The Arts

"Martial Arts" is a broad term referring to any of the hundreds of systems and sub-systems designed to teach and promote fighting or "Martial" skills. Even terms like Karate and Kung-Fu are generic, referring only to subsets of Martial Arts styles.

Martial Arts are grouped in several general ways. One way is to group by the country or region from which a Martial Art originated. Arts may be referred to as Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Okinawan, etc. Even within this grouping method you will find subgroups. For Example, you hear of Northern and Southern Kung-fu styles. This refers to North and South China.

Martial Arts are also grouped as "Hard" and "Soft" styles. Hard style arts are characterized by strong, direct strikes and kicks. Hard stylists seek to generate great power in their attacks to inflict physical damage on their opponent. Examples of arts typically thought of as Hard styles are Shotokan Karate, Tae Kwon Do, and Hsing-I Kung-Fu. Soft styles are distinguished by yielding blocks, throws and joint manipulations. A Soft stylist seeks to use an opponent's own force against him. Examples of styles generally considered as Soft are Aikido, Tai Chi, and Pa Kua Kung-Fu.

Hard or Soft, Japanese, Chinese or Philippine, all Martial Arts have their pros and cons. The groupings are generalizations only. They do not totally define a style. Many Soft styles incorporate some "Hard" techniques. Japanese arts, for example, may be affected by Chinese or other influences. All Martial Arts, however, have one common thread, they originated as fighting methods meant for war, defense or protection.

The arts taught at THE DOJO are generally categorized as Soft styles of Japanese origin. Soft styles have several advantages: 1) Because the practitioner seeks to use an opponent's own power against him, size differences between attacker and defender have little effect to the outcome of a conflict. 2) Soft styles are generally less jarring and physically abusive to the practitioner and his partners in training. 3) Because the arts do not rely on strength, they can be practiced and effectively used by women, children or older individuals. You don't have to be an athlete or have great strength to participate. We feel that the arts offered at our school offer an excellent blend of effective self defense techniques, physical fitness, and mental and physical challenges.

At THE DOJO, we promote an atmosphere of respect, self-discipline and non-violence as depicted in the school Pledge:

Please see the pages on the individual arts for more information on the styles offered at THE DOJO.