Welcome to DJ LORTIE.com

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AIKIDO

Aikido is a non-violent martial art that focuses on improvement through cooperation, not competition. Lortie Sensei has trained for over 24 years in Aikido with Shihan, master teachers. 19 of these years have been in Japan at the Aikikai Hombu Dojo in Tokyo. Lortie Sensei is a 5 degree black belt instructor. All dan tests taken at Aikikai.  

AIKIDO
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KARATE

Shotokan is the most popular style of Karate in the world and the JKA souhombu in Tokyo is the largest dojo of it's kind, with over 25 full-time instructors.  The JKA is, "The keepers of Karate's highest tradition."  Lortie Sensei was a daily student at the JKA for over three and a half years, practicing with the entire Shihan staff and earned a 1st degree black belt.

KARATE
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DAITO RYU

Aiki Jujutsu is an ancient martial art that provide the roots of modern Aikido. It uses Jujutsu techniqes (joint locks and chokes) and Aiki techniqes (blending breathing and movements with our partners). Lortie Sensei is 3rd degree black belt and a direct student of Kobayashi Kiyohiro Sensei, who himself is an 8th degree from the Takumakai Hombu Dojo.  

DAITO RYU
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MASSAGE

D.J. Lortie has been a practicing Massage Therapist for over 20 years. D.J. graduated from the Chicago School of Massage Therapy's 600 hour course in 1995. After moving to Japan, he studied Shiatsu Massage with Yoko Hasegawa sensei and continued to practice. Although D.J. is trained in all styles of basic massage, he focuses on Sports Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, and Shiatsu.   

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SPECIAL PROGRAMS

Special classes are taught as private lessons or muti-hour/day seminars. Classes include Self-defense (Men's, Woman's, Children's  and all seperatly), Aiki Weapons, Cardio Karate, Meditation/Martial Arts for Law Enforcement, Corporate Martial Arts classes,  Ki Building and Aiki Stretching. Original classes can be designed you meet almost any need. Just ask. Bring Lortie Sensei's unique skill set to work for you!

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Morihei Ueshiba (O’Sensei) - “The perpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit.”

 

Morihei Ueshiba (O’Sensei) - “There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within. “

 

Karate Funakoshi- “The ultimate aim of Karate lies not in victory or defeat, but in the perfection of character of its participants” 

 

 

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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.