09/25/2018
Thank you to the 12+ new students who attended class last night. We hope to see you again soon. Here is some additional information about us:
Brooks Sensei has more than 40 years of experience in the martial arts. He has trained with people from all over the world. His class sizes are small, and the training is demanding. This class is not for everyone, but if you want to learn street tested martial arts techniques, this is the class for you.
Brooks Sensei has trained thousands of individuals, but only an elite few have been promoted to high ranks.
Sensei Brooks holds formal rankings in the following martial arts organizations:
Jukite Ryu Jujitsu: 7th Dan
Miyama Ryu Jujutsu: Okuiri Black Belt
American Jujitsu Association: 6th Dan
Matsubayashi Ryu Karate: 5th Dan
For more information on these organizations, visit their web sites:
http://www.jukitejujitsu.org
http://miyama-ryu.com
https://americanjujitsuassociation.org
http://www.matsubayashi-ryu.com
Brooks Sensei holds additional certifications in Eskrima/Kali, Iai-Jutsu/Kenjutsu, and many other systems.
For decades, Brooks Sensei has referred to his unique composite of martial arts systems as Kushin Ryu Jujutsu.
The traditional concepts of Jujutsu are carried on by practitioners who wish to keep alive the intent and purpose of this bugei. Most forms of Jujutsu have not made the transition into combat sports. At the date of this writing, two forms have successfully made this transition. The first is Judo, which was created by Jigoro Kano in 1882. The second is a modification of Judo known to many as Gracie Jujitsu or Brazilian Jujitsu.
When the samurai class was dissolved in 1868 (the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the beginning of the Meijin Restoration,) the battlefield art of Jujutsu inevitably found its way into the general population and was embraced by many of the unscrupulous (e.g. bandits) of the times and misused. Due to this misuse, Jujutsu gained a bad reputation. In an effort to restore the art's reputation, a Jujutsu master named Jigoro Kano modified the art and transformed it from a "jutsu" to a "do." Kano called the transformed art "Judo" and created the belt (kyu-dan) system that many martial arts have adopted for use today.
In the era of the Samurai (bushi), Jujutsu was the sole providence of the warrior class. It's only purpose was to control, disable, or if need be, kill the opponent. However, the intensity of this type of training can lead one into the path of "The Way." The concept of "The Way" is a complicated path but it guides one to pursue internal vs external objectives. This is done by developing technique (waza), shin (mind/spirit), and ku (emptiness, void) through the precepts of Bushido (the way of the warrior.)
Jujutsu is a total system. It's repertoire includes the techniques of kicking (keri-waza), punching and striking (atemi-waza), locking (gatame-waza), choking (shime-waza), holding down (osae-komi waza), groundwork (ne-waza), and mental training (kokoro-waza).
Jujutsu is fun to learn and exciting to watch. The training will push you to physical and mental limits. This method of training will allow you to explore and examine your inner self, making it possible to eventually achieve self-realization.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step...
While combative sports foster discipline, train the body, and develop stamina and endurance, they are the antithesis to the concept of following "the way." The spirit of competition and the power that presides over them is not good. These negative components reflect distorted visions of life. The root of the martial arts is not there.
Master Taisen Deshimaru
The martial arts are neither theater nor entertainment. That is not the true Budo. The secret of the martial arts is that there is no victory and no defeat. You can neither win nor be beaten, unlike in sports. In sports, time exists. In Bujutsu there is only the present.
As Miyamoto Musashi would say: Study this well!
If one wants to step back into a time long ago and join the unbroken traditions of the warrior-philosophers, this may be the instruction you are seeking.
