KOBAYASHI SHORIN-RYU
小林流
Our Shorin Ryu style is called Kobayashi and comes to us from Okinawa with roots in the Shaolin Temple in China. SMAAA is affiliated with the Shorikan Association founded by Hanshi Shuguro Nakazato, 10th dan, and now presided over by Hanshi Minoru Nakazato, 10th dan, his son. We are a branch dojo of Authentic Ancient Arts lead by Kyoshi Neil Stolsmark, 8th Dan, in Waukesha Wisconsin.
Shorin Ryu Karate is an empty hand martial art emphasizing:
- Learning of basic techniques (kihon)
- Practical self defense (bunkai)
- Systems to hone skills and movement, and provide physical conditioning (kata, ippon kumite, yakusoku kumite)
- Free sparring (Jiyu kumite)
Our school focuses on the self-defense aspect of karate. We are a small school and emphasis is placed on personal progression and development at a students own pace within their own physical capabilities. Advancement in rank is on a one to one basis as everyone progresses differently.
Our curriculum contains 14 official katas and 28 required yakusoku kumite. Beyond this we also practice many interactive drills covering a large set of techniques including: hand techniques, kicking, takedowns, joint locks, breaks, etc. Emphasis is placed on learning the basics, which provide a firm foundation, and the principles of self-defense rather than memorizing a sequence of techniques as self-defense.
In addition to our official curriculum we practice katas and exercises gathered from other styles. We follow the philosophy that there is something to learn from all styles and often attend seminars to train with a wide variety of martial artists.
