It doesn't matter your gender, height or body type, a world class martial arts instructor says his self-defence seminars can help you defend yourself in a crisis.

Kyoshi Allie Albergio, a Japanese Ninjutsu instructor from Long Island, New York will be teaching the self-defence classes tonight with Sensei Scott Dunstan at Northlands Primary School.

"You absolutely don't have to have any experience with marital arts to attend the workshop," said Mr. Albergio.

He spoke to The Royal Gazette by phone from a conference in Florida.

"Anybody from three years old on up to adults can benefit from Ninjutsu," he said. "There is no size requirement.

"Our art is the art of adaptability. You just have to be in reasonable health.

"There are no physical, age or sex requirements. It is one of the few arts left that is still geared to self defence."

Mr. Albergio has been coming to Bermuda for 13 years and is closely associated with the Hekigan Dojo school.

He owns four of his own martial arts schools on Long Island.

"I have used Ninjutsu many times to defend myself," said Mr. Albergio. "I couldn't count how many times on my hands and feet that I have used it in a self defence situation.

"I used to do personal security for high end celebrities. It is absolutely something that is real and works.

"There are not many limitations unless someone has something severely wrong with them that they shouldn't be exerting themselves.

"As long as you are in there in good shape, you can do it. That just means healthy shape."

Mr. Albergio has 35 years of martial arts experience and over 12 years as a professional full time instructor and owner of Long Island Ninjutsu Centers, in Long Island, New York.

"We are one of only a few who teaches Ninjutsu, especially in Bermuda," he said. "On Long Island, there are hardly any Ninjutsu schools besides mine.

"I was the fourth highest ranking student of my teacher from Japan in all of the United States."

He said while other martial arts have become sports, he considers Ninjutsu to be about life skills.

"While many other martial arts are mixed martial arts, ours has been complete for 2,000 years," he said. "There are some things that the others are missing — ground grappling, self defence or weaponry.

Ours has those things and also has healing arts, weapon defence, meditation, spiritual training and strategizing."

When asked if he could help a five foot tall, 90 pound female, he said, "We could absolutely help her. Our art has been taught for generations to people in the military, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), air marshals. We teach to 65 different law enforcement agencies in our schools."

Mr. Albergio said the level of Ninjutsu in Bermuda was high. "A Bermudian student, Gary Furtardo, was in your paper recently.

"He is a Bermudian and lived with us for seven months and got his black belt.

"Prior to that, if I were to walk out of my school in Long Island and walk into the one in Bermuda there would be no difference. Sensei Scott Dunstan is great."

Mr. Albergio is also Senior Consultant for APS Billing, and also heads www.TakingItToTheNextLevel.com, a consulting business that caters to martial arts schools.

He has been featured on the cover of such magazines as 'Ma Success', 'Board Breaker Elite' and 'Board Breaker'.

"My main job is my martial arts schools," he said. "I also do consulting."

Mr. Albergio is also the author of two books. The most recent is 'Twenty First Century Ninjutsu -A Warriors Mind Set'.

"It is a book about how you could take Ninjutsu and utilise it in your everyday life," said Mr. Albergio.

"It is not just the physical aspects but also the health and spiritual aspects where anyone could use it during the day in a non spiritual kind of way."

He said some of the techniques can be used to cope with stressful situations such as a difficult boss, an annoying co-worker or a looming deadline.

"It helps you to see things a little bit differently," he said. "My philosophy is all about how you cannot let stress beat you up.

"It is about how to take the energy from stress and use it to fuel more success.

"It is about the spiritual mindset we have in our lives. Our philosophy is that everything happens for a reason. Everything is a lesson in life.

"If we learn from all the good things and the bad things then we are able to become better people and our lives are better."

His second book, 'The Martial Art Business 101' is a book that helps martial arts school owners become more professional and run their schools in a more professional basis so they can effect more people and reach more of the community.

"We have a beautiful school in Bermuda," said Mr. Albergio. "I love the people there. I have never met a much more hospitable place.

"It is always an honour to come there. I really enjoy it. In my book I write about Johnny Barnes. The purity of what he does of just spreading cheer.

"He is just out there to promote cheer. That is his goal in life."

The seminar is today, July 17 from 6 p.m. to 7.30 pm at Northlands Primary School on Berkeley Road in Devonshire. Tickets are $50 at the door.

Telephone 537-7253 for more information or email hekigandojo@yahoo.com.