When you walk in the door of our dojo and see our people training, you will not see everything.
What will you see?
We train in physical ability: in strength, flexibility, coordination and skill.
We train in mental ability: focus, clarity, stability and purpose.
We train in self-defense: the union of mental and physical abilities, tactical skills from partner practice, tactical decision making based on knowing how threats work. You will see that we start slowly, learn skills, and as proficiency increases, pressure increases. So people don’t get hurt. They get strong.
Our approach to effective self-defense training is informed by real-world law enforcement experience, years of law enforcement instructor experience, and the indispensible insight that comes from decades of helping thousands of people achieve their self-defense goals.
We train in ethical conduct: respect for ourselves and others, self-control, sincerity.
When the time is right, we train in teaching and leading; by collaborating with training partners and challenging one another, for mutual benefit.
Supporting tactical considerations, we understand the moral context for self-defense.
You will see that in every class.
By training you will experience this:
Over time training gathers momentum. We enter a state of flow in which we act naturally and spontaneously as conditions change. Because of our proficiency in technique, and the capacities of our body and mind cultivated through training, we are free to act and to respond without hesitation or anticipation.
We can go beyond the limits of flow.
These high aspirations are not the only important goals. We understand this:
Our bodies and minds, and those of our friends, families and neighbors are under attack. Defending them and keeping them healthy takes more than physical self-defense.
Our enemies seek to degrade our morale. To confuse us. To make us weak. To make us sick. To undermine what we value, and to disorient us. Then, they hope, we will become easy to manipulate, intimidate and discourage.
Our enemies are skillful and determined. They are or use greed, hatred and delusion. We need training to defend ourselves against them, and a deep purpose to defeat them. They attack our dignity, our family life and relationships, the value of our work and property, trust in our neighbors, and in our ability to orient to beauty, truth and goodness.
They try to make our world ugly. They try to make us dependent, lonely, angry and lost.
Our training restores our health. By training we make our body feel good and strong and our own. In training our minds become clear and stable and bright. Our training brings us into contact with people who also want to be healthy and to do right. People who take responsibility for themselves, and want to look out for the people around them.
There are people who do say these considerations are beyond the scope of real, tough, strong martial arts. We will all have to decide for ourselves.
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Post and photo Copyright © 2024 Jeffrey Brooks
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read True Karate Dō
“One of the best books I’ve read in years, inviting and compelling. Jeff Brooks moves effortlessly from martial arts to Buddhism to consciousness studies, self-transformation, and related fields in this wide-ranging and Illuminating study that has much to offer both novice explorers and veteran practitioners. A splendid achievement.”
— Philip Zaleski, Editor, The Best Spiritual Writing series