The official web site of Shinjido inventor Danny Da Costa

Danny Da Costa Press Release

Five years ago he was given an eight month death sentence. On January 17th Danny Da Costa proved that he is still very much alive as he quickly took much younger and larger Judoka down to the mat or strangled or contorted their bodies (without harming them) until they tappped in submission.

On that date Da Costa will be hosted a Shinjido seminar at the High Wycombe Judo Centre in Buckinghamshire England. The seminar allowed participants to work on the mat with Da Costa and Kosei Inoue (triple world and Olympic Judo champion). Admission fee was £20 for a Senior and £12 for Juniors. There were 80 participants and 30 spectators for the event. Please see Danny's blog for his report on the seminar.

Da Costa is a 6th Dan in Judo and 4th Dan in Aikido. He spent 10 years as a member of the British Judo Team. Da Costa was a European silver medallist at the age of 33. In 2002 he became World Masters Judo champion. In 2005 Da Costa introduced a new style of Judo fighting which one of his student's called Shinjido, which means “Danny’s Way” in Japanese. 

This was the same year Da Costa was told he had cancer in his bowels and liver and would have eight months to live. He refused to accept his diagnosis and quietly accept his fate. Da Costa had two liver resections and surgery on his bowels to remove the tumour. Instead of wasting his time convalescing in bed he continued to host Shinjido seminars – grappling on the mats with all sized and aged opponents.

Da Costa battled the cancer and won. Unfortunately the cancer has returned to his liver and both lungs. He is now receiving chemotherapy and hopes to have a third liver resection and two surgeries to remove the tumours from both lungs.

One of the main principles of Shinjido is Gravity Assisted Power. GAP enables a small person to take down a much larger opponent. Please click the thumbnails below to download high quality images available for publication usage.

Participants at the 1st Shinjido seminar at High Wycombe in 2005.

Photo Above on the mat at High Wycombe Judo Centre. From left: Ray Stevens (Olympic silver medalist), Neil Adams (MBE, World Champion, double Silver Olympic medalist and Britain's most successful Judo fighter) and Shinjido inventor Danny Da Costa.

Shinjido Inventor Danny Da Costa.

Please call Danny Da Costa at 01803 295006 to arrange an interview