Many years ago, I was working the evening shift, from 15:30 until midnight, and I was looking for a new style of martial arts to train. I had some training in Karate and Boxing but the timing never was right and I had never really trained seriously before. A co-worker of mine, who was a very experienced martial artist, needed a sparring partner so we started training together and that’s when I decided I was going to start training seriously. I had been watching movies and reading about martial arts all my life and I had a style in mind that I really wanted to try: Judo
I started looking for a Judo school in the area I lived in but with my schedule, it was hard to find one that offered classes within the hours i could train. I decided to search for another style that would have throws in it and after looking at the available options, I found a place that was teaching a style I had never heard of yet: Shorinji Kempo. I started reading about techniques found on their website i was very pleased to see they were judo throws and joint locks. I always thought Aikido looked fun and throwing people around was what I was looking for. I had finally found a style where I could find everything from hard (striking) and soft (throws, locks) techniques. This was Shorinji Kempo. I read about the style’s origins and history and then decided to go take a look in person.
There I was, sitting on the other side of a windowed wall, looking at a dojo that would become my 2nd home for many years. I really liked it and after class the teacher, who I found out was the owner of the school and a sixth degree black belt, came to chat with me. We had a great talk and at that moment I was sold. I came back the same week. There I was, their brand new white belt!
I started attending as many classes i could, even when that meant sleeping just a couple hours. I had a thirst for improvement, a thirst for knowledge, I was loving it.
Shorinji Kempo is a great style. It has everything except ground fighting. Self-defense, strikes, throws, joint locks, weapons defense and even meditation.
I was fortunate enough to have a teacher who was really patient and open to all my questions, so we worked together in a way that both were learning. My teacher started teaching me not long after he received his black belt, and with time I became his first student to be promoted to Black belt. I have been training Shorinji Kempo for a long time now and it was my first Black Belt.
One of the most positive things I can say about this style, is that anyone will get to follow their own path. Some end up being pure strikers, some will go towards throws and locks, it gives you room to use your creativity and mold your own style according to your personality. You still have to learn the curriculum, but you will always have go-to moves so with such a broad choice of techniques, you can chose the direction you will go. I have always been someone with more of a self defense mentality, so with time I adapted my Kempo to it.
In conclusion, Shorinji Kempo is an amazing style where you can find techniques from Karate / Shaolin Kung Fu, Aikido and Judo. I think almost anyone can like it because of all the possibilities in techniques. There is a huge emphasis on respect and taking care of yourself, mind and body, so the environnment is great. If you are a fan of traditionnal martial arts, i highly recomment giving it a try!
“Self defense, spiritual cultivation and improved health”
Shorinji Kempo cultivates healthy bodies, indomitable courage, and well-rounded character in order to make individuals capable of leading happy lives. Shorinji Kempo teaches that the essence of budo/martial arts is not to fight and defeat enemies, but to stop fighting between people, and to enable the harmony for a peaceful society. -shorinjikempobc.org
Goho:
GOHO is the ‘Hard’ aspect of Shorinji Kempo. Comparable to Karate, Boxing or Kung Fu, GOHO develops ability to avoid & block a hard attack by counter attacking with blocks, kicks, punches or chopping motions. One difference between Shorinji Kempo Goho & other styles is that Goho works from a primarily defensive position, and can be easily combined with JUHO:
Juho:
Comparable with Judo, Ju-Jitsu or arresting techniques, JUHO is the‘Soft’ part of Shorinji Kempo. JUHO focuses on the ability to release oneself from any type of hold or grab, or throw & arrest an attacker. Focusing on pressure points and weak spots in the nervous system, JUHO is a powerful means for a smaller person to overpower a large opponent.
Seiho: Seiho is an in depth study of physiology. Similar to acupuncture and based on ancient Eastern medical knowledge, Seiho creates applicable experience of both the healing and pain giving aspects of pressure points. In Shorinji Kempo Seiho is used to massage training injuries or sprains, bring an opponent back to consciousness, loosen up tense muscles or open up energy channels.
The ability to combine GOHO & JUHO techniques with SEIHO creates a broad range of self-defence options adaptable to many types of situations. All Shorinji Kempo techniques focus on creating a calm attitude and ability to use Kiai breath and Chi energy as physical and mental tools. -www.sk-amsterdam.nl
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