Arashi-Do Martial Arts, Cochrane

04/30/2025

04/15/2025

02/17/2025

Hahah...half more like 1/3 for some

He's real! 🤣😂😅

02/15/2025

A good Kanku Dai

01/19/2025

Having recently witnessed the unfortunate reality of some of my students facing real-world threats outside the doors of our academy, I have been compelled to deeply reflect on my role as a Jiu Jitsu instructor within society, and the importance of the Art in my students' lives.
Jiu Jitsu, a martial art steeped in profound philosophical principles, offers a potent crucible for personal transformation. When properly cultivated, this discipline can serve as a catalyst for navigating the chaos of existence, fostering the courage, resilience, and self-mastery necessary to confront the challenges inherent in the human condition.
To separate Jiu-Jitsu from its self-defense origins would be to break its connection to the very essence of its existence – the confrontation of chaos. Forged in the crucible of real-world conflict, Jiu-Jitsu, at its core, is a system for overcoming adversity, a tool for navigating the unpredictable and potentially life-threatening. To reduce it to mere sport, to prioritize competition over the cultivation of resilience and the development of the capacity to defend oneself in the face of genuine danger, is to betray the profound meaning inherent within this art.
True mastery of Jiu-Jitsu demands a deep understanding of its historical context, an appreciation for the courage and ingenuity of its forefathers who wrestled with the existential challenges of survival. To cultivate this understanding is not merely an academic exercise, but a crucial step towards personal and societal responsibility. For in a world fraught with uncertainty, the ability to defend oneself, both physically and psychologically, is not merely a desirable skill, but a fundamental human necessity.

01/04/2025

The proper ways to break a fall. Taught in our classes

⛩️ UKEMI WAZA | Falling Techniques

12/31/2024

12/15/2024

So so true

I have found that with a smaller home dojo, I can continue to teach with quality first, for our Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu Karate.

Those who want to seriously train will come. Those who don't - won't and I don't have to worry about keeping the dojo doors open financially to appease the students.
*** UPDATE, Let me clarify this post as some of you didn't understand. Every dojo can charge a fee/ or ask for a donation for training. It's when $$$ is the priority, that a problem exists.
Nagamine Shoshin O-sensei told us " A Sensei should not make a living from teaching, he should have a job, and the fees paid at the dojo are to cover the expenses of operating the dojo and the Sensei's regular job should support him and his family.
He also stated that when a Sensei retires from his regular job, then it is OK to make a modest supplementary income from the dojo. When I trained at the Nagamine Honbu dojo in Naha Okinawa, I paid a $30 monthly fee. This was for all evening and morning classes. I felt payment was a way to show respect, as we received much more training, than for the payment given.

* Also, another very prominent Karate Sensei, Fumio Demura, who I was friends with for almost 40 years, gave me a very good Insite on students paying tuition at his dojo.
While I was visiting him at his dojo in California, I noticed students dropping an unmarked envelope into a can, where the students would sign in for class.
I asked Demura Sensei, how he knew who paid tuition, with a blank envelope. His reply was, " I trust my students to pay their tuition for their classes. It is about Integrity and if a student doesn't pay, in the end they lose, as they have not learned about integrity.
What a great Lesson. I now do the same at my dojo.
Okinawan Shorin Ryu Karate - Midwest Honbu Dojo

Bill George - Following the teachings of Great Senseis.

12/12/2024

Teach me master 😂👊🙏