Curriculum

What is the KujuuJutsu curriculum?

Simply a hybrid of 50’s-60’s era Korean Military Karate, Daito-ryu Aikijutsu Derivatives, and modern Submission Grappling. If combat is divided into three separate ranges…percussive striking (1st range) standing projections, locking, wrestling and throwing (2nd range) and ground- submissions (3rd range)…each of the above arts represent the technical pinnacle of their respective range. Training at the KujuuJutsu Institute aims to allow practitioners to flow in and out of the 3 ranges as a given situation and strategy may dictate.

Why those particular arts?

For the 1st range, no hand-to-hand combat system received the attention (at its inception) that Korean karate did in the era from the mid-50’s to the mid-60’s, as it transitioned into Tae Kwon Do. At no point in history had a modern government and military thrown its financial resources into the development and spreading of a hand-to-hand system the way the Korean military did under the efforts of General Choi and Nam Tae Hi. Historical fact already points to the Korean (often Zainichi Korean) influence on traditional Japanese karate as having propelled the art to awesome levels, adding further emphasis on flexibility and conditioning. Many of the great karate practitioners (So Nei Chu, Masutatsu Oyama, Kenji Midori, etc.) were actually Korean. With government financial backing and access to military and scientific resources unheard of in the past, General Choi was green-lit to take karate to a level also unheard of in the past. Allied Korean military units active in Vietnam scored the shockingly high and consistent kill-ratio records (many still numbers unbroken today for the type of combat, according to US military records) and stories of them being seriously outnumbered during daylight firefights, but turning the tide once those conflicts descended into night-time hand-to-hand trench-warfare are the stuff of military legend. The athleticism and effectiveness of the ROK was noted by both sides of the conflict (the ROK even built wood-floored dojo (dojangs to keep their members sharply trained) amidst jungle clearings where they had set up camps) and the following years saw the spread of Tae Kwon Do throughout the world, eventually becoming arguably the most popular on the planet. All the best kickers and big names in Chinese Kung Fu movies were either Korean TKD practitioners using assumed names and wearing Kung Fu clothing or were local actors receiving Korean training to level-up their skills. A rift occurred where TKD split into a muddled (racism, historical myths) traditional version and a (severely watered-down, foot-tag Olympic) sport version. So rather than go one of those routes, return instead to the best era of Korean karate…though those old trenches may be gone, and though the aims of the average modern practitioner may be a bit more focused on the health and self-defence aspects of the training, why not come to a place where athleticism, flexibility, co-ordination, conditioning, balance and effectiveness are at the heart of the art.

For the 2nd range, learning the locks, projections, wrestling and throws that run the gamut from fingertips to ankles are a must for gaining comfort in the transitional “grey area” that manifests when a combat situation either quickly runs out of room for effective striking or if strategy demands that a different approach to striking be employed. The sports of Wrestling and Judo have much to offer, as does the art of Aikido, but unfortunately come with either a lot of “rules” or a lot of reliance on specialized clothing and all too often delude themselves that they adequately address real combat questions on their own when someone is intent on inflicting seriously injury. Daito-Ryu Aikijustu has deep roots in the ancient battlefields of Japan, with a practice based on the Takeda family Ju-Jutsu system and its emphasis on the development of its Aiki-component (the use of one’s combined “energy of intent” and the momentum of one’s oncoming opponent) brought into the modern era. The concepts of Irimi (linear approaching, engaging and entering technique) and Sabaki (circular leading, redirection and projecting technique) are at the heart of the 2nd range, and blend seamlessly with the best aspects of traditional western Wrestling (especially where clothing is not relied on as a tool to build false confidence and bad habits) traditional Judo (where gravity and the art of bad landings for your opponent do much of the finishing) and of course, the supremely moral practice of Aikido. The modern Daito-Ryu derivatives being taught pay homage to “battlefield sensibility” in that they do not ignore the use of advanced striking, and also do not ignore the threat of situations ending up on the ground, where (if that is where a fight ends up or is taken) the goal is to be in as advantageous a position as possible getting there, setting-up the ensuing work to follow in that 3rd range.

For the 3rd range, the martial-arts world changed, literally the moment the Gracie family used the original UFC to showcase the effectiveness of fighting on the ground, especially the concept of fighting off of one’s back. Anyone who tells you otherwise, or that their art was “complete” before the Gracie’s disseminated their specialty is shamefully attempting to re-write history. True, the UFC always had rules that prevented it from being 100 percent “real” combat as it exists in battlefields and back-alleys, but  aspects of the required skillset to be competitive in cage-and-ring-type sports are so seamlessly transferable to the genuine article that those who deny its importance to the development of modern combat are simply and utterly delusional. Do you want to become a really confident striker? How about feeling that way because you know you can handle a situation should it end up on the ground, be it through circumstance or strategy? The “no-gi” revolution saw the dominant champions in the grappling world forgo the use of false-leverage-advantage resulting from specialized clothing in favor of the minimalist practice of using shorts and tees to test themselves in a purer test of human physics and mechanics. The fruits of those labours, in conjunction with a modern era that sees cameras and footage of every angle from every event, allowing practitioners around the world to strategically build upon what, in a bygone era, would probably have been guarded “family secrets” or “closed-door” techniques only passed on in utter secrecy. Ground-grappling and submission-wrestling have the additional benefit of a steep learning curve, as one can regularly practice the art at 95 percent intensity, taking a technique to the final point before its completion to get a tap from their partner letting them know they have secured a pin, lock, or choke.

All arts taught at the Institute are done in a safe and sequential manner, allowing the students to take on more as they progress through time, advancing both technically and physically. The activities are art-specific and taught based on detailed learning. Students can take comfort in the concept that what they are learning is not only effective but also are not self-destructive practices. So, just say “no” to “cauliflower-ears” or “Judo-knees”…no to wearing yourself out, no to activities that basically prematurely age your body. Let technique and self-defence be your guide, starting with defending yourself against mentally and physically unhealthy training methods.

All of the instructors at the Institute have extensive training backgrounds (decades for each!) and years of experience teaching students at all levels, from children up to adult professionals. One very important traditional aspect that has been carried forward from the past is the principle of discretionary membership, where prospective students are screened beforehand to ensure that only individuals with correct spirit and attitude are admitted…rest assured, no meat-heads or meat-head attitude…and since true “toughness” requires none of that to begin with, rest assured that although the training can be hard at times depending how much you put into it (under the care of a dedicated staff there to guide you along your way) the positive spirit and camaraderie it can generate are like nothing else…

Fear is the most powerful among primal human emotions. Fear of the unknown is the most primal and powerful of all fears. Don’t let the any range… standing, entangled or grounded…be an unknown range to you any longer!