Kodokai Dojo
Fitness & Self-protection
Professional Martial Arts Instruction
Every martial arts school is unique.
Some instructors are part-time hobbyists and others have devoted their lives to martial arts study. Some schools teach sport martial arts, other teach self-defense arts.
Here is how we do things.
Teaching Philosophy
You might be apprehensive about starting. Maybe fitness is a concern, or you are worried about looking bad, not learning quickly, or perhaps you are worried about safety.
We understand your concerns and would like to put you at ease!
Here are few points we'd like to make;
1. Our classes are not just for the athletic.
Anyone can benefit and we strive to help everyone improve.
We teach with patience and your safety is a top priority.
2. Classes should be fun.
While we take your training seriously, we know that people learn faster and
perform better when they are comfortable.
3. Movements should support good health.
We teach the use of natural movements and proper mechanics.
Martial arts practice should make you healthier and not cause damage to your body.
4. Progress at your own pace.
Everyone learns differently. Some people need more time, others need less.
It's all about getting it right, not doing things fast and hard- there will be a
place for that when you are ready.
You don't have to be concerned about 'keeping up' with anyone,
'holding back' anyone or being held back.
In beginners classes you will work cooperatively with training partners (with no resistance). You will first learn how to do things right before you have them tested. Resistance to your techniques is introduced gradually and you will learn not to resist but to counter your partners resistance.
Class Information
Adult classes are one hour long (youth classes are 50 min.).
Class size ranges from 6 to 12 students.
We recommend attending classes twice each week or more. The more you attend the more quickly you will improve. We also suggest that you practice at home a couple times each week.
As you develop you will advance into classes where there will be more speed, more diverse skills and more resistance from your training partners. Each level poses greater challenges and presents new material while incorporating and building upon all that you have previously learned.
Skills
Beginners Classes
Beginners classes are designed to gradually improve your fitness level while learning basic self defense techniques. You will learn strikes using open hands, elbows, fists, feet and knees. You will begin to learn the unique footwork of Palace Hand, escapes from various grabs (lapel grab, wrist grabs, choke, bearhug from behind, etc... ). You will learn how to fall safely and you will begin to learn counters to someone shoving you or throwing a punch at you.
Beyond Beginner Classes
Once you advance into the next level (Blue Belt) you will learn additional skills to handle a wider variety of situations. You will further refine the skills you learned in the beginner classes making them faster, more deceptive, effective and adaptable. You will practice standing, seated, and also be introduced to multiple attacker exercises!
Skills We Teach
Throws and takedowns- we love throws and takedowns because they work so well- throws work on principles of physics and no one is immune to the forces of gravity! Throws are very useful when a small person is defending against a bigger stronger one.
And, the bigger they are the harder they fall!
Joint-locks- joint locks can cause immense and instant pain. They can be used to restrain a person or to dislocate or break bones. We sometimes use a joint lock to throw a person.
Chokes- even a very small person can 'choke out' a larger person.
Walking- We know, you already know how! This specialized martial art has unique walking methods that allow seamless, deceptive, smooth attacks and counterattacks. You won't learn this anywhere else and it is an invaluable tactic!
Weapon Disarms- Of course, the best thing to do is escape, but that isn't always possible. Everything we teach assumes that there may be a weapon, seen or unseen. Myself and several of our students have had to defend themselves against a weapon (it was a knife each time).
Weapons Use- Learning to use anything as a weapon is a staple of our method. Students who take our weapons class become very good at this but even students who don't learn weapons will learn to use this concept. It is far easier to defend yourself with a weapon than without- even if that weapon is a purse, book, stick or jacket.
Groundfighting- We don't want to be on the ground but it can happen.
It doesn't matter how you got there but it does matter how you react. You don't need to be an expert on the ground but we focus on a dozen or so skills that can cover most situations. We focus on what you need - learn to protect yourself and escape to your feet.
We do not teach sport grappling.
Strikes- Palace Hand has a unique and fast method of striking. It can look like a blend of karate, boxing, Muay Thai, with the footwork of kendo (Way of the Sword). Typically, half of each class is devoted to developing strikes.
