The New Location

On new location is at 1830 Salvio St. in Concord, Ca. We out grew our original location in about a year, which was part of the plan, we found a great location that was three times the size of our original dojo. After receiving the go ahead to move into the new space, we had a about two weeks to get the dojo ready for the opening.

I was inspired by the efforts of everyone to help make the deadline, especially, Sempai Josh and Uchideshi Andrew. We couldn’t have done it with out them. One of our goals to have Julio Toribio Kancho feel at home in our dojo. I wanted it to have the same energy of Honbu dojo (headquarter of Seibukan Jujutsu).

Here are a few comments from his letter to me after the event.

“It was a great honor for me to teach at your Dojo and feel so comfortable. I realized I had moments during the teaching that I did not know if I was in a new place or at Honbu Dojo. The spirit and feelings of your Dojo are very clean and definitely at my favor and comfort. Thank you for all the energy that you are putting into the space.” – Julio Toribio Kancho

I am glad that we were able to manifest this great experience for my beloved teacher.

The Seminar & Demonstration

We had an magnificent seminar with Julio Toribio Kancho. He is phenomenal martial artist and teacher. I have been his student for sometime now.  As an uchideshi traveling with him to other countries I observed that none of his seminars are the same. He has an incredible ability to read energy and make magic happen.

The participates had a great time. Making positive new connections within the Seibukan Jujutsu community while playing with terrific techniques. For two hours Kancho lead us to a deeper understanding of bujutsu (self-defense) and budo (self-development).

After the seminar, I did my Rokudan, 6th degree black belt, demonstration. The energy of the day provided the ideal setting for the demonstration. I had a fabulous time. I felt calm and in control, in the void but with a higher state of being. I feel that it was one of my best demonstrations yet.

I was honored and humbled when Kancho wrote to me about my demonstration. “Your demonstration was outstanding and flawless. It is just the way I dream and see the presentation of a clear Rokudan demo. Thank you for being such a great role model for all of us. You raised the bar for many to follow” he said.  Check out the highlight on youtube.

After the demonstration my wife, Tammy, and I announced that we were expecting another member to the family. To us this was the most appropriate time to tell all of our family, extended family included. I am excited about this new adventure.

We all celebrated over a wonderful feast. Everyone talked, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. We have an outstanding community of supportive people assisting each other in their dreams. I am touched by the love and support this community as shown me in my dreams. Thank you! Let’s Keep Going!

See more photos of the event on our facebook page.

The month of May in Seibukan Jujutsu we look deeper into the void concept. We study three main concepts of presence, personal power, and emptiness. It is not surprising that the void is connected to the fifth step to success in Seibukan Jujutsu, taking massive action. The first four being, have a dream, make a plan, believe in yourself, and face your fears.

The dojo did just that and took massive action. The three Sempais in the adult class did their Shodan, first degree black belt, demonstrations. Sempai Joshua was first up, then Sempai Patrick and finished up with Sempai Kyle. The self proclaim “three stooges” did an outstanding job in their demonstrations. We are lucky to have these three superb martial artists as leaders and teachers in our dojo.

We were happy to be a part of the first Martinez Martial Arts Festival hosted and founded by Jason Costanza Sensei. This even more special because Jason Sensei is my uchideshi brother and part of the Seibukan Jujutsu community. This was a great event to get the martial arts community together and inspire children and adults on a path of budo.

The very next weekend we were a part of the three day 22nd annual Kidfest. We had a booth with information about our dojo and a wheel for the kids to win fantastic prizes, like a temporary tattoo, a free class, a free week and even a free month. The whole dojo did an outstanding demonstrations each day of the kids fest.

During this time we created our Facebook page and twitter page to keep everyone up to date. We created tiger t-shirts and Seibukan Jujutsu sweatshirts for all to enjoy. P.S. the dolphin t-shirts are on their way.

To finish off this powerful month of events will attended the anniversary seminar, Taikai, of Seibukan Jujutsu at the headquarters, honbu dojo. This was a great family reunion. We saw a lot of friends from dojos around the world. Our Seibukan Jujutsu community is home to the most humble, powerful and incredible people I know. I love and respect you all!

All that, my friends, is how Contra Costa Budokan took massive action in the month of the void.

Demonstrating my warrior spirit I chose to leave on a flight to Hungary the same night after my Godan (5th degree black belt) demo in Seibukan Jujutsu. This was an interesting start to my adventure. I left my house at 6am in the morning and drove for two hours to Monterey. I did class at 9am and my demo started at 10am. My demo went well. We celebrated and hung out for a while.

At about 3pm I left for San Francisco airport, another two-hour drive, to catch my flight to Hungary which left at 7pm. With my one transfer in Switzerland the total flight time was about a thirteen hour flight not including my hour layover in Switzerland. The flight was long but relaxing. I was able to reflect on my demonstration and the love for my Seibukan Jujutsu family.

When I arrived in Hungary I was greeted by my brothers and sister, Andy Shihan from Seibukan Jujutsu of Basel, Kitti, Máté Sensei, and Krisztián. I was excited to see them. I hadn’t seen them since we were all Uchideshi under the founder of Seibukan Jujutsu. The flight landed in Budapest but Seibukan Jujutsu of Hungary is located in Pécs, Hungary, about a two and a half hour drive.

Andy Shihan and myself were staying with Kitti and Krisztián at Krisztián’s parents house. I really appreciated the warm feeling them gave us. They kept us well feed and a comfortable place to sleep.

The seminar was scheduled for that weekend so we had the whole week to train with each other, and training we did. The week went pretty much like this. Wake up, eat, train, eat, train, eat, sleep. I loved every minute of it! On Tuesday, we participated in an excellent Seibukan Jujutsu Shodan(first degree black belt) demo by Zsolt, another great warrior in Hungary. The other days had different adventures after our routine of waking up, eating, training, well you know the rest. One day we went to wonderful spa. Another day we went to a Krisztián dad’s lake, it was to cold to swim or anything but we all hung out and had a great meal.

The first day of the seminar was on Friday and we went to see Kitti graduate college with her two master degrees! Nice Kitti! After that we had a great lunch and took a nap before the seminar was scheduled to begin. That night Andy Shihan taught a wonderful Seibukan Jujutsu class. After the class we saw an outstanding Nidan(second degree black belt) demonstration from Kitti. She demonstrated the water feeling so beautifully. As we were saying then, it was “Kitti’s day”.

The next day Saturday, I open the day by teaching Seibukan Jujutsu to all the Hungarian warriors. They are a great group and learn well. They have a good foundation from their teachers. We had another Nidan demo from Krisztián immediately after the class. Again, we were privileged to see a great demonstration.

We celebrated and rested for a few hours then I taught a Bujinkan Budo Taijustu seminar. Most of the students hadn’t done Ninjutsu, so it was fun to share this experience with them. They seemed to really enjoy it and I was excited to throw Máté and Krisztián around. The class ended and Máté and Krisztián Shodan demo in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu began. This was awesome! They rocked it. I was deeply honored to promoted them on behalf of Julio Toribio Shihan.

Just when you thought the day was jammed packed we had another Seibukan Jujutsu class that night with Andy Shihan teaching. This class many people came to watch. Andy Shihan shined with an action packed class.

I had an awe-inspiring time with my extended family in Hungary. I look forward to seeing them all again soon. It is wonderful to be involved with a community that is truly global. I know that I have a family where ever there is a Seibukan Jujutsu dojo. The great part is that they are popping up all the time. The light of Seibukan Jujutsu can help but to bring light to the rest of the world and we all do this everyday. Let’s keep going!

The Japan Budo Retreat was put together by my teacher Julio Toribio Kancho founder of Seibukan Jujutsu. The retreat had an action packed agenda and was a once in a lifetime experience I will always treasure.

The retreat consisted of traveling to Japan and training with four grand masters, Hatsumi Soke of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, Machida Kancho of Enshin Itto-ryu Battojutsu, Kondo Soke of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu, Ueshiba Doshu of Aikido.  As well as training with those great masters,  I was traveling and training with another true master, Julio Toribio Kancho of Seibukan Jujutsu.

Day one: I woke up early and packed up the car.  My flight left at eleven in the morning from San Francisco.  Knowing the bay area traffic, I chose leaving early to avoid getting caught up in it.  I arrived at the airport with time to kill so I ate breakfast and got coffee.  I flew on All Nippon Airlines.  Being a Japanese airline, my Japan adventure started there.  I liked this airline.  The people were nice, the food was good, and I had a personal monitor and could watch any of the movies offered.  The flight was eleven hours but I didn’t sleep a wink.
I arrived at Narita airport at three-thirty in the afternoon the next day. The plan was to meet up with José Miguel Rosas Kyoshi and Chris Patterson and catch a bus to Kashiwa.  Waiting by for about an hour and not seeing them, I decided to hunt for them.  They found me and we were on our way.  The bus ride was about ninety minutes.  Chris and I had a great conversation while Kyoshi mostly slept.

After we arrived, we headed to our hotels with the help of some on the bus.  Kyoshi was staying down the street from us. Walking with our guides, we got separated.  After checking in and dropping our bags off, Chris and I decided to head out for dinner. We had no idea where to find Kyoshi, so off we went by ourselves.  We picked a noddle house close to our hotel and had our first eating experience in Japan.  The place was small and there were two guys cooking away.  We quickly saw a menu on the wall with pictures and started to make our choice.  One of the workers came up to us and pointed to a vending machine.  It took us a while, but we figured out that we used  the vending machine to order and pay for our meal.  The machine prints out a ticket to give to the cooks.  We had a great meal and headed to the hotel for bed.

When we arrived back at the hotel a message from Kancho awaited us.  He came into town a day early and he was there with Kyoshi looking for us.  We called him on his Japanese cell phone but I didn’t put in enough money in the pay phone to talk so we only got a little bit of information, something about them being at a Hawaiian restaurant across the street from the hotel.  We went on a little mission to find them.  First, we found  their hotel and across the street on the eighth floor was a Hawaiian burger place.  We hung out for a while and talked, then off to bed.

Day two: We all met in the morning at the hotel for a traditional Japanese breakfast.  We had natto which is fermented soybeans and apparently the norm.  It didn’t smell good but tasted okay with rice.  When that was done we stopped at Starbucks by our hotels.  I really wanted an eggnog latte but, based on the pictures (you know since I couldn’t read Japanese),  I surmised they didn’t have them.  After having our coffee and talking we decided to take a trip to Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Honbu dojo.  We would be going there later that night for Hatsumi Soke’s class but we wanted to visit during the day while there wasn’t that many people there.   Twenty minutes after getting on a train, we arrived in Noda.

Honbu was pretty cool, a little small, but pretty awesome.  There were pictures and weapons everywhere.  There were wooden plaques of the fifteenth dan, fifteenth degree black belts, hung up.  If for some reason, a person was kicked out of the art, then their plaque was taken down and a blank spot was left.  There was even Takamatsu Sensei’s last gi top hanging.  We walked in when a fifteenth dan was conducting a private lesson and was able to watch for a little bit.  The lesson was on the bo and he was teaching nice techniques.

When we were done at Honbu dojo we walked to a nearby shrine.   It was beautiful. We did some meditation and gave thanks.  Kancho and Kyoshi took pictures in their Seibukan Jujutsu uniforms.  Kancho was tossing around Kyoshi and we tried to snap some shots.  After that, we stopped by a shop where two older people sold a bunch of martial arts supplies.  I happy to be able to find outdoor tabi that fit me.

We went back to the hotel for some food and rest before going to Hatsumi Soke’s class that night.  Luckily, Casey Sensei arrived right before we left for Honbu dojo, we thought that he wasn’t going to be able to make it before we left for class.  On the train, it was decided if Jose Sensei and Casey Sensei could test for their Godan, fifth degree black belt. They would.

When we arrived at the Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Honbu dojo, it was packed.  People were everywhere.  We got our uniforms on, then paid for the class and the Daikomyosai (once a year gathering), to get it out of the way.  A little bit after that, a group of people came in the dojo and everyone turned to look at the door, and sure enough, Hatsumi Soke, purple hair and everything, entered the building.  Class was spectacular.  There wasn’t much room to train, but we were right in front to watch Soke move.  I can’t believe that he is seventy-nine years old, he moves so well.  During the break, Soke was writing calligraphy for people and we were fortunate to be able to receive one of these prints from Soke. After he was done writing, my teacher, Julio Toribio Shihan fifteenth dan started talking to Soke and told him that he had two students ready to test for Godan (fifth degree black belt).  This started a talk by Soke.  Soon  a group of people sat to listen to him, us included.  It was surprising that not everyone sat down and listened to Soke.  This was Soke and he was speaking with a bunch of higher ranking people sitting listening to him.  I know I quickly sat and listened in.

After the break, Soke called up people to do the sakki, fifth degree black belts, Godan, test.  They asked people to line up and there would be only ten do the test.  I was sitting up front watching the test.  The test consists of one of the fifteenth dan swinging a foam bokken straight down at the head of the person while he is kneeling with his back turned.  The purpose of this test is to perceive the intention of danger and get out of the way.  You must roll out of the way just in time for you to clear your whole body from the weapon.

The first guy that did the test did really well.  The rest of the group had it’s good spots and bad ones.  Jose Sensei went up and Juilo Toribio Shihan was going to swing down on him.  Toribio Shihan got ready, closed his eyes and swung down with great intention. Without hesitation, Jose Sensei quickly disappeared.  They were about to stop and Casey Sensei jumped in there and was going to be the last one.  Again, Toribio Shihan was going to swing down on him.  As with Jose Sensei, Toribio Shihan closed his eyes and swung down with great force and Casey Sensei disappeared.  It was great they did the best tests and I was extremely happy for them and Toribio Shihan.  When the class was over we headed back to the hotel, grabbed dinner, and went to sleep.

Day three: We headed off to Tokyo and visited three places.  The first place was Yasukuni Shrine in Kudanshita.  The Shrine is dedicated to the kami, spirits, of soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Emperor of Japan. Currently, its Symbolic Registry of Divinities lists the names of over two million four hundred sixty-six thousand enshrined men and women whose lives were dedicated to the service of Imperial Japan, particularly to those killed in wartime. It also houses one of the few Japanese war museums dedicated to World War II.  It is a beautiful place.

On our way out, we stop to check out the flea market outside the shrine.  I was looking for animal sculptures for the dojo that symbolize the seven gates in Seibukan Jujutsu.  I was thinking I would find a tiger or a dragon but, to my surprise, I didn’t find any of those.  I saw one tiger, but I wasn’t drawn to it.  Surprisingly, what I did find was a bear.  It was sitting on a shelf, with two other bears.  It was the middle sized of the three and I was quickly drawn to it.  Based on my previous searching, a bear is hard to find.  I asked Toribio Kancho to come and help me find out the price of the bear.  Again, to my surprise, the guy said it was two thousand yen for all three of them.  That was about twenty-five dollars and I couldn’t believe it.  These were hand carved bears.  I jumped on it, and then told Kancho that I would like to donate one to Seibukan Jujutsu Honbu dojo.  I donated the bigger one to Honbu dojo.

Next, we stopped by the budo shop a few blocks from the shrine.  They had a nice supply of martial arts equipment.  I picked up a pair of nice tabi and picture of Miyamoto Musashi.  We left there, walked a few blocks, and went to the Japan Budokan. The Aikido College Students’ Taikai was taking place at the Budokan.  We took a seat and watched for a while.  The students were demonstrating in front of Ueshiba Doshu.  It was interesting that in Japan, all college students have to practice some sort of martial art, at least that is my understanding.  This is awe-inspiring.  Martial arts are great activities that connect your mind, body, and spirit.

We headed back to the hotel to drop off our stuff and pick up on Enshin Itto Ryu Battojutsu gear.  We were scheduled to meet and train with Machida Kenshinsai Soke & Machida Fudoshin Soshihan of Enshin Itto Ryu Battojutsu.  We headed to Noda and we were picked up by Soshihan, who I met when I was Uchideshi at Seibukan Jujutsu Honbu dojo during his first American trip.  We drove over to a rented  dojo to train.  We trained with Soshihan for about 2 hours before we headed over honbu dojo which was the house of Machida Kenshinsai Soke.

After arriving at honbu dojo and starting to train outside, Soke came out to meet us.  Even though he is a short man, he has a great presence.  He talked to us a little bit about battojutsu, and started to show us his draw.  He drew, cut, and put away so fast I can’t believe he is seventy eight. He is so much fun I was blown away by him.  You can feel what a amazing guy he is.

I remember thinking before the trip that I would get nervous when I got a chance to demonstrate in front of Soke.  I’m not quite sure why.  Maybe because we were going to be a small group and he was going to be looking directly at me.  When it comes to katas, there is a specific way to do them and I had heard he was adamant about speed.  We trained after meeting Soke.  At one point, I saw him walk towards me to observe.  My heart started pounding.  I took a deep breath, got myself back to zero, and did my best.  When Soke looked at me with a smile and gave me an “okay”, I was more than relieved.

We trained for three more hours and had dinner at Soke’s house.  They cooked a delicious meal for us.  The plan was to go to a bath house after dinner.  Chris and I have tattoos, so we weren’t allowed in. Though it wasn’t ideal, I wasn’t that upset about it.  We hung out at this big arcade place next to the bath house that mostly adults were at.  We headed back to the hotel by train.  I didn’t go to bed until about 1am.

Day four: We got up around 8am to go on a trip to Nikko that Soshihan offered to take us on.  Nikkō Tōshō-gū is a Shinto shrine located in Nikkō, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.  Tōshō-gū is dedicated to Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Initially built in 1617 A.D. during the Edo period, while Leyasu’s son Hidetada was shogun, it was enlarged during the time of the third shogun, Lemitsu. Leyasu is enshrined there, and his remains are entombed there. The shrine’s annual spring and autumn festivals known as,”processions of a thousand warriors” reenact these occasions.

Nikko is the origin of the famous three wise monkeys.  Together they embody the proverbial principle to “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”.  I’ve been told that wild monkeys live there and it is good luck if you see any.  We didn’t see any while walking around Nikko, though we saw amazing structures and sculptures.  Nikko was the Japan that I see in the movies and that I imagined. We ate before we left.  Soshihan knew of another bath house close by that allows tattoos and so we made a plan to go there next.  On our way to the bath house, Kancho said “monkeys!” and Soshihan stopped.  We saw a bunch of monkeys running across the street and along the lines above us.  Quickly, we jumped out of the car to snap pictures.  We were lucky after all.

The bath house was a relaxing, interesting experience.  Bath houses are a big part of Japanese culture.  After our bath was done, we started heading back.  It took us about two hours and by the time we got back, it was about ten. We headed off to bed.  We had to wake at four the next morning to get to Tokyo for Doshu’s six-thirty Aikido class.

Day five: We awoke and met. We hopped a train heading to Shinjuku Tokyo the place of Aikikai Honbu dojo for Doshu’s class.  We arrived in time to change and get on the mat.  There were about fifty people there.  During the class you train with one person.  This Japanese guy and I had a good time training.  I know he was really surprised when I put a yonkyo on him. I am thankful for my Seibukan Jujutsu Yondan training!  We all had fun and enjoyed watching Doshu.  I didn’t get a warm and fuzzy feeling from the other students there.  No one greeted us or seemed interested in who we were, or why we were there. Either way we enjoyed our experience.

Heading for the train, we stopped by Starbucks. Feeling refreshed, we hung out and talked for awhile.  I could talk to Kancho for hours, and in fact have on many occasions.  He is my mentor and friend.  I deeply appreciate him.

Our next stop was Asakusa, which is a part of Tokyo’s downtown district best known for its many temples.  Asakusa Kannon, is Tokyo’s largest Buddhist temple and a major attraction for Japanese and foreigners alike.  Here there were many little shops to pick up souvenirs.  I picked up a beautiful jewelry music box for my three year old daughter, a hand carved compact mirror for my eldest daughter, and a Japanese framed picture for my wife.  Once our souvenirs were purchased, we decided we were done walking around. we headed back to the hotel for some food and rest before we headed to see Kondo Katsuyuki Soke for Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu training.

We arrived at the Daito-ryu honbu dojo around seven at night.  We met Kondo Soke and talked with him for a bit.  He is fluent in English, so it was nice to be able to communicate with him.  Next, we went to change and got on the mat.  The training started with an intense workout for about forty five minutes.  I had been up since four in morning and have an injured knee. I thought I was going to give up.  I know, I didn’t mention previously that I had injured my knee before leaving for Japan. Every exercise was a hundred reps.  We ended the workout section with high falls.  A person kneeled down and we did twenty high falls over that person.  Our group went first. We took big high falls over these guys and the mat was not soft.  I remember taking a deep breath and pushing myself to take a high fall.  It was funny that the Daito ryu guys just rolled over our backs on their turns.

I enjoyed training with these guys.  They had a great attitude towards us and were fun to train with.  It was interesting to train in an art that was the father and grandfather of so many arts.  I would love to continue training in the art.  After the training, we headed to the hotel needing food and sleep.

Day six: Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu Daikomyo-sai (once a year, three day gathering), day one.  We headed to the Tokyo Budokan in Ayase Tokyo.  We changed and headed into the hall to claim a front row space for the seminar.  The seminar started with Soke and a few others walking into the room dressed in samurai armor.  This was cool.  Soke started to do techniques talking about using the armor to your advantage.  The theme for this year was Tachi.  The tachi is a Japanese sword, often said to be more curved and slightly longer than the katana and hung from the obi (belt) with the edge down.  They predated the katana. At the seminar, you train with one person during a period of time. I trained with Chris during the first half of the first day.

We broke for lunch and found a place nearby for some much needed food.  My partner for the second half of day was Jose Sensei.  When we came back, Soke and others had taken off the armor.  Soke did techniques with the tachi and we trained.  He then asked the fifteenth dan to come up and call people to demonstrate.  This obviously meant that there needed to be some sort of connection with these people in order to get called up.  Soke only called up a certain number of the fifteenth dan as well.  I had no idea what his reasoning was, but I am sure that others knew.

At the end of the day Soke called up people going for their fifth degree test and the fifteenth dan that would be assisting in the test.  Amazingly, one of those called was a guy who only had one arm, meaning he had no legs on up to his knee, and only his left arm and he did this test.  He did it perfect.  He basically did a cartwheel right out of the way.  It was breathtaking and unbelievable.  It touched everyone seeing this man do this. It was a delightful first day.

We hopped on a train back to the hotel to drop off our Bujinkan stuff and pick up on Enshin Itto Ryu Battojutsu gear for another night of training.  We started training about seven that night and stopped about ten-thirty.  Our training session was excellent.  I enjoyed training with Soke and Soshihan.  They are marvolus people.  We headed back to the hotel for food and sleep,  but I was glad we still had one more day with them.

Day seven: It was the second day of Daikomyo-sai.  Again, Soke started the day in samurai armor.  Soke talked again about how you can use the armor to your advantage and that modern armor has the same feeling.  After we did a few techniques, he let two people dressed in armor basically fight each other.  This was stunning watch.  It made me want to put some armor on and give it a go.

My training partner for the first half was Julio Toribio Shihan.  During our training, Soke said something that hit hard with me.  He said “Don’t be in the fight”.  When you are in a fight, there is a winner and a loser. You are too engaged in that theory.  When you are not in the fight, there is a relaxation about what is happening.  You are zero.  In that moment, all options to survive are presented to you, even if that means disappearing from the conflict.

After lunch, Casey Sensei and I trained for the rest of the day.  The second half was mostly fifteenth dan teaching a technique and again calling people up to demonstrate.  I liked seeing the range of people demonstrating their skills.  After a moving day of training, we head again to drop off our ninja gear and pick up our battojutsu stuff for the last night of training.

We trained at Enshin Itto Ryu Battojutsu honbu dojo for several hours.  The training was wonderful.  After, we sat down with the family and had dinner.  It was a nice to hang out, talk, and laugh with them.  They are honorable people and I look forward to visiting them again.  We said our goodbyes, were invited to return, and headed back to the hotel to sleep.

Day eight: The last day of the Daikomyo-sai and Soke’s birthday. Soke started the day with giving away gold medals to a few people for what they done for Bujinkan.  The guy with only one arm got one.  After this, Soke asked for them to teach something.  The one arm guy taught a technique and was  impressive.  He was again amazing to see.  Soke ended the seminar with Kihon Happo which is the theme for 2011.  I ended up training with a random guy who needed a partner.  He was talented and lively to train with. The day ended like every other day did at the Daikomyo-sai with the saki test.  There was only one person that didn’t pass up until this point and when he did the test for the final time, he did really well.

That night we went to a Bujinkan party in honor of Hatsumi Soke’s birthday.  They had food and drinks for everyone.  People sang and  were dancing in honor of Soke.  I was able to meet and talk to people in a different environment. I talked to exceptional people and had  positive conversations.  This was a fantastic ending to the trip.  We had a blast.

Day nine: The day to return home.  We met at Starbucks, and talked over coffee before Casey Shihan and I left for the bus ride to the airport.  Kancho and Jose Kyoshi were leaving the next day and Chris was hanging out for a few more days.  Everyone walked us to the bus to send us off.  This was the beginning of my reflection of the trip.  The action packed agenda had us moving with endless train rides.  At the end of each night I was exhausted and the time only spent at my hotel was basically sleep.

I continued to think about my adventure through my trip home.  I thought about the excellent lifetime experience I just had.  I traveled with outstanding martial artists who are superb people.  I strengthened my relationships with them as well as with others in the martial arts world.  I got to visit a commendable country.  I trained with the heads of martial arts.  The biggest thing that I took from this trip is a greater appreciation of Seibukan Jujutsu.  We have a supporting and loving community with the most humble, phenomenal  people in the world.  In our study of Seibukan Jujutsu, we learn in depth about bujutsu and budo while separating ourselves from politics that exist in most martial arts.  Seibukan Jujutsu has so much to offer.  It makes me happy that there are quite a number of amazing people dedicated to sharing it with the world.  To that I say, “Let’s Keep Going!”

Healthychildren.org states “More than 6 million children in the United States participate in martial arts. Martial arts are known to improve social skills, discipline, and respect in children.”

Here at Contra Costa Budokan we offer martial art classes for juniors (8-13 years old) and children (5-7 years old) in Seibukan Jujutsu.  Seibukan Jujutsu is a martial art developed to meet the self-protection and self-development needs of modern times.   This martial art is developed on its unique philosophy of Awareness, Assessment, Action™.  Through Seibukan Jujutsu, your child will learn to increase their Awareness in their daily situations, make a clear Assessment, and take appropriate Action. When taking appropriate action, your child will learn No Challenge, No Resistance, No Injury. Your child will learn to set boundaries and proclaim their comfort level in mentally and physically challenging situations.

In this martial art program, your child will develop physical skills and mental attention through varieties of martial art instructions, fun activities, and group games guided by the instructors. The importance of self-protection will be taught, as well as self-defense techniques with and without weapons are introduced in a positive and supportive environment. In our curriculum, we emphasize cooperation among each other, confidence in expressing themselves, respect to others, and discipline to follow instructions.

“This is a good dojo for kids.  Sensei John is really patient and he inspires kids not just to practice hard, but to do their homework and be good citizens.  I love taking my kid here – he looks up to Sensei John like a hero and has grown in confidence and maturity since starting classes.” – Kathalene

“The Sensei, John Rodriguez, is excellent with children. I brought my foster son here for lessons and he has really gained self-confidence and maturity from the training. John is a really good role-model and my foster kid looks up to him like a hero. Frankly, the time spent twice a week at the dojo is more helpful than therapy. The dues are reasonable and Sensei John has Gis and equipment at an affordable price.
I highly recommend this dojo and the youth class for boys who might have a little bit too much going on in their lives and need a bit of discipline.” – Nichole

The juniors (8-13 years old)  meet twice a week Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30pm – 6:30pm.  Your monthly investment is only $65. No contracts!

The children (5-7 years old) meet every Tuesday 4pm – 5pm.  Your monthly investment is only $45. No contracts!

There is a one time signup fee with the art which is $100.  This gets your child a lifetime membership with the art, a book about the martial art and a patch for their uniform.

Your child will need a uniform when you sign them.  We have them available for $40.

I’m sure this sounds all great but why not come down and allow your child to try a free martial arts class.   It’s important that you and your child feel comfortable.

Take A Class Today!

In a Safe Environment your child will learn to:

• Develop physical skills for self-protection.
• Increase awareness and coordination of mind and body.
• Develop cooperation and interaction skills.
• Build self-confidence, self-esteem and self-discipline.
• Set effective boundaries and express your child’s feelings.
• Identify potential conflicts or dangerous situations.
• Make friends and have fun in healthy activities.
• Express and channel energy in a positive and supportive atmosphere.

First a little background.  I wasn’t an active person.  I was more of a sit behind the desk type of person.  This didn’t mean I was completely out of shape and didn’t leave the house.  I was an average working guy with a family who took the behind the desk path when it came to a job.  When it came to fitness, I tried the whole working out thing again and again.  I say tried because I always seem to give it up after awhile.  To me, working out wasn’t exciting.  I took to going on hikes with my dog instead.  At this time in my life I was reading about eastern philosophy and decided I needed to be more connected with my body and spirit by being more active.

One day, during a hike with my wife and our dog, we were walking across a field.  The field was dry and brown with the wind slightly blowing.  The sun was shining above us as a beautiful bird flew across the sky.  At that moment I said to myself, I love hiking.  My next thought was what am I going to do when it starts raining?  I liked the fact that I was taking a more active approach to life.  I thought, well I can’t workout during the rainy season.  That thought soon went to, wow I don’t really like working out.  Then, what about my sister and her martial arts training in karate.  Yeah, that was it.  Why don’t I do some martial arts?  That will keep me active and not bore me.  From what I knew of martial arts at that point, I didn’t think karate was the right choice for me.  I didn’t want to be the aggressor.  Force against force wasn’t my style.  I decided that I needed to do more research.

I took to the Internet reading about different martial arts styles.  Again, my thought was not to be the aggressor and to use the attacker’s energy against them.  Through my reading I came up with jujutsu.  I googled jujutsu in my home area but nothing came up.  I then googled by my work in Berkeley.  There I found two websites.  One was a Ralph Graice jujitsu school. There was a picture of him on the front page in nothing but shorts and with a mean look on his face.  I didn’t get a good vibe.  Not to say anything bad about the school.  But something deep inside me said no.  The next website I looked at was a martial art school Seibukan Jujutsu of Berkeley.  There, I saw a video of Mike Kent Shihan’s Sandan Demonstration.  I was impressed with the movements of the art and had a good feeling about it.  So, I called and got started.  It was one of the best decisions I ever made.

My martial arts training in Seibukan Jujutsu has made a big impact on my life.  I feel more confident, more connected, and definitely more at peace.  Not only does the art teach you effective self defense skills, it offers you a path to self development.  I am truly grateful to the universe for always giving me what I need and allowing me to experience a glorious martial art with some of the greatest people I have ever met.  I am appreciative to Seibukan Jujutsu for providing the tools to live out my dreams everyday.

Try a class for free.  Contact us and get started.  We are here to help you with your path.

Try a class today!

Five step process to success

1. Have a dream
2. Make a plan
3. Believe in yourself
4. Face your fears
5. Take massive action

Contra Costa Budokan was and is my dream.  There were many other dreams that I lived and accomplished on my path to this dream which were all part of the plan.  I am grateful for every step that I have taken to this point.  Having a dream is the start of living a great and fulfilling life.  My next dream is to have a successful dojo where students are finding themselves in unification of mind, body and spirit.