Safe, Systematic, Supportive

Your coworker trains in karate. Your neighbor trains in judo.  Your cousin on the west coast goes on and on (and on) about jujutsu!  “Maybe I should try this jujutsu,” you think.  There are so many search results for jujutsu, it’s hard to know where to begin!   Choosing the right martial art style and the right dojo can be overwhelming.  You can simplify it by asking three questions: 

Is it safe?

Is it systematic?

Is it supportive?

Read more here!

Foundations and Evolutions of Tomiki Aikido

"I'm having difficulty with the throw portion of this jujutsu technique that I'm learning," you remark to a friend whose primary art is judo. You walk through the movements and your friend comments, "That's a cool technique! Let's work on the throw and then integrate it into the overall technique, if you don't mind showing me." 

That kind of work could be a game changer!

Most of us miss out on the benefits of training in other martial arts because we think we don't have the time to commit to more than one.  If only we had the opportunity to participate in world class instruction without the cost associated with overseas seminars.  Focused, expert instruction in complementary techniques offers us the potential to raise our game!

To fully understand the common skillsets shared by judo, jujutsu, aikido, look no further than their evolution from their common ancestor - ancient jujitsu. Read more!  

The Missing Link

“I train several times a week, but continue to feel slow, tight, and mechanical during randori, or free practice.” Welcome to the club! Many of us feel this way more often than not when faced with real-time application.

Fortunately for us, Tomiki Sensei created Randori no Kata, a framework of 17 techniques (waza) that are deemed appropriate for randori (free form practice).  The techniques are categorized in 4 categories:

Atemi Waza – Striking (Attacking) Techniques

Hiji Waza - Elbow Techniques

Tekubi Waza – Wrist Techniques

Uki Waza – Floating Techniques

Read more here!

From Movement to Meaning

“I get the basic technique, but struggle with the applications.”  The struggle is real.  Many martial artists find it difficult to move beyond basic techniques into free form practice. They wonder how others manage to “flip the switch” to safe, effective high-level randori, or free practice.

Fortunately, there’s a common foundational skill set in Tomiki Aikido, that can help transform the way you apply your techniques.  John Gage-Sensei tells us that, “Randori no Kata was created by Tomiki Sensei to provide a framework for students to move safely from static, prearranged methods to free form, competitive practice. The core skills, postures, and movements help develop speed, fluidity, and efficiency in real time application of martial arts, especially judo, jujutsu and aikido.”

Join us at JMAC in Ann Arbor on March 16, 17 & 18, 2018, to explore the integration of Aikido, Judo, & Jujutsu with Satoh Tadayuki Sensei.

Satoh Tadayuki Sensei is one of the world’s leading experts of Tomiki-style aikido. He studied directly with Tomiki Kenji Sensei, founder of the Japan Aikido Association, in the living room of his house, and later at Waseda University. In 2007, Satoh Sensei was granted the position of Shihan of Waseda University Aikido club, a position that had been vacant since Professor Tomiki’s death in 1979. Additionally, he teaches aikido at the Japan Police University, and international seminars in the Americas, Europe and throughout Japan. 

To read more, click here.

Kihon Kata I

Steve & Jon performing Kihon Kata I

June 2017

Life is Too Short

The Land of the Living

Life is too short to aspire to mediocrity. It's better to shoot for the stars and only reach the moon. Nowhere is this more true than in the martial arts. To animate your martial arts with the spirit of greatness, choose the most profound role models you can find and follow them with an obsessive devotion. That's your best chance to receive the direct transmission of the deep spirit of your martial art. If and when you receive the direct transmission, keep in mind that it includes everything - the sounds in the room during your training sessions, the rare smile of your Sensei, the warm air coming in through the windows, the pain of learning, the salty tears of exhaustion, the crushing pathos of washing your teacher's gravestone and the incredible energy of great martial arts techniques executed with clarity, energy and joy. The complexity and emotion of your martial arts should be very profound indeed.

To read more, click here.

Karate in the Spotlight

Karate at JMAC

Black Belt Testing

This Saturday, June 10, we will be having numerous high level and black belt tests and demonstrations to celebrate our 11th anniversary! The fun starts at 4pm.  Everyone is welcome to come watch.

Top of the Park

Join us at Ann Arbor Top of the Park, Power Center lawn, today at 5pm for a FREE karate class.  This is a great opportunity to try karate out and to interact with our instructors.

Martial Arts Training in the Land of the Living

Missing from Our Lives

The extraordinary musician, the exemplary painter, the best writer, the gifted singer, and the exceptional martial artist share a unique sort of magic. There's a depth to their performances that only a keen eye can see, only a sharp ear can hear. Their notes are not just notes, their brush strokes are not just brush strokes, their words are not just words, their voices are not just voices, and their kata are not just kata. Instead, they're a deep expression of a collection of meaningful experiences, distilled through countless hours of practices and years of reflection.

If you watch, read or listen carefully enough, you can sense the depth of their technique. If you're lucky enough to have seen their teachers or role models, you'll also be able to see echoes of their predecessors in their art. That's an extraordinary expression of love ... granting immortality to an artist by ensuring that his or her art is preserved in your body, mind and spirit. The level of your tribute corresponds to how well you internalize the nuance of his technique and how well you understand and give life to the principles he held dear.

Today's martial arts world is dominated by light weight players. By that I don't mean people who are small in physical stature. Instead, I mean people who are small in character, technique, and aspirations. Consider carefully the school you plan to attend. Is the approach all about rank? Does the curriculum change frequently ... is it more focused on variation than on depth? Are the lead instructors out of shape, mean spirited, or simply poor technicians?

To read more, click here.

Our kids karate class, practicing their kata during a test.

The Magic of Persistence at JMAC

In my opinion (be it ever so humble), every serious martial artist should have a little training with these three men on their resume´ ... if you want to be a jedi, you have to know what it feels like to be in the room with a jedi, and if you want to be a martial arts master in the true sense of the word, you have to train in the room with a real Japanese master to try to soak up the essence of what that means.

I've already started training to make sure I'm in the right condition in both body and mind to absorb all I can from Yahagi-Sensei's teachings. For me, that's just part of striving for the extraordinary every day ... envisioning greatness, planning, preparation, training, evaluating, and improving.

Remember, the kind of day you're having may depend on the world, but how you deal with it totally depends on you. If you have an exceptional mindset, you'll lead an exceptional life. I'd love to hear what this means to you!

Read more here.

Self defense skills are so important for personal safety.  We've got the classes to help you develop those skills.

The Magic of Persistence at JMAC

Three Masters

I've been very, very lucky to have trained with or met some extraordinary martial artists. I've been in the room with Shioda Gozo of Yoshinkan Aikido, Yasuhiro Yamashita of Olympic judo fame, Kawabata Terutaka of Jigen-Ryu, Otsuka Hironori, son of the founder of Wado-Ryu Karate, and my own iaido teacher, Yamaguchi Katsuo, Meijin 10th Dan, just to name a few. Holy crap, it feels crazy to write those names when you think of tens of thousands of martial artists whose lives they've affected for the better.

So when I say that there are only three living Japanese masters I care to train with anymore, I hope the context for that statement is clear. I've searched the world over for new mentors and, among those living, training and teaching in Japan, only three make the cut for me.

Nobetsu Tadanori - Goju-Ryu Karate

One is Nobetsu Tadanori, an exemplar of a life lived in Goju-Ryu Karate. He's extraordinarily talented, kind, and humble, and has thousands of students in Japan and around the world keeping his legacy alive. Another is Satoh Tadayuki, one of the world's leading Shodokan aikido experts. He was taught by Tomiki Kenji Sensei and is currently Shihan of aikido at Waseda University Aikido club.

Satoh Tadayuki

Yahagi Kunikazu

The third is perhaps lesser known except among the cognoscenti of koryu ... Yahagi Kunikazu, soke of Ryushin Shouchi Ryu. His art is an evolution of Kawabata-Sensei's Jigen-Ryu ... dynamic, powerful methods for employing the Japanese sword ... an art that includes not just great cutting techniques but also breathing methods, presence, and that wonderful ineffable power and humility that only legitimate heritage martial arts from Japan seem to create.

Read more here.

Our yoga seminar with Ita Reyes is Saturday, May 6.  Time is running out to register.  This is going to do amazing things for your body as a martial artist and athlete.  Breathing, alignment, strength, endurance, and reaching deeper levels with ligaments and connective tissue will all be key topics.

You can find more information here, as well as a registration page.