WHAT IS IT (Simple Answer)?

A complete system of martial arts study that includes Striking, Grappling and Weapons trianing.  Designed for Adults and Children with their specific needs for self-defense, sport and life skills taken into consideration.

WHAT IS IT (Long Answer)?

The Yamanami-ryu is a modern system of study deeply rooted in the original methods of martial art study.  Almost every single founder of a classical martial arts system studied a multitude of martial arts styles.  It was through this study of a diverse background of martial arts that permitted he/she to be relevent in the time period they existed.  Unfortunately when they passed their arts on to the next generation much of the historical diversity was lost.  Yamanami-ryu was founded after over 70 years of combined martial arts study in the classical heritage arts of Aikido, Buki Jutsu, Judo, Jujutsu, Karate, Kobudo, Iaido and Tae Kwon Do.  

After teaching these arts individually for over 30 years it was ultimately determined that:

1. The study of the classical heritage martial arts we love is dying.  Due to a wide variety of reasons people no longer see the intrinsic benefit of studying a classical martial art as they did in the 80's and 90's.

2. The study of a single type of martial art such as Karate (striking) or Jujutsu (grappling) is insufficient.  In order to be effective in a self-defense situation students need to learn a wide variety of skills including weapons, striking, and grappling.

3. People no longer have time in their busy lives to dedicate to 5-7 days a week to the study of multiple marital arts disciplines which would be required.

4. All modern systems of martial arts are full of "requirements" that do not aid in ones study but provide filler to justify testing and long times of training between promotions.   Some of these filler requirements certainly help in the development of the whole person through esoteric studies, however these can be addressed in other ways.

With these things in mind we began to experiment with teaching the core techniques of each of the major systems of study (Weapons, Grappling, Percussive Impact) and removed those "requirements" that provided little to no benefit and after several years created Yamanami-ryu Sogo Bujutsu, which is a Japanese term which means mountain wave complete martial art.  While no art can be truly complete we feel that what we have provided is a system of study whereby students learn the full gambit of techniques required to defend themselves in just about any situation.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Students begin from day one learning from each of what we call the 3 pillars of training.  Weapons, Grappling and Striking.  Students focus on all three of these pillars at each step along the way.  When students achieve their Black Belt in Yamanami-ryu, they ultimately have black belt ranks in 6 individual martial arts (Aikido/Aikijutsu, Iaido/Iaijutsu, Karate/Tae Kwon Do, Judo/Jujutsu, Kobudo and Buki-jutsu).  Unlike so many other systems acheiving black belt is just the beginning of the journey, our students advanced training begins with a deep dive study into the classical arts that make up our ryu.  Students will have the opportunity, if they desire, to achieve senior Black Belt ranks in the classical arts of Karate/TaeKwonDo, Aikido, Judo/Jujutsu, Kobudo, Iaido and Buki-jutsu.  

By allowing a path for advanced study of these classical heritage arts we ensure their survival for the next generation.

Make no mistake, by the time one earns their Black Belt in Yamanami-ryu Sogo Bujutsu they have learned all the technical requirements needed to be a Black Belt in all of the classical arts that make up core of Yamanami-ryu.

WHAT DOES A CLASS LOOK LIKE?

Unlike many modern MMA Gyms where courtesy and respect are hard to find and many modern "traditional" martial arts dojo where learning is encumbered by an overly ritualized and perverted sense of Respect and Loyalty we try to strike a balance between the two.

Students will learn effective techniques they can utilize in self-defense on day one.  Gone are the days where one has to study for 2-3 years before they feel they can utilize what they have learned.  Our aim is the same as when learning firearms, to be effective from day one and to be more effective the more you train.  Training should always enhance your ability not be another rung on the ladder towards one day obtaining said ability.

Since our roots are in the classical arts we are often training in classical uniforms however you will also be training in T-Shirts and Shorts or T-Shirts and Pants.  We are not defined by the "uniform" we wear but we recognize the benefit of such training uniforms from a purely practical training perspective.

WHAT ARE THE RANKS AND BELTS?

We follow a structured ranking program that sets the student up for success by setting short term goals (colored belts) which lead to long term goal (black belt) which lead to life long goals (instructor ranks).  This ultimately provides students of all ranks and levels the opportunity to set and achieve goals for themselves.

WHAT ABOUT TESTING?

We follow a much older approach to testing and rank than most schools.  While most schools utilize testing as an income stream, we use it as a motivational and goal setting tool.  As such most ranks are given out in class when the student has achieved the desired goals and is ready to move on.  We formalally test  3 times prior to Black Belt and for Black Belts 1st - 5th Degree.  The colored belts we test for are Green Belt 5th Kyu, Brown Belt 2nd Kyu and Black Stripe 1st Kyu.  Test are $50 for each of the three tests.  Black Belt Exams are a fixed fee of $175 for each rank.

WHAT ABOUT TOURNAMENTS?

We are advocates for tournaments as long as competition does not become the focal point of ones training.  Tournaments are beneficial as they can test the students ability to deal with unknown variables that are hard to duplicate in a class setting with students you already know and train with on a daily basis.  We do require students to have competed in one tournament prior to Black Belt but outside of that one requirement we do not force students to compete.

WHAT OTHER FEES CAN I ERXPECT?

Class fees are $50 per month.
Annual Association Fees are $50 per year.

We do offer occassional seminars for students to attend.  Although optional, they are highly encouraged and range from low cost seminars that are a couple hours long ($25 - $50) to weekend seminars ($75 - $200).  

Should a student wish to compete, certain competition groups require an annual fee as an example USA Karate requires an annual fee of $50 in order to be able to compete in their events, however it also provides secondary insurance for your child should an injury occur.  Other groups may offer different offerings for their fee but most all require some form of annual registration.