Shorin Ryu Karate Centre

Product Description

he Shorin Ryu Karate Academy teaches traditional Matsubayashi Shorin Ryu karate and and its practical application in self-defense contexts. We also seek to engage, enjoy, and pass on the rich martial traditions inherent in this classical Okinawan karate system. Many styles or branches of Shorin Ryu exist, and we practice, study, and seek to perpetuate the Matshubayashi-Ryu karate founded by Shoshin Nagamine.

Front kick trap and take down
In addition to studying this traditional style, we augment our training by integrating the important elements of throws, take downs, joint locks, and basic grappling and ground fighting.

Moreover, we emphasize the study and practice of bunkai, the practical self-defense application of specific sequences of moves found in the traditional kata (prearranged sets of movements). Karate is nothing without kata, yet kata is nothing without understanding and applying the movements to real self-defense scenarios. We understand kata not as a prearranged fight but, rather, a collection of sequential moves that map out specific responses to self-defense or civilian combat situations.

Kata originated from a fusion of Okinawan and Chinese training styles in which specific self-defense movements were organized into partner drills and then sequenced into prearranged sets of movements which eventually became forms. Kata is a manifestation of these forms. Therefore, the best way to understand kata is to pull out the practical application of movements (bunkai) and to create practical partner drills (bunkai drills). The Shorin Ryu Karate Academy does exactly that, approaching the study and practice of kata from a practical self-defense application perspective.

For more information on the historical development of Shorin Ryu, please see the following resources: