Tag: Jigoro Kano

Interview with Shinken-ryu Founder Prince Gharios: Attempting to Save Modern Aikido, Part I

~ Antonio Aloia ~ 1 Comment

Prince Gharios began aikido in Brazil in 1986 and during the rise of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, he was forced to look to other sources for a more direct aikido. By the mid-1990s, Prince Gharios found Steven Seagal and Tenshin Aikido, which gave him the tools and foundations to establish his own Shinken-ryu Aiki-Budo. Today, … Continue reading Interview with Shinken-ryu Founder Prince Gharios: Attempting to Save Modern Aikido, Part I

Interview with Budoshin Instructor John Valceanu: Traditional Jujitsu in the Modern Landscape, Part II

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John Valceanu teaches Budoshin Jujitsu while also training in judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He also has a background in hapkido, which he practiced for about a decade. Many aspects of the different arts he practices are mirror images to him, and finding common principles continues to motivate him to train. Today, Valceanu took some time … Continue reading Interview with Budoshin Instructor John Valceanu: Traditional Jujitsu in the Modern Landscape, Part II

Interview with Bartitsu Practitioner Michael Sanders: Learning a System that Practices What it Preaches

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Michael Sanders first began longsword almost half a decade ago and wanted to find something he could train during the summer months, without dying inside the sparring gear. He stumbled on Bartitsu, a Victorian-era martial art blending self-defense, striking, and grappling techniques, and has yet to look back. Sanders sat down to share his insights … Continue reading Interview with Bartitsu Practitioner Michael Sanders: Learning a System that Practices What it Preaches

Interview with Kakuto-Ryu Pioneer Ron Breines: Ryukyute, Jujutsu, and Combatives, Part I

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Ron Breines began learning Kakuto-ryu, a strip down and straightforward martial art, from his uncle and his friend Bob in 1970. Stressing combat readiness, Breines found that his training assisted him in acquiring and internalizing many different martial arts and military combatives. Framing Kakuto-ryu in the similar fashion of Ryukyute, Breines emphasizes the combative elements … Continue reading Interview with Kakuto-Ryu Pioneer Ron Breines: Ryukyute, Jujutsu, and Combatives, Part I

A Layman’s Observation: Who Really has Authority in the Martial Arts?

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Part of this editorial was inspired by a chapter from my 2020 book, Aikido Comes to America, and my 2024 book, Takahiko Ishikawa, bringing two related ideas together and pairing them with a third. Authority is something people look for, whether it is to wield it or to seek those who are in similar positions. … Continue reading A Layman’s Observation: Who Really has Authority in the Martial Arts?

Interview with Bothell Aikido Founder Amanda Ambrosio: Jiyushinkai’s Uniqueness

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Amanda Ambrosio first studied Taekwondo. When she relocated for an internship in Oklahoma, she could not find any Taekwondo schools that she liked and found an aikido dojo that welcomed her. Over the years she learned from Jiyushinkai founder Chuck Clark and his son and current head, Aaron. Ambrosio has since moved to Washington State … Continue reading Interview with Bothell Aikido Founder Amanda Ambrosio: Jiyushinkai’s Uniqueness

Reflecting on George Rego’s and Abdul Rashid’s The Founding of Jujutsu and Judo in America

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Rego, George, and Abdul Rashid. The Founding of Jujutsu and Judo in America. Independently Published, 2022. I came across this book while I was conducting research for my recent book Takahiko Ishikawa: Judo's Quiet Master. Much of the beginning information I recall learning from John Stevens' Jigoro Kano biography, but it expands further than that, … Continue reading Reflecting on George Rego’s and Abdul Rashid’s The Founding of Jujutsu and Judo in America

Interview with Lawman Trainer JW Bode: Aikido and Tactical Correctness

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JW Bode found Karl Geis in 1978 and was enamored with the effectiveness of Tomiki Aikido. He took what he already knew and brought the Tomiki Aikido foundations into teaching and training law enforcement and security personnel in Texas, Oklahoma, and all around the Southeast of the United States. In his quest for tactical correctness, … Continue reading Interview with Lawman Trainer JW Bode: Aikido and Tactical Correctness

Interview with Shodokan Instructor Bob Whelan: The Legacies of Mitsunari Kanai and Bernie Mulligan

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After moving back to the Boston Area in 1977, Bob Whelan began training under Mitsunari Kanai in his New England Aikikai. There, he started to learn to steal the technique from Kanai. Later, Whelan trained under Bernie Mulligan at what is now Shodokan School of Martial Arts. As of now, Whelan continues the legacies of … Continue reading Interview with Shodokan Instructor Bob Whelan: The Legacies of Mitsunari Kanai and Bernie Mulligan