US Association of Martial Arts
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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The Art Of Taking Away And Creating An Illusion

7/23/2016

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Author: Steven Hatfield

Wae-Kune-Do Karate is a very unique form of martial arts. It incorporates the beauty of the traditional arts with the practicality of living in a modern and urban society. This particular system of karate is a very difficult and demanding discipline which teaches the students the balance between mental and physical strength, as well as humility and restraint. This system has not been intended for Hollywood, but rather to be taught as a way of life, with students learning to contribute positively to their world and community. Our motto is "We enter to learn. We leave to serve!"
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The system of  Wae-Kune-Do Karate was founded by Grandmaster Clarence E. West in 1969. Master West began studying the arts in Washington, D.C., under Sensei Jerry Barnett. After returning to his home state of Ohio, he studied under numerous instructors in the arts Goju Ryu Karate, Taekwondo, Aikido, and Isshin Ryu Karate. His most influential instructor was Master Lester Russaw of Tang Soo Do. Despite all of his experience in the arts, Master West still felt that a void existed in the way that they prepared people for life in today's urban society. In an attempt to fill that void, Master West spent three intense years in his home dojo perfecting what we now know as Wae-Kune-Do Karate, translated as "the art of taking away and creating an illusion." He did this by taking the best of his training and combining it with newly developed, successful techniques for street defense, tournaments and self defense.

After 30 plus years of hard work Master West's system has been recognized throughout the U.S.A and Canada and he was even listed in the 1990’s "Who's Who in the Martial Arts." He has won numerous martial arts championships and holds titles nationally and internationally. Two of his most notable fights were against Grandmaster Billy Blanks and Grandmaster Chuck Norris in 1970 (GM West was the first to beat GM Norris in five years). During his creation of Wae-Kune-Do, at any point he could have chosen to wear a 10th Dan as most founders claim, but he never once did so. When he first began teaching his art, he only claimed the rank of 3rd Dan and as the years went on, and as his students grew, he slowly progressed in rank and rightfully so.


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The Essence of Martial Arts In Today's World (Part 2)

7/15/2016

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Author: Dell Sharpe
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In my last article, I mentioned that I refuse to wear or claim the rank of 10th Dan regardless of my position as head of style. This brings me to a larger rank issue, and some may not like what I am about to say. Rank has been a controversy for some years now, and this is my humble opinion on the issue. Kano Jigoro, founder of Judo, created the kyu/dan rank system to distinguish students from one another, and he used different colored belts for each rank. Kyu ranks are a list of colored belts a student has to go through to reach black belt level, which in most systems is divided into 10 Dan ranks. The terminology and time-in-grade that follows is fairly standard among most systems, however keep in mind every system is different and may have different standards and requirements. This does not make them any less legitimate, as it is up to each individual headmaster or governing organization to lay out the requirements for their own systems.


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The Essence of Martial Arts In Today's World (Part 1)

7/14/2016

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Author: Dell Sharpe
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​Because of mixed martial arts and the popularity of organizations like the UFC and Strike Force, most people think martial arts is simply two people in a cage beating each other untill one can’t continue. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. I venture to say less than two percent of those fighters actually hold rank in any type of true martial art.

Which begs the question, what are they actually doing? If it’s not true martial arts, my humble opinion is this (and it's just one man’s opinion). They have taken some basic moves that martial artists are taught from different styles as well as some boxing techniques, slammed them all together and called it "mixed martial arts." And in reality, it's really just a replica of what people around the world have been doing for years when fighting dogs and roosters (both of which are illegal in most countries now, but in the name of money they allow it to continue with humans). And it won’t be stopped until someone gets seriously hurt or killed in the cage. You hear all the time people saying "if you have something to say let’s take it to the cage!" That in a nutshell proves my point. Martial arts are about making peace with your enemy, not fighting. A true martial artist will only fight when he has exhausted every effort to end a conflict peacefully. With that being said, I would like to take the time to explain my journey in martial arts. 


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