BUDO
Modern life has three ascendant values; fast, cheap and easy. Budo is the opposite; Slow, expensive, and difficult. Slow-it takes time. There are no short cuts. Even if you have a good Sensei and you are really ready (body and spirit) to learn you still must walk step by step. Expensive- Money is just part of the cost. You must pay with sweat, blood and sometimes even tears. There is a price to your ego as well. You will be made aware of your mistakes both by yourself, older students and your sensei. This can be very hard to hear. Difficult- Budo can take years to obtain a basic understanding the spirit and theories. The techniques are both physically and spiritually challenging.
Budo teaches both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills- Strong, fast, decisive technique is only half of what Budo can teach you. The “soft” skills training is just as important. Learning how to work with different people regardless of their age, Budo experience, or gender is challenging. During practice you must constantly be aware of your surroundings. You must (listen and ) look attentively.
Budo is very precise. One change is foot position or direction of the fingertips can be the difference between the technique being correct or not. To truly learn Budo you must first know how to become a great student. You learn by watching, listening, feeling, thinking and even by “not thinking,” Not thinking means clearing your mind so you can learn again.
Everyone starts as a white belt. You will practice seemingly simple tasks, like sitting, looking, and walking. To find the depth in the mastery of everyday life is at heart of budo. You will learn to be humble by understanding the importance of questioning your understanding of yourself and your practice. Talk is kept to a minimum when training so you must try to pay attention to all verbal and nonverbal teaching to improve.
Study Japanese Culture- At ABC we do our best to keep the same high standards as the Sensei DJ trained with in Japan.
Life Long Endeavor- Very often people will stop exercising because it quickly becomes boring. This is not a problem with martial arts training because the budo has physical, spiritual, and mental aspects.
Self-Defense- Although Budo is non-violent, at ABC we keep the same martial spirit of Japanese Bushido. With a focus on useful techniques and concepts for real world self-defense.
Community- The dojo attracts people from all walks of life with one common purpose ; self-improvement. Business people, students, the young, the old, men, and women come together to form a community of support for each other.
Budo provides an unique path for human betterment. It’s spiritual but not religious, physical but not a sport, you learn but it’s not study. We train the spirit by training the mind and body. The more you give to your training the more you get back. There are no real barriers. You are only limited by the strength of your spirit, not the strength of your body. Budo is not a Sport. With sports you try to defeat the opponent. With Budo you try to fight yourself. Ego, laziness and blaming others are the enemy.
Sincerity, ceaseless hard work and personal responsibility are the tools you have to forge yourself. It’s not the quantity of your training. It’s the quality of training that is important. Anyone can become a Black Belt but very few will. It’s a difficult journey.