THE MARTIAL WAY
1.The Martial Way begins and ends with courtesy.
Therefore,be properly and genuinely courteous at all times.
2. Following the Martial Way is like climbing a cliff continuing upwards without rest.
It demands absolute and unfaltering devotion to the task at hand.
3. Strive to seize the initiative in all things, all the time guarding against actions
stemming from selfish animosity or thoughtlessness.
4. The Martial Way is centered in posture. Strive to maintain a correct posture at all times.
5. The Martial Way begins with one thousand days and is mastered after ten thousand days of training
6. In the Martial Arts, introspection begets wisdom.
Always see contemplation on your actions as an opportunity to improve.
7. The nature and purpose of the Martial Way is universal.
All selfish desires should be roasted in the tempering fires of hard training.
8. The Martial Arts begins with a point and in a circle. Straight lines stem from this principle.
9. The true essence of the Martial Way can only be realised through experience.
Knowing this , learn never to fear its demands.
10. Always remember : in the Martial Arts the rewards of a confident and grateful heart are truly abundant.
KARATE
The karate I teach is a mixture of Wado Ryu and Go-ju Ryu Karate.
Karate is a martial art developed on the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It developed from the indigenous martial arts of Ryukyu Islands called te, literally "hand"; and under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian White Crane. Karate is predominantly a striking art using punching, kicking, knee strikes, elbow strikes and open hand techniques such as knife-hands, spear-hands, and palm-heel strikes. Karate also uses grappling, throws, joint locks, restraints, and vital point strikes are also taught.
Gōjū-ryū, Japanese for "hard-soft style," is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques.
The development of Gōjū-ryū goes back to Higaonna Kanryō, (1853–1916), a native of Naha, Okinawa. Higaonna began studying Shuri-te as a child.
In 1915 Miyagi and a friend Gokenki went to Fuzhou in search of Higaonna's teacher. They stayed for a year and studied under several masters but the old school was gone due to the Boxer Rebellion. Shortly after their return, Higaonna died. Many of Higaonna's students continued to train with Miyagi and he introduced a kata called Tensho which he had adapted from Rokkishu of Fujian White Crane.
Miyagi chose the name Goju-ryu ("go" meaning "hard" and "ju" meaning "soft"), to emphasize that his style integrated both "hard" and "soft" styles. Goju applies not just to karate, but to life in general; only hardness or only softness will not enable one to deal effectively with the fluctuations of life. When blocking, the body is soft and inhaling; when striking, the body is hard and exhaling.
Wado-Ryu, The name Wadō-ryū has three parts: Wa, dō, and ryū. Wa means "harmony," dō (same character as tao) means "way," and ryū means "school" or "style". Harmony should not be interpreted as pacifism; it is simply the acknowledgment that yielding is sometimes more effective than brute strength.
From one point of view, Wadō-ryū might be considered a style of jūjutsu rather than karate. It should be noted that Hironori Ōtsuka embracedShotokan and was its chief instructor for a time. When Ōtsuka first registered his school with the Dai Nippon Butoku Kai in 1938, the style was called "Shinshu Wadō-ryū Karate-Jūjutsu," a name that reflects its hybrid character. Ōtsuka was a licensed Shindō Yōshin-ryū practitioner and a student of Yōshin-ryū when he first met the Okinawan karate master Gichin Funakoshi. After having learned from Funakoshi, and after their split, with Okinawan masters such as Kenwa Mabuni and Motobu Chōki, Ōtsuka merged Shindō Yōshin-ryū with Okinawan karate. The result of Ōtsuka's efforts is Wadō-ryū Karate.
OKINAWAN KOBUDO
Okinawan kobudō refers to the weapon systems of Okinawan martial arts. These systems can have from one to as many as a dozen weapons in their curriculum, among the rokushakubo (six foot staff, known as the "bō"), sai (dagger-shaped truncheon), tonfa (handled club), kama (sickle), and nunchaku (chained sticks), but also the tekko (steelknuckle), tinbe-rochin (shield and spear), and surujin (weighted chain). Less common Okinawan weapons include the tambo (short stick), the hanbō (middle length staff) and the eku (boat oar of traditional Okinawan design)
FIVE ANIMAL KENPO
"Kenpo" is a Chinese form of karate. Originally called "Chuan Fa" it means "law of the fist." Its roots trace back to the Shaolin Temple in China.
"Five Animal Kenpo" embraces this Shaolin heritage by organizing the curriculum using the metaphor of the five animals of Shaolin: Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Leopard, Crane.
Each of these animals are not only a style of fighting but more significantly are an overall strategy to self-defense.
The Five Animal Kenpo System develops a well rounded martial artist trained in the micro principles of movement as well as providing a macro strategic overview of combat. In essence, we want a student to know the detailed mechanics behind throwing a punch; the athleticism to actually throw the punch effectively; the macro perspective to discern if that punch is a good strategic choice to neutralize the threat at hand; and the moral fiber to know when no strike should be thrown at all.
JAPANESE BUDO, KOREAN AND CHINESE MARTIAL ARTS
Suiō-ryū Iai Kenpō is a style of classical Japanese swordsmanship. It was founded by Mima Yoichizaemon Kagenobu 1615. The style specialises in iaijutsu but other arts, such as jōjutsu, naginatajutsu and kusarigamajutsu are practised as well.
Iaijutsu, is a combative quick-draw sword technique. This art of drawing the Japanese sword, katana, is one of the Japanese koryūmartial art disciplines in the education of the classical warrior (bushi)
Iaido ,is associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard or saya, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard. While beginning practitioners of iaido may start learning with a wooden sword (bokken) depending on the teaching style of a particular instructor, most of the practitioners use the blunt edged sword, called iaitō. Few, more experienced, iaido practitioners use a sharp edged sword (shinken)
Kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, which descended from swordsmanship (kenjutsu) and uses bamboo swords (shinai) and protective armour (bōgu). Today, it is widely practiced within Japan and many other nations across the world.
Kendo is an activity that combines martial arts practices and values with strenuous sport-like physical activity.
Haidong gumdo, is the study and practice of inter-relating the elements: Energy (Ki), Sword ( Geom) and Body (Chae). This study is conducted in a variety of practices including exercises and drills, single person form, two-person form and validation cutting. Seen as a zero-sum circumstance, the excess of any one element can only mean a deficit concerning the other two elements. In each case, an activity is meant to instill in the swordsman a near-reflexive ability to assess a circumstance and execute the appropriate meld of these elements to produce the intended outcome. For this reason practitioners rely heavily on the use of cutting targets of various materials to demonstrate successful outcomes concerning any particular technique
Aikido, Aikido's founder, Morihei Ueshiba, was born in Japan on December 14, 1883. As a boy, he often saw local thugs beat up his father for political reasons. He set out to make himself strong so that he could take revenge. He devoted himself to hard physical conditioning and eventually to the practice of martial arts, receiving certificates of mastery in several styles of jujitsu, fencing, and spear fighting. In spite of his impressive physical and martial capabilities, however, he felt very dissatisfied. He began delving into religions in hopes of finding a deeper significance to life, all the while continuing to pursue his studies of budo, or the martial arts. By combining his martial training with his religious and political ideologies, he created the modern martial art of Aikido.
Chinese martial arts, training consists of the following components: basics, forms, applications and weapons; different styles place varying emphasis on each component. In addition, philosophy, ethics and even medical practice are highly regarded by most Chinese martial arts. A complete training system should also provide insight into Chinese attitudes and culture.
The Basics are a vital part of any martial training, as a student cannot progress to the more advanced stages without them. Basics are usually made up of rudimentary techniques,conditioning exercises, including stances. Basic training may involve simple movements that are performed repeatedly; other examples of basic training are stretching, meditation, striking,throwing, or jumping. Without strong and flexible muscles, management of Qi or breath, and proper body mechanics, it is impossible for a student to progress in the Chinese martial arts or ant other style for that matter.
SHUGENDO,YOGA AND ZEN MEDITATION
The core essences are to develop a strong mind, body and spirit.
Spirit Mind Body
Loyalty Courage Power
Filial Piety Judgement Speed
Courtesy Respect Balance
Faithfulness Temperance Sweat
Shugendō is a highly syncretic religion that originated in Heian Japan in which enlightenment is equated with attaining oneness with the kami. This perception of experiential "awakening" is obtained through the understanding of the relationship between humanity and nature, centered on an ascetic, mountain-dwelling practice.
The Shugendo that I practice is one that equates to Sohei fighting and spiritual techniques.
Sōhei were quite varied in their armament. The naginata is the weapon most often associated with them, though in legend as well as history many warrior monks are known to have been proficient with everything from bow and arrow to tantō and wakizashi (dagger and shortsword). Many fought on horseback, and many with the Ō-yoroi armor of the samurai.
Other training involves takigyo waterfall training and kangeiko winter training.