WHY SHORIN-RYU KARATE?
Shorin-Ryu
Karate Called "The Ultimate in SELF-DEFENSE" Is a well balanced self-defense system and do to its age and the
fact that it is used to a certain extent by our American Military and Special Purpose Combat Teams as well as Special
Law Enforcement Groups. Proves its Validity and Quality. We also believe this means that it has in the past; and is still
being tested today in "real time" REAL Combat
!
WHAT ABOUT KATA?
The original martial arts
of Okinawa were "Jutsu" and contained no formalized movements. This
is a truth that no one wants to admit because nearly all modern martial arts use a pre-determined series as forms training.
Bruce Lee would not accept this and instead broke with "tradition" and trained in a free-form manner. He did not know that
the precedence was in his favor. In reality he had stumbled upon Jiyu Kata or Mukei (No form). For Bruce it
just made since. Any Adult who has been instructed in Mukei feels the same.
Set patterns for training did not occur in Japan until the above mentioned Edo period during the 17th century. In little
Okinawa, Mukei was the sole method
of training until 1902, when Yasutsune Itosu began to teach it to school children. He wanted a way to teach
school-age kids without worrying how they would use what they had learned. Only being taught the movement and not the applications,
they would not be able to use it to cause mischief and violence. When Karate was transferred to mainland Japan, it was this "institutional"
version that went with Gichin Funakoshi As Well as Chojun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, Hironori Ohtsuka and Tatsuo Shimabukuro.
The older Adult version
(Jutsu) does still exist here in America with the last people who have been taught the complete art of Uchinadi, the Motobu family's style of
Bushi Te, along with pre 1920's Okinawa Te (Sui-de). We still teach Mukei, and we teach Jiyu Kata. It is common
for a students to have been trained by another teacher in a different system before coming to our system, We think that is
Great and helps you to understand the difference in the systems (styles) and the difference between Combat Self-Defense Karate
(Karate Jutsu) and Sport Karate (Karate-Do)!
This may well be the last Okinawan native system to be instructed in the truly ancient manner. Here
in America we are one KARATE School Family that has chosen to continue the ancient tradition we teach only Jiyu Kata to Adults. All our Yudansha
(black belts) practice Mukei with all Waza (techniques). This allows the practicioner to react in a spontaneous and
natural manner.
WHO
CAN LEARN SHORIN-RYU KARATE?
EVERYONE
CAN! However we recommend Children start Shorin-Ryu around age thirteen as we do not award Black
Belts in Shorin Ryu to anyone under the age of eighteen.
Then
What Do you Teach Children?
Lets
face it children do not learn the same way as adults nor do they have the same compacity for understanding or required Disciplne,
reflexes, power, or speed etc! to learn adult Karate? This is one of the reasons that Yasutsune Itosu
changed the kata for children, and the reason why kata was taught to children without the Bunkia (Applications)
This difference in progressional or graduated learning is why we have different levels in School and Children
start out in Pre
School, and
Kindergarten rather than in High School or College.
This is
also why teachers who work with and teach Children have Special Degrees For that purpose. So wouldn't you think their
Karate Instructor Should to? A Black Belt does not give someone the required Knowledge to teach children.
A Black Belt is a tangible symbol (a Goal) that shows a student has learned the Basic,s. Today however you will
find many Instructors neglect to; or just don't get the extra training needed to teach Children. That is why you
will find many children who will tell you "I Used to take Karate but I quit because it was boring." These later turn
into Adults who say "I took Karate as a Child but I don't remember much about it". ( I'll bet you Know
someone just like that!.)
This
is why we offer specialized age Appropriate Children's Curriculums and this is what sets our Instructors apart
from everyone else's. Please See under Children's Classes.
According to resources, children are exposed more and more everyday to violence from the media
as well as movies and real life. Children spend 80% of their time outside of school. 94% of the U.S. voters think that it would be better if children and teens are
included in after-school activities that allow them to learn and experience new things. Do you Agree? Email us your
thoughts!
We are the Home of Stranger Awareness (S.A.T) and the S.M.A.R.T.
Kids Program!
