At Christian Karate Association of Dothan, we teach traditional Okinawan Shuri-Ryu Karate and Shintoyoshin-Kai Jiu-Jitsu (Japanese Jiu-Jitsu).  These two styles form the base for our teaching programs.



Shuri-Ryu is an Okinawan style of Karate-do.  It is a very old and traditional system with a long and unbroken history.  From it have come many other systems.  Shuri-Ryu was developed by the late Grandmaster Robert A. Trias, who opened the very first Karate School in the United States in 1946.  It has its roots in the arts of Motobu and Itosu, much like Shuri-te, Naha-te, and the Japanese styles of Karate.  It is often called a "complete" style, meaning that it encompasses all of the major and minor aspects necessary for proficiency in an art of its kind.  It does not - despite what some may claim - have everything in it.  No style does.  It does not, for example, teach falling or ground fighting as jujutsu might (see below about Shintoyoshin-Kai Jiu-Jitsu for more info about training with these techniques).  But it does encompass all of the elements necessary to be proficient in a striking art, and from our experience (and the experience of many other Masters of the Arts), we have found no other style or art which so clearly and concisely develops its elements to such a high degree.  This is due in no small part to the dedication of its Chief Instructors, who have diligently pursued knowledge in such disciplines as Newtonian physics, Anatomy, and Biomechanics along with the more traditional Oriental aspects of the fighting arts.  Among the fields of knowledge contained in Shuri-Ryu are:

Punching
Kicking
Blocking
Stepping and Dodging
Joint-locking
Trapping
Take-downs
Kyusho-Jutsu (Point striking)
Kobudo (Traditional weapons)
Diet and Nutrition
Exercise Science




Shintoyoshin-Kai Jiu-Jitsu
(Japanese Jiu-Jitsu)

This system emphasizes balance, leverage, and sensitivity while learning the aspects of falling, throwing, striking, groundwork, and basic self-defense.  The emphasis in Jiu-Jitsu is on grappling - both standing and on the ground, although we are known to be a striking art.

There are six areas of endeavor:

Ukemi - Falling Ways
Rolling and Falling
Nage - Throwing
Tachi - Standing
Sutemi - Sacrifice

Waza - Technique
Te (Hand)
Koshi (Hip)
Ashi (Leg)

Atemi - Vital Striking
Te (Hand)
Ude (Arm)
Empi (Elbow)
Atama (Head)
Hiza (Knee)
Sune (Shin)
Ashi (Foot/Leg)

Katamewaza - Groundwork
Kenetsuwaza (Joint Bending and Twisting)
Osaekomewaza (Holding and Pinning)
Shimewaza (Choking)

Kimenokata - Forms of Self-Defense
Stop (Block, Avoid, Redirect, Grab)
Strike (Muscular, Skeletal, Respiratory, Circulatory)
Takedown (Reap, Sweep, Throw, Off-Balance)
Control (Choke, Joint Lock, Pin, Knockout)