American GoJu Karate

Greetings, Bows & Salutations, it is indeed a pleasure to come into your readings, ooohhsu!
It is with both great pleasure & a sad heart that I announce the 90th Birthday of the late, great Grand Patriarch of All American GoJu Ryu System, Styles & Organizations, Peter G Urban. As he used to say, “ an effective leader will not carry you on his back up the mountain but point “accurately” towards the way for the student to cut his own path.” Thank you Sensei for lighting that path, pointing accurately & for having faith in us that we could reach the very heights of that path that so many of us dared to tread in the,
way of warrior!

The “good ole days”

Happy Birthday George , you’re in good company with Abe, my self & others!

This is so true The Baby Boomer Era vs The millennials......

A youngster asked his grandfather "Grandpa! How did you people live before with:
No technology
No aeroplanes
No internet
No computers
No dramas
No TVs
No aircons
No cars
No mobile phones?"

Granddad replied:
"Just like how your generation live today
No prayers
No compassion
No honor
No respect
No character
No shame
No modesty"

We, the people born between 1940-1970 are the blessed ones...
Our life is living proof.
While playing and riding bicycles, we never wore helmets.
After school, we played until dusk; we never watched TV.
We played with real friends, not internet friends.
If we ever felt thirsty, we drank tap water not bottled water.
We never got ill sharing the same glass of juice with four friends. We never gained weight eating plates of rice everyday.
Nothing happened to our feet despite roaming barefoot.
We never used any supplements to keep ourselves healthy.
We used to create our own toys and play with those.
Our parents were not rich. They gave love.. not worldly materials. We never had cellphones, DVDs, play station, XBox, video games, personal computers, internet, chat - but we had real friends.
We visited our friend's home uninvited and enjoyed food with them.
Relatives lived close by so family time was enjoyed.
We may have been in black and white photos but you can find colourful memories in those photos.
We are a unique and the most understanding generation, because *we are the last generation who listened to their parents*....
and also the first who have had to listen to their children.
We are a LIMITED edition!
Enjoy us! Learn from us! Treasure us!

Share if you enjoyed our era.

What’s on my mind? -> The American GoJuRyu Karate Do Way!

Happy Birthday Sensei Urban. Many blessings to you in the DoJo in the Clouds!

Greetings, Bows & Salutations my friends, it has definitely been too long. Please feel free to post & continue the fellowship. I will do more as I begin to return to FB. It has been a pleasure coming into your readings & I look forward to staying in touch.
Take care & be safe, ooohhsu!

THE PETER URBAN STORY

soon to come!

THE PETER URBAN STORY

soon to come

This week I lost three great friends, Rico Guy, Earl Woodbury & Pete Siringano Jr., who were serious & dedicated Martial Art Gentlemen Of Excellent Quality & Good Nature. My sincerest thoughts & deepest condolences to the families, friends & students!

Martial Art Science History, Origins & Development

“Tradition” is "great," that is the path one first takes and how one learns the basics! “Innovation” however, is the "upgrade;" that is how one prepares and progresses, that is what moves you into future knowledge, potential and ability.

Sensei Urban said it best, " from old knowledge comes serenity and from new knowledge we get progress.

People believe & are led to believe that all Martial Art (M A S) Disciplines are different & that like a “salad,” with as much tasty potential, you can actually "mix" them?
Does a Soldier, an Assassin, as a weapons expert or Mercenary type or Law Enforcement or other Military Combatant, etc., “actually” mix and use more than one weapon at a time? And how would one accomplish that?
Combat is about the moment, which is usually, sudden and occurs at lightning speed when it’s most unexpected. It can also be very final for some, at best.
Combat is about time, choice, space, perhaps there are constraints within which one must be fully functional and fully aware, as well as skillful with incredible ability, knowledge of yourself, your opponent, the environment and the Dao, as well as the knowledge in particular about the details of the predicament in which one may find themselves!
Simplicity and sometimes, 10,000 things also work into the formula.
All this must be taken into consideration and only within a fraction of a second of an elusive moment and without time to think, plan or prepare and with just barely enough time to react properly and place oneself out of harm’s way yet one that would save the day?
Why would anyone make more difficult an already complicated situation by trying to do more than one thing at a time, especially when in critical circumstance and within a time critical precedent?
Let us say that, you are an elite assassin on a job, an officer on patrol, etc., If a situation comes up, which inevitable it will, and you find yourself in the middle, are you going to mix your choice of weapons or are you going to choose the best single weapon/instrument for the situation that will “get the job done?”
It is also true that one may need more than one tool to get the job done but will it require handling more than one weapon at a time or even mixing them up?
There is only “one” Martial Art (M A S), only one survival: strategy or technology or methodology or modality, which when put into action fully resolves and “completely finishes” the issue or task at hand. This technique is dependent upon three factors: 1. The “critical” distance between you & your opponent which determines what weapons are used and or what defenses can be used to counter the attack. 2.The environment has a great deal to do with choice of weapons, defenses and strategy for both the attacker and the defender. 3. Last, but not least and perhaps the most interesting and important ingredient, is you? What do “you” bring to the outcome of the encounter? What skills, knowledge, attitude, instincts, patience, experience, “will and daring” do you bring and can apply at the critical moment of needed implicit action and will you do the follow-through?

It is the single or again choose the best weapon under the circumstance that ha can count on?
purity of individually selected & solitary techniques that will save you in a moment of crisis.

When people talk about mixing, how does one punch & choke “at the same time” or how do you mix an armbar & kick, etc.? You don’t! All attacks and defenses come one at a time from one person at a time coordinated attacks are a rarity and still you can only defend on attack at a time!

Real power, true essence, the ability to survive under any circumstances and under all contingencies comes from pure focused concentrated energy & purified effort.
This only comes after many, many, many years of practice, of experience, of blood, sweat & tears, and from many instances of pain, in a variety of sizes, shapes, styles and colors, etc.
Real power comes from being able to breathe correctly for each situation, relax even under the most stressful of circumstance. It also means to swallow one’s pride, to be able to allow your true inner self, true inner nature & strengths and weaknesses to come forth when needed, this to include one’s survival instincts which move effortlessly from within you to without and throughout one’s opponent.

Getting back to the “original premise,” I ask you this, how is a fist made in China, different than a fist in Japan, Africa, Russia, North America, or anywhere else?
I'll give you the answer, it's not different anywhere else in the world! Neither is a kick, choke, armbar or any other technique or any other part of the human body.
The “human body” is “finite,” not infinite. The reasoning is based on the fact that all people are basically mind, body & spiritually the same as we are also connected by the same. Now, “emotionally,” that’s a much harder subject especially when you talk about ego, selfishness, advantage, hate, bias, crime, politics, religion, etc., wow!!!

In Martial Art Science (MA) we differ in many things: our approach, environment, language, style, practice, forms, style, philosophy, etc., but in the end we all fight the same according to our need and situation, according to our own personal individual abilities, our physical makeup, teachers, desires, ideas, personal philosophy, psychology, wisdom, goals, objectives, etc...

Mind, Body & Spirit & Soul are for another discussion.