Henderson's Martial Arts Academy

What if one decision can transform your body, sharpen your mind, build a non-quiting spirit that would radically improve every aspect of your life. Check out our school we can help. The adult class offers a traditional feel, the feel as if you are training in Japan. Translation this is a serious class, NO taebo stuff here. The karate class will consist of punches, kicks, blocks, forms (prearrange movements) and Kumite (fighting) Kobudo (Okinawan weapons). The student will condition the body as well as the mind. In the adult class we teach the fine art of fighting standing up with Karate. Judo will teach you the art of fighting on the ground, because 75% of all fights in up on the ground. The adult class is a high energy workout with REAL street fighting applications. This class is for Serious students Only. Do not consider this class if you are just wanting something to keep you busy or not willing to commit.  My class requires you to be dedicated and devoted to hard training.  Many have tried but proven to have a less determination of Spirit.  But, if you are capable of maintaining the spirit, drive, determination, loyalty, devotion and a dedicated mind.  I welcome you!  

Class Schedule

adult classes age 13 and up

Basic Fees: (no contract)
Women’s Judo $30.00 per person per month

Adult  Karate and Judo $75.00 per month per person,

$55.00 per person for either Judo or Karate Only

Adult Iaido and kendo $45.00
 

Yearly membership Association Fees:
USJI (United States Judo Incorporated) $60.00 per year for all Judo students
Goju-ryu Federation - $25.00

Uniforms:

 Karate (lightweight) $45.00

Karate (heavyweight brush cotton deluxe) $129.00

Judo $70.00

Kendo Bogu  $399.00

Hakama $60.00

Shiromusashi $75.00

Weapons:

Samurai Sword (live blade) $299.00

Shinai $45.00

Bokken $20.00

What is Judo?

Based primarily on Tenjin Shinyo-ryu, Kito-ryu, and Yoshin-ryu styles of Jujutsu, Jigoro Kano developed a comprehensive system he called Judo, the way of flexibility, that emphasized the larger educational value of training in attack and defense, so that it could be a path or way of life that all people could participate in and benefit from.
Judo practice includes two major aspects of training, one called randori, and the other kata. Randori, or free exercise, is practiced under conditions of actual contest. It includes nage-waza (throws) and katame-waza (grappling) as well as osaekomi-waza (immobilizations), shime-waza (chokes) and kansetsu-waza (joint locks). Kata, which literally means form, is a formal system of prearranged exercises, including, throwing, immobilizations, joint locks, striking, and the use of weapons. Additionally, Judo is an Olympic sport practiced by millions the world-over, and competition is a major aspect of regular training. The techniques of Judo are based on the principles of ju yoku go o seisu (gentleness controls strength) and sei ryoku zen yo jita kyoei (maximum efficiency and mutual benefit in all endeavors). “The aim of Judo is to utilize physical and mental strength most effectively. Its training is to understand the true meaning of life through the mental and physical training of attack and defense. You must develop yourself as a person and become a useful citizen to society."
- Prof. Jigoro Kano

What is Kendo? 

Kendo, the Way of the Sword, is the Art of Japanese Fencing. Kendo is one of the oldest and most celebrated of the Japanese martial arts and is held in high regard in Japan as an important cultural legacy. Kendo has transcended its bloody origins in Japan's feudal past to become a modern martial discipline that instills courtesy, humility, self-control and fighting spirit through mentally intense and physically rigorous training. Kendo has spread across the globe and is now practiced in many countries.  Welcome to Henderson’s Martial Arts Academy. You are about to embark on a path of self discovery that will challenge you to persevere in the face of adversity, to accept setbacks with equanimity, and change the way you think about yourself. Kendo is not an easy martial art to learn, let alone master. In fact, put away all thoughts of mastery and focus, instead, on reaching your fullest potential, to whatever level of skill that may lead. In the final analysis, skill is not the measure of success in kendo. Rather, it is the manner in which you conduct yourself in the dojo and out, your respect for others, your compassion for humanity, your humility and self-restraint.
You will need to be patient, keep an open mind, and practice diligently at the dojo and at home as well. We only practice once a week for a total of one and half  hours, therefore it is critical that you maximize that time. Move quickly during practice, without rushing; avoid milling about waiting for someone to notice you; actively seek out instruction. There is a tremendous responsibility placed on you to determine your own future in kendo. That is not to say that you will be ignored, to the contrary, everyone at our dojo is more than willing to share their knowledge and help you to become integrated into the routine practice. Every member of our dojo, from the highest ranks down to the first day beginner, is equally worthy of respect and consideration. However, sometimes you will have to be proactive in your approach to learning.
Despite modern kendo's quasi-sport nature, it still retains a traditional Japanese outlook which links physical effort and spiritual development. For the Japanese, the discipline, consistency, and total commitment displayed in budo are keys to spiritual and moral development. All these qualities must be developed if one is to successfully tread the way of the sword. What sets kendo and its practitioners apart from other arts, such as judo, aikido and karate-do is a certain cold determination, an almost religious sense of discipline, that conveys the message that kendo is more a matter of mental and spiritual development than it is a system of physical technique

All modern budo forms emphasize, to a greater or lesser extent, the development of a fighting spirit, the refinement of quasi-combat skills, and the cultivation of moral and spiritual maturity. In the kendo dojo, however, the trainee is placed in a true forge of the spirit, where mind and body are literally hammered into shape, where relentless training and endless effort are channeled into the re-creation of the individual along philosophical and cultural lines whose roots extend deep into Japan's past.
Basic kendo training consists of the extremely fatiguing repetition of basic strokes with the mock sword while stationary and while advancing and retreating. This is known as suburi. As soon as one of the junior instructors showed me the basic form, I was given the command to perform one hundred and fifty suburi. Although the shinai is much lighter than a katana (sword), during kendo practice a student executes strikes literally thousands of times. The activity places a certain amount of strain on the muscles of the wrist, forearms and shoulders. By the time my first two-hour practice session was over, the physical and mental exertion of swinging the shinai properly left me exhausted. The sliding action of the feet along the wooden floor can also raise blisters on the soles, and the leather-covered handle of the shinai often raises companion blisters on your red and sweaty hands. A noted kenshi's statement says that if you are enjoying kendo practice you are not doing it correctly. In a broadly descriptive way, and cognizant of qualifications made in the following historical discussion, kendo may be characterized as the modern, ritualized version of Japanese swordsmanship.

What is Karate? 

The art of Karate is a system of combat developed on the island of Okinawa. Karate may allow you to defeat an opponent by the use of striking and kicking. The students practice hard physical training to develop fighting skills.This training requires strenuous physical and mental discipline. Karate helps with the development of a strong character and builds a feeling of respect toward our fellow man. The study of Karate, therefore, may be valuable to all people, male and female, young and old alike.The literal meaning of the two Japanese characters which make up the word Karate is "empty hands." This, of course, refers simply to the fact that Karate originated as a system of self-defense which relied on the effective use of the unarmed body of the practitioner. This system consisted of techniques of blocking or thwarting an attack and counter-attacking the opponent by punching, striking or kicking. The modern art of Karate has developed out of a thorough organization of these techniques.  Karate as a means of self-defense has the oldest history, going back hundreds of years. It is only in recent years that the techniques which have been handed down were scientifically studied and the principles evolved for making the most effective use of the various moves of the body. Training based on these principles and knowledge of the working of the muscles and the joints and the vital relation between movement and balance enable the modern student of Karate to be prepared, both physically and psychologically, to defend himself successfully against any would-be assailant.  As a physical art, Karate is almost without equal. Since it is highly dynamic and makes balanced use of a large number of body muscles, it provides excellent all-around exercise and develops coordination and agility.  Many girls and women in Japan have taken up Karate because, in addition to its usefulness as self-defense, it is especially good for the figure. It is widely practiced by both children and older people as a means of keeping in top physical condition, and many schools are promoting it as a physical art among their students. 
So you want to learn kata?   Well, this may be of help - or not. Let's think of kata in a different venue, such as art, music or language. For this writing, I will use the venue of language.  If you are in the process of learning a new language, you go through various steps and avenues before you are fluent and you often have "stumbling blocks" that sloooow you down. And so it goes with kata.In Japanese language study you start with words such as nan, ji, ima, etc. You practice these until it is habit, then move to phrases; Ima nanji desuka?, Dozo yukkuri hanashite kudasai. Once you have mastered these you are ready to combine them into prearranged conversation; Ohayoo gozaimasu. Ohayoo. Ogenki desuka? Genki desu. In kata it is basics such as ude uke, seiken zuki, etc., or prearranged moves, which may or may not be taken from the kata. You work and study these and other combinations, then put them into different situations and acts, which in the beginning may mean nothing to you. Now you are ready to start understanding the complexities and essence of that which you are learning. Kata is learned as the part and the whole, just like language. You take the language you are learning and apply it to the big picture of conversation with the populace; learning the slang and proper terminology of the society. Kata is the same, you use it more and more in the classes you attend, learning flow, power, focus, etc., and you expand it to competition and bunkai.  Don't forget, we started with the language being foreign to us, as is kata. We don't learn language fluency in a year or less and move on to another language as we do in kata. We learn the pattern and therefore believe we "know" the kata.I will stop here and let you have fun digesting my thoughts

 TRADITONAL MIND, TRADITIONAL TRAINING.....

In the martial disciplines we all tie belts around our waists, but few of us understand what they represent. The meaning of our belts and the grading system they represent seems to have been lost. Some think they indicate skill level or expertise. Others think they are misleading, at best, only imported figments of oriental culture, or at worst, inflated symbols of ego. So what do they represent? Are they worthless, or are they meaningful symbols charged with the energy of years of dedication and hard work? One of the biggest misconceptions held by new students, as well as the public, is that obtaining a black belt represents being an expert. Nothing could be further from the truth. While training at the brown belt level is very demanding and the attainment of a black belt is seen as significant, black belt status really only indicates a graduation to a new beginning. For this reason first level black belts are known as shodans, rather than ichi (first) dans, "sho" meaning beginning, the same character as in sho shin, meaning beginner's mind. Reaching this first, beginning rank means you have achieved some proficiency in basics and are prepared to really start learning, and learning means a lot more than techniques. Thus a new shodan becomes a beginner again.

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