I've been a martial arts instructor for more than 4 decades and taught a few thousand students at four universities, and each year my students get better and better and better. Not only here in in the Phoenix Valley, but also all around the US, India, Japan, Vietnam, Middle East, Canada, China, Great Britain, and Switzerland. I have lost touch with most and wish I knew how they were doing and what they were doing with their lives, and if martial arts helped them in their path in life.
As Grandmaster of Shorin-Ryu Karate Kobudo (Seiyo Kai), I teach my students a variety of traditional martial arts that mostly fall under Okinawa and Japanese Shorin-Ryu Karate, Kobudo, Self-Defense, and Samurai Arts. These include iaido, iajutsu, jujutsu, hojojutsu, naginatajutsu, yarijutsu, hanbojutsu, tanto, ra-ke, tsue, kuwa, manrikigusari, gusarikama, shurichin, nunchaku, sanchuku, kama, sai, tanto, bo, jo, nitanbo, tekko, sansetsukon, tanto, kobuton, and tonfa (and a few others).
The tonfa, the classical night stick also referred to as the PR-24 and side-handle baton, has been used by law enforcement agencies around the globe, but few officers really know how to use this baton. In most Okinawa baton training, students use two tonfa unlike law enforcement. Even so, our students also learn to use just one tonfa. A small group of our students who tested for certification (meaning they have reached a level of expertise with this weapon that is considered expert) have shown they understand kihon (basic strikes, blocks and throws), they demonstrated all three of our Seiyo Shorin-Ryu tonfa kata, demonstrated bunkai (applications from the kata), used to tonfa as a self-defense weapon against attackers armed with clubs, poles and knives, and also demonstrated kumite (sparring) defending with a pair of tonfa against attackers wielding a bo (6-foot pole). Imagine, fighting another martial artist with these wooden weapons with no protective gear.
Following our recent exam, five of our martial artists in Arizona certified in tonfa including Adam Bialek, Patrick Scofield, Sarah Kamenicky, William Borea and Ryan Harden. They all survived the exams with only minor bruises. And that is because they all have self-control. These people are a great gift as well as outstanding martial artists.
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| Patrick and Adam train in bunkai with tonfa and bo. |
