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What Is A Dojo?

8/29/2017

Author: Bret Gordon

Especially in the American martial arts community, the word dojo has become synonymous with martial arts school. However, there is so much more to the meaning of a dojo than just a place to practice martial arts. In this article, we're going to explore the etymology of the word dojo, it's true meaning, and why it is not applicable for all martial arts schools.

Dojo is made up of two characters, 道場. The first character, Do, translates as "The Way" and holds a spiritual connotation. "The Way" specifically refers to the path to enlightenment. The second character, Jo, means "place." So a dojo is literally a "place to practice the Way." It is a hall to study the path to enlightenment, a place of spiritual cultivation and an institution of higher learning. The word dojo is not confined to martial arts training, and can be extended to any of the -do forms of Japanese arts, such as shodo (calligraphy). In fact, it is even used in Zen Buddhism to describe the meditation halls where they practice zazen.

In actuality, what most people consider to be a dojo is really a keikojo 稽古場. Keiko literally means "practice," and refers to physical training. Keikojo is the most appropriate term for a martial arts school that does not engage in any spiritual development, that is purely focused on physical training without the trappings or rituals of a traditional art (what some may call a "gym" or "club").

So now that we've defined what the terms dojo and keikojo are, let's go a little more in depth.

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It's All Theory...

8/24/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon

Sometimes when you sift through the garbage of social media, you come across something that actually makes sense. There was recently a thread regarding competitions, asking those who don't bring their students to tournaments to explain why. Of course there was always that one person who says, "Our art is too deadly for competitions."

The response they got was perfect. "Oh, so how many people have you killed?"

Now, I don't bring my students to competitions for multiple reasons (which I will detail in this article), but this was the type of person I'd rather not be on my side. Unfortunately, for most of the people who retort something similar regarding competitions (that they train for "the street", etc.), the real reason is because they're a terrible instructor and they're afraid of their students realizing that. That is not always the case, but it's people like that that make people like me look bad. That being said, what does it mean when you're a self defense school? Who is really qualified to make that claim?

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Forget Your Lineage, Because It Doesn't Matter

8/23/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon

What if everything you know is a lie? What if the person you've relied on and trusted was a fraud? What if they gave you 100% correct information and helped you develop exceptional skill, but their credentials were misrepresented? What if they learned from a book, and then passed that information onto you? Does it matter where the information comes from or does only its validty matter? If you learn from a physical teacher, is your lineage false even if their credentials are? Does the skill you've developed and the information you've learned lose its value? Does it disappear altogether?

These are questions we all need to think deeply on. I can't tell you how many discussions I've been in with other practitioners regarding lineage or credentials, while completely disregarding physical skill and knowledge. In the martial arts community as a whole, we've become too obsessed with paperwork, signatures and names. It's become an ego stroke for people to sit on their high horse because someone else's instructor wasn't as well known as theirs, or somehow their piece of paper (that they probably can't read) means more than someone else's piece of paper. We've become superficial, placing too much value in the "art" of martial arts. We've forgotten what it means to be martial. We've forgotten what it's like to train for survival instead of prestige.

History is important to remember, mostly so that we do not repeat it. Lineage is great if you have it, but does it make you less skilled or less knowledgeable if you don't? We've grown to respect the belt, the paperwork and the rank rather than respecting the practitioner. Yet when we talk about the masters of old, no one ever mentions them because of their lineage. They're remembered for their skill, for their knowledge and wisdom, all of which seems to be a lost concept in our generation.

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Bullying - We Need To Stop Re-Inventing The Wheel

8/10/2017

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Author: Sil Crino

Our hearts go out to the Grossman family and their daughter Mallory that left us too soon because of Bullying. (see below, R1) You see, Mallory was bullied everyday though the tools of Social Media: Snapchat, Instagram and text messages. Her parents are now blaming the Public School District, in Rockaway, New Jersey, because the Administrations and staff did nothing to stop it. Everyone needs to understand there is not much school system can really do. A good lawyer will step in and prevent any action from being taken. Their hands are pretty much tied.

The blame for Mallory’s loss are in fact on the school bully(ies) - her 4 female classmates, not their parents, not the school district, not the administrators and not the staff. The bullies are the ones to be punished, but how? They didn’t know Mallory would take her own life, and now they will have to live forever knowing it was them that pushed Mallory off the cliff to her death. My understanding is that this is currently in the court system and everyone is pointing every-which-way except at the four that caused it. No matter what happens in the courts, nothing will bring Mallory Grossman back. R.I.P.

I am writing this article because I am sick and tired of watching young lives lost due to bullying. Bullying in one shape or form has always been a problem in history. Children, adults, organizations, countries, religions, etc. It doesn't matter. Everyone can be a victim of bullying.

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What Happened To Brotherhood?

8/9/2017

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Author: Bret Gordon

I really should just get off social media, because nearly every time I see something posted by the martial arts "community" I start to twitch. One of the latest posts was a question asking school owners, "What separates you from your competition? What sets you apart in the market?" To even ask such a question shows the complete and total disregard for the values we all claim to teach: Respect, Integrity, Humility.

Here's the thing. No other martial arts school is my competition. I primarily teach teens and adults, so fitness classes are my competition. Extended work hours are my competition. Mountains of homework and college prep are my competition. If you teach kids, then little league is your competition. Soccer, football, dance, gymnastics, even video games. That is your competition.

Here's a great example. For those who don't know, I currently rent space from a Taekwondo school to teach my classes. I don't have anything to do with their program, but I do try to support them (considering if they close, I'm out of a space). Yesterday they attended a "Meet the Teacher" event at the local elementary school, as did three other local schools. While you can definitely sense the tension in the room between the school owners, everyone got their fair share of leads and sign ups. It's a school with 1,400 students currently enrolled. There's enough for everyone, without the need to belittle or bash the other schools.

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Thoughts On Self Defense

8/7/2017

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Author: Dave Freetage

Martial Arts rant, let's see who I offend and piss off today. I've seen and read some things online lately that at first made me laugh, then I realized, "these people are serious." So I have decided to share Martial Arts and Self Defense Truths that I've learned in 23 consecutive years of training and 15 years of being a police officer in a big city, a Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a Muay Thai and MMA coach:

1. If you are a big, sloppy tub of goo and your profession is to teach martial arts or self defense, you are failing your students and short-changing them on their potential. They will never be what they can be, because you never reached your potential as a martial artist/human weapon. Keep yourself fit! It is your job, as an instructor to do what you teach, teach a variety of things and if you physically can't perform them, it limits your students.

2. No martial art is truly effective against multiple attackers. In fact, very few men can take down multiple attackers. If you are one of those men, congrats! But it's rare. You can learn ways to maybe survive and run, but to stay and fight is silly. If effective lets you run away, then get in a position to run and run.

3. Size matters. That's why combat sports have weight classes. A smaller, talented martial artist can beat a larger untrained person easily. But as the training gap narrows, the smaller person's skill advantage disappears.

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In an effort to share information, each year we publish a book containing all of the articles written that year. This book is an excellent supplemental training tool for the beginner and master alike! To order the most recent volume, click the image below. For previous years, please contact our headquarters.

Articles of 2016

USAMA BLOG

What Is A Dojo?

It's All Theory...

Forget Your Lineage, Because It Doesn't Matter

Bullying - We Need To Stop Re-Inventing The Wheel

What Happened To Brotherhood?

Thoughts On Self Defense

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