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Zen Beikoku Bujutsu Kyokai
                 全米国武術協会
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Raising the standards of the martial arts

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Bitter Old Men

2/29/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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The biggest detractors to young martial artists achieving high ranks are often those who have peaked in their martial arts career and have no opportunities for advancement themselves. Coincidentally, they're also the ones who stand on their pedestal and proclaim that rank doesn't matter. In the grand scheme of things, rank does not matter, however it is still important if for no other reason then to establish a hierarchy within a given system or organization. 

I've addressed the issue of young instructors in a previous article, called "Racism in the Martial Arts." There, I talked about what I call the self-inflicted inferiority complex that we have as Westerners to our Asian counterparts regarding rank. In essence, it's perfectly acceptable for Asian martial artists to achieve high rank at a young age but taboo for a Westerner to do so. As stated previously, the criticism and ridicule of young martial artists usually comes from practitioners who have been in the arts several decades and have reached a point where their advancement comes to a halt, for a multitude of reasons. Perhaps their instructor has passed away or retired, and they do not want to accept rank from anyone else. Perhaps they've broken away from their organization and have no one to promote them. Perhaps they were overlooked for advancement. Whatever the reason, their criticism is solely based in jealousy and nothing more. Surely because they may not have been mature enough or had the opportunity to progress that quickly, anyone who does so must be a fraud. 


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Rated E For Everyone - The Watering Down Of Budo

2/28/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Over the last several decades, martial arts study has gradually become less of a serious endeavor that teaches the extraordinary skills of warriors past and more of a youth sport. Most commercial schools across America start at age five, with some even younger. While the teachings of Budo are great for children (respect, perseverance, integrity, discipline, etc.), it only makes sense that this shift has been accompanied by the watering down of traditional martial arts that focus on combat practicality in favor of flashy demonstrations, tournaments and school picnics. Most schools that I know and work with have a large youth program with dwindling (or worse) teen and adult enrollment. What started this transition, and why has the study of Budo become yet another extracurricular activity to compete against baseball, football, soccer, gymnastics and dance? 

The simple answer is money. In Japan and other Asian countries, it was customary to compensate your instructor for his time with your loyalty. You cleaned the dojo, ran errands, brought him the finest bottle of sake, etc. Leave it to the Americans to find a way to turn martial arts instruction into a lucrative, capitalistic venture. It just makes more business sense to focus on children, who outside of school have very little time-consuming responsibilities and obligations and can spend more time (money) in your school. Adults have jobs and careers, families to tend to and bills to pay, and if it comes down to another month of classes or food for their children, they're going to hang up their belt (with good reason). That being said, parents will often go without in order to make their children happy and to see them succeed. If you can provide both, while teaching valuable life lessons, cha ching!


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Karate: "Okinawan Jujutsu"

2/26/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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So right about now, I've either captured your attention, peaked your interest or sent you into a fuming rage. If it's the latter, I apologize but if you'll allow me, I'd like to explore this interesting analogy and show you where I'm coming from. My last article discussed Jujutsu, and how it may possibly be the most scientifically advanced hand-to-hand combat style. That's not to say it's the "best," because the only style that's truly the best for combat is the one which you personally can pick up quickly, become effective with in a relatively short amount of time and works best for your body type. However, Okinawan Karatedo and Japanese Jujutsu share a lot of common characteristics. Both are all-encompassing fighting styles that teach an array of strikes, joint locks, manipulations and throws. The difference between them is the way the information is transmitted from teacher to student.

When talking to any teacher of traditional Karatedo, they'll tell you the essence of the art is solo kata. Everything you need to know about and learn from Karatedo is contained within the kata. Unfortunately, to the untrained eye, kata often looks like nothing more than a pre-arranged set of movements with no real practicality or adaptability to modern fighting. Nothing could be further from the truth. As you look deeply into the kata, you will find the bunkai oyo (analysis and application). Usually taught as paired drills, bunkai oyo shows you the practical application of each movement and more often than not, it's not what you expect.

Many people ask that if Karatedo is such a well-rounded fighting style, why isn't it taught that way from the beginning? If your sole purpose for martial arts study is to learn how to fight, then it's a valid question. To answer it properly, we must first look at the history of Karatedo (and even its name).


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Jujutsu: The "Best" Unarmed Martial Art (Part 2)

2/24/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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In my last article, I made the claim that jujutsu may be the most scientifically advanced hand-to-hand combat style. True jujutsu, both koryu (founded pre-1868) and gendai (modern), is an all encompassing form of combat that teaches strikes, joint locks, manipulations and throws. What separates jujutsu (also called yawara and taijutsu) from other unarmed styles that teach similar techniques is that jujutsu uses the systematic study of anatomy and physiology to increase the effectiveness of each technique.

An old teacher of mine, when asked what jujutsu was, answered simply "Pick a body part and bend the s**t out of it." Of course we all laughed, but he's not wrong. Jujutsu is known for its preference of joint manipulations over striking, thereby making karate its polar opposite, or so it seems (which I'll address in my next article). "The Gentle Art" is called such because of this, how it favors "soft" locks and throws over "hard" percussion. Ask anyone who's been on the receiving end, however, and they'll comment how it's anything but "soft." 


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Jujutsu: The "Best" Unarmed Martial Art, And Hardest To Spell (Part 1)

2/13/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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With the craze of MMA, everyone is talking about "Jiu Jitsu." It has become a household word and synonymous with skilled ground fighting. A "Jiu Jitsu" purple belt is often said to be more skilled at fighting than masters of any other martial art as "proven" by the system's dominance in the cage. I think this heightened interest in Jujutsu is great! Unfortunately, most people's only experience with or knowledge of the gentle art comes by way of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Don't get me wrong. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has forced a lot of practitioners to step up their game. They have exposed an area of training often neglected by mainstream Western martial artists. Its masters have refined grappling and ground fighting to a science and are amazingly skilled at their craft. However, ground fighting is not the only thing offered by the comprehensive style of Jujutsu. Before I get into the extent of what may possibly be the most scientifically advanced hand-to-hand combat system, let's discuss the etymology of the word Jujutsu and why any other spelling of the word is simply incorrect when referring to the style.


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"What Style Do You Study?" Proper Terminology & Classification

2/12/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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Whenever someone finds out you study martial arts, the first question they ask is usually "What style do you study?" It's a fair question, yet also a very general one. If it comes from someone who's not a practitioner, they're usually only aware of several catch-all words regarding various styles such as Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu and "Jiu Jitsu." I'll address why the latter is in quotation marks in my next article. If your answer is not one of those four, you'll often be met with a dazed look of both confusion and slight interest. When talking to another practitioner, however, I find the more accurate question would be "What system do you study?"

When discussing individual martial arts, using correct terminology is imperative. When I use the word "style," I am referring to a family of systems that share very specific common ground. In this sense, the correct response would be Karate, Taekwondo, Wushu (not Kung Fu), Jujutsu (correct English spelling), etc. Each of these styles has their own focal points which they have come to be known for. Karate is known for its emphasis on solo kata and close quarters striking, Taekwondo for its kicks, Wushu for its circular fluidity, Jujutsu for its grappling (standing and ground). None of these focal points even begin to describe the depth of what each system under their umbrella offers, but its a good starting point when trying to classify what system you study.


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We All Serve A Purpose

2/3/2016

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Author: Bret Gordon
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This summer will mark my 20th anniversary in the martial arts, the last four of which I've dedicated myself to preserving traditional budo while raising the standards of self defense instruction. I've taken my students to extremes, pushed them to places far beyond their previously self-described limits and seen great results in their growth as martial artists. Their techniques are clean, they perform phenomenally under duress and most of all, they understand not only the physical application of our system but what it truly means to be a budoka. However, there is one piece of the puzzle I've been missing. One very large piece...

In a previous post, I stated that I closed my commercial storefront in June 2015 to teach privately, focusing on the handful of students who I felt had the same goals in budo that I have. My student count dropped from over 75 students to less than 10, and I convinced myself it was okay because these were true students. They came to my home to train daily and they became part of my family. This was how budo is supposed to be, right? Last week, I had a very insightful conversation with my instructor and it's set me on a course of self reflection, which is what this post is about.

We were discussing a mutual friend in our brotherhood, how his school was starting to flourish while both my instructor and I were scraping by. I'll admit, there was a slight (large) tone of jealousy in my voice because this friend was achieving what I once had and willingly gave up. Finally, my instructor said to me, "Bret, you have a gift. What are you doing with your life? You're teaching a small group out of your garage. You're wasting your talent and if we don't use the gifts God has given us, He will take them away." That's what got me thinking. Was my decision to close based upon a holier-than-thou attitude toward commercial schools and other martial artists? Had I reached an extremist mindset and forgotten why I began teaching in the first place? 



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