The Main Elements of our Style

Tai-sabuki: Body movement is a key element of our style and is used extensively in both our Randori and Kumi-tai to allow us to develop a soft flowing approach to avoid strikes, holds and multiple attackers.

Techniques: Our techniques are applied in a soft and flowing manner. They are designed to be applied in response to close quarter attacks and comprise of controlling locks and throws.

Strikes & Covers: All of our atemi-waza (strikes) and covers (or blocks) are derived from our kata or forms. Strikes are applied in a flowing manner directed to openings in the opponents guard whilst covers are used to control our opponent and shut down his/her options.

Kata: Our kata are based on traditional forms from mainly Shito-ryu and Goju-ryu karate. The main emphasis is on coordination and timing in strikes and movement while developing sound bio mechanical principles.

Randori: This is the free application of techniques like holds, locks and throws. The emphasis, as in all our training, is on a soft flowing approach. The objective of our Randori is to experience multiple attacks and attackers and learn to control them.

Kumi-Tai: This is the core of the style and is the main arena where all of our techniques, taisabaki, strikes, holds, throws etc come together. At the beginner level it is performed at a slow pace allowing the student to experiment safely and learn how to deal with a variety of attacks. The emphasis is always on safety and learning, we often refer to this as “play fighting”. As such we are not learning to fight but we are learning the skills of fighting.

Weapons: Weapons are introduced at black belt. Here we broaden the student's knowledge of martial arts with the introduction of Sword, Tanto and Jo (staff). Mostly this work is done in the form of kata but Kumi-tachi and Kumi-jo (with a partner) are practised by the more experienced black belts. The principles of the school are applied so that the weapon can be utilised in a soft and flowing manner.

Iaido: We also practice Iaido which is the Japanese art of sword drawing and the style that we teach is Muso Shinden Ryu.