Had a wonderful time with these guys from the Bushidokan Temple in Sparks, NV while visiting family in the area. Along with them were guys from the Koa Kan in Milford, CA. Thank you Victor Mancia and Frank Ferris for welcoming us in to train with you guys!

I know that traditionally, folks have been reluctant to put their work out there online. I understand the reasons- arguements about correctness, fear of liability, etc. I just happen to disagree with those reasons. Lots of other martial arts have their stuff all over the web for ease of reference, and it's time for the Kodenkan to join them.

Fair warning, I do other martial arts besides Danzanryu, and will have those videos as well. But I am trying to put the good stuff in organized playlists so you can get to what you want quickly. Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/@Muerteds

An embarrassed dzr shodan here. Strongly considering Judo or BJJ. Yes, I’ve seen “Combat Jujitsu” and I think it’s rules are ridiculous.

Who is actually sparring, possibly competing outside of DZR, and fighting with the art? I’ve seen too many orgs now doing what I’ll call museum-Jitsu. Training partner and I ran oku, then I put a 16oz glove on and ONLY jabbed. Rendered tori near useless.

Is ANYONE taking DZR into reality? Fwiw, cross training into Muay Thai and Dog Brothers stick fighting.

I’ve got a feeling Okazaki would be embarrassed by most of us. And I want an honest discussion.

Although, I fully expect lots of hateful messages here, so fire away.

So I fairly recently started an open mat kinda thing at my dojo, and just got done with 4 hours of running through the entire Nage list plus 3 other throws, boy am I going to feel it tomorrow… love it!

Hello, does anyone have any Manuel or good resources for at home study ? At least point me in a direction to them, Thanks !

I know this subreddit is quiet but is everyone back to training? If so, what are you excited for getting back to? Still training DZR?

If anything, COVID motivated me more to be back. I’ve been training hard at the dojo eager to learn anything new or to just practice and reanalyze what I have already been taught.

Hope everyone here is well and back it or at close to getting there!

Unfortunately, with the SARS-Cov2 virus outbreak, and recommendations by authorities, Hawaii has severely curtailed activities related to hotels and convention centers. Additionally, the AJI Board of Directors has wisely decided to go ahead and cancel the Ohana 2020 gathering to protect its members from all over.

If you paid for registration already, they'll refund the costs. This sucks, but it's the best option for now. Y'all be safe out there.

Hi everyone, just wondering if this sub has any activity. Anyone in Florida want to work out?

Has anyone ever had to use Danzan IRL to defend yourself?

After breaking my foot groundfighting, I've had enough injuries with randori/sparring, and I've decided to throw in the towel on BJJ/Judo/kickboxing, etc... want to be able to enjoy my body when I'm old!

Dan Zan Ryu looks like a pretty fun, self defense based art. I am a little worried on how "alive" training can be though, as I'm holding off on totally partner-compliant martial arts (like aikido) for when I've passed 50.

Poking around the AJJF website, it looks like while there are competitions, they aren't judo-style randori, but more demonstration oriented, where judges award points for style. Is this impression correct? What level of "realness" do you get from competition and day to day practice?

Thanks!

Hey everyone! I started a martial arts chat on slack and trying to grow the community. Check out more info here and sign up if you're interested! Lots of interesting stuff already being talked about. http://martialarts.chat

Nothing excites and terrifies classes the same way as a demonstration. Competitions have their own level of anxiety, but the idea of perfection is never a consideration. You compete, you win, you lose, and everybody shakes hands at the end. You train hard, and leave it there on the mat. But a demonstration is another kettle of fish. You train hard, but everybody is watching you. There's no chance that someone is watching another mat or a different match. They're all watching you. Perfection is expected, and people are there to judge you, be entertained by you, and maybe learn something fun.

So how do you handle demonstrations? How do you like to set up the show? Are more than one person or set of partners on the floor at once? Do you pull out the fancy stuff? More talky, less talky? Got a great example?

Whatcha got!?

Hey guys, I'm finding that my side fall landings aren't quite right. I have pretty long arms, and during my falls it feels like my slapping hand is going to hit way too hard if I leave my arm extended, so I've been bringing my elbow in at the height of the throw and extending to slap as I extend my body to absorb my impact of the mat. My problem here is that I keep scraping my elbow on the inside of my gi when I do this. I've got rugburn for days and bloodstains in my gi's elbow! Any helpful tips to, uh, not do that?

For those who might not have heard the sad news, the President of the AJI passed away two days ago, after heart surgery. I met him a number of occasions, and he was always kind. Before I left Hawaii for the East Coast, he gave me a box of cereal as a going away present. Those who knew him best just laughed when I told them. He couldn't stand to see someone go without giving them something, even if it was a box of cereal he had in his car.

The world is a little smaller today.

http://www.ajjf.org/professor-sam-c-luke-passes/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/159578237420500/?fref=nf

The Nage No Kata board is a good place for beginners to start with their throws, and has a very good cross-section of throws. However, it's markedly less robust than the judo throw curriculum, though some of those throws (or very similar variations thereof) are later on in the boards.

So, what throws do you add in to your curriculum, especially for beginners? My favorite that really isn't every directly addressed is osoto gari. Technically, danzanryu's version of arashi otoshi is pretty similar, but it adds quite a bit that isn't necessarily the basic throw. I find teaching osoto gari lets us focus on the variations of that throw, and then yama arashi comes easily (and effectively) when we get to that point. Hiza nage later on is very similar to osoto gake. Learning the gari form early on helps make hiza nage easy to learn and master.

Another couple throws that danzan ryu doesn't really focus on are tai otoshi and tani otoshi. Both are useful, and worth getting to know. My uncoordinated ass was able to learn tai otoshi pretty well before I finally got harai goshi down.

So, what do you like to add that doesn't get addressed enough in the board?

There is a disturbing trend among some schools to eschew randori because "too deadly". Fortunately, there are plenty that realize that randori is a necessary training tool like any other, and a number of rule sets (judo, sport jujitsu, submission grappling) exist to allow randori.

So, in the interests of getting people to think about this often prickly topic: how much do you get to train with randori? Is it only in your cross-training with other styles like judo, or do you devote time in danzan ryu classes? Do you focus on standing or ground? A mix of both? Do you try to add sport jujitsu to incorporate striking? Or, conversely, how much would you like to see versus what is available to you?

Going to shit-stir and rabble-rouse just a bit, because there's only so much "Hey, which throw do you like?" that can go around before people get bored and stop sharing ideas here (Full disclosure- makikomi and koshi guruma are my heroes). So, I'm going to address something that, frankly, surprised me about DanzanRyu when I was first exposed to it: the idea of "secret" or "hidden" arts.

I can fully understand the concept of not teaching higher-level techniques to new students. They don't have the coordination, control, or ukemi to be safe for themselves or their uke. However, I have run into those who feel that higher boards aren't just full of techniques that should be held off on teaching, but that even showing the techniques in public is somehow to be avoided.

I worry about this kind of mentality. DanzanRyu isn't exactly the most popular art out there (for various reasons). It seems that if your goal is to perpetuate the den, then you'd want to make sure people knew what your art contained. Moreover, if you're going to train a technique, better make sure it's going to be effective. We practice that by aliveness, and some techniques aren't very good at using in an alive fashion. So if that's the case, better also make sure you train it often and with variations to allow aliveness to help you figure out your weak spots. That's not really possible when you have to have a secret class with only a few attendees.

Additionally, a great deal of what's in the higher boards is also in other arts. As a pointed example, shi shi otoshi and tawara gaeshi have analogues in judo (morote gari and tawara gaeshi). There are differences to be sure, but once I saw them, I recognized them for exactly what they were. Cross-training will reveal that secret arts often aren't so secret at all.

To sum, the idea that some techniques are best trained by more advanced students is valid, and widely practiced. The idea that some techniques should be held secret does a disservice to those trying to improve their art, and to the art as a whole.

Talk amongst yerselves....

There's not a lot out there online regarding fujin goshin no maki (women's self defense scroll), but it's got a fun mix of yawara, shime, and nage all thrown in together. Of the boards excluding Yawara, it really does involve the most standing, which makes sense, given its target audience- women who don't necessarily see themselves taking the entire art.

What's your favorite way to engage female students who are not looking to do martial arts full time with this board? Have you got some favorite parts you like to emphasize? How do you get them excited about learning this stuff?

I find that given the comparative length of this board, one or two days of an hour or hour and a half class just don't give enough time to cover the entirety thoroughly. This is exacerbated by classes with students who are not experienced in ukemi or throwing. So, I tend to start on the easy Yawara-analogues, but then quickly try to get to the Nage and Shime bits just to expose the depth of what can be done here.

Thoughts?

Hello Jujitsuka, I'm curious if anyone in the SF Bay area has a list of Dojos or instructors. I studied a LONG time ago at the University of Illinois with Doug Musser but sadly have not been on the mat for a long time. Any advice or suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

To verify your rank as a DZR black belt or red belt and receive special flair on the /r/DanzanRyu subreddit, submit the following to /r/DanzanRyu modmail:

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