Richards in a spartan, no-frills setting. Being a small, semi-private dojo and training facility offers students many advantages that larger schools simply cannot afford their students. For starters, the average student-to-instructor ratio is about three-to-one and often times two-to-one on occasion even one-on-one! That means more individualized instruction and a keen focus on the details to accelerate learning and progression.
The setting itself is a rural homestead situated on the grounds which are wholly owned by the head instructor, Sensei Chris Richards. This environment is not unlike the dojos since antiquity in Japan where masters set aside space in their own homes to teach and impart their knowledge to a select chosen few student disciples. As such, the Kensington Dojo is spartan, free of any distractions so students and instructors may focus only on one thing, and that is the science and practice of jiu-jitsu for the purpose of defending oneself and one’s family.
Instructors
Head Instructor
Sensei Chris Richards – Menkyo (Sandan or 3rd dan) – began his training under Shihan Russ St. Hilaire in the Kobukai Jujitsu dojo in CT in 2004. He received his black belt in 2010 and spent two years as an assistant instructor for Shihan St Hilaire.
Afterward, he trained under Sensei Matt Bryers, owner and proprietor of The Cage JSA in Cromwell CT where he spent 3 years as an assistant instructor. Through continued practice and teaching he was awarded Menkyo (licensed instructor) in 2015 shortly after opening the current Kensington Dojo.
Sensei Richards is former military and served in the U.S. Navy. Coach Richards as he is called outside the dojo is a lifelong athlete who comes with a background in competitive swimming, rugby, trapeze instruction, Olympic lifting, lacrosse and was a youth lacrosse coach for 4 years. Outside of the dojo, he works as a management consultant who has led, directed, and published several international standards for the Project Management Institute®.
Instructor
Sensei Stephen Leary – Menkyo (Sandan or 3rd dan) – began his training under Shihan Russ St. Hilaire in the Kobukai Jujitsu dojo in 2009. He received his black belt in 2016 under Shihan Russ St. Hilaire and Sensei Chris Richards.
Since receiving his black belt he has been an assistant instructor under Sensei Richards at the Kobukai Kensinigton Dojo and received his 2nd dan in 2018. He was awarded Menkyo (licensed instructor) in 2021. Sensei Leary prides himself in his technical instruction and attention to detail.
Outside of the dojo, Sensei Leary is a practicing attorney. He enjoys traveling and hiking with his family and has been to over 45 countries.
Group Fitness / Yoga / Personal Training
Sara Wilhelm is a mother and a lifetime martial artist, yogi, and fitness enthusiast, studying Shaolin Kempo, Kung Fu, Tang Soo Do, Kickboxing, Judo, Kano Jiu Jitsu, and now Kobukai Jujitsu.
She has been studying under Sensei Chris Richards and Sensei Stephen Leary since 2018. She coaches strength and mobility training, yoga, and group fitness, and can be found leading Warrior Workout Wednesdays and warm up drills in class. She is passionate about women’s fitness and nutrition, and is a stalwart believer that women belong in the dojo.
Students
We have students from all nationalities, creeds, faiths, walks of life, genders, and fitness levels practicing under the tutelage of our instructors. Our ultimate goal is to make you the best that you can be through individualized instruction and motivation coupled with a tried and true methodology that has been refined over decades of teaching and research.
Chief among all, we are most inspired by our students, each of whom walks through the door and gives it their all, possessing an eagerness to learn and participate with a tenacity and determination to beat the odds and break through their own physical and mental limits in become more experienced jujitsuka and better people.