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York Karate-do

Advancing the Arts Through Research

Goju Ryu Karate - Kuysho Jitsu - Tuite - Self Defence

The Martial Arts have existed, in one form or another, for thousands of years. During this time the martial arts have been studied by countless individuals so that they might gain "an edge" over their opponents. By perfecting technique, it was possible for these warriors to overome bigger and stronger opponents. As such, discipline, training, and technique became the equalizing factors. Without technique, the "law of the jungle" reigns: The biggest, strongest person on the block wins every time.


Technique is the Key

At York Karate, we focus on the practical side of the martial arts: Self-Defence, Physical and Mental Health, Confidence, and overall Well-being. We teach simple, practical, and most importantly, EFFECTIVE self-defence. We do this by focusing on technique. With proper technique, which relies on body mechanics, knowledge of pressure points, discipline, and self-confidence, we believe that it is possible for "smaller" people to effectively defend themselves against much larger and stronger opponents. This is especially important for women, who are often the target of attack by larger and stronger men. Without proper technique and training, all physical confrontations quickly deteriorate into the lowest common denominator: The "Law of the Jungle". Once the confrontation turns into a battle of strength, the vast majority of women don't stand a chance against a male attacker. At York Karate, we teach men and women how to rely on technique and martial arts training to defend against any attacker and any situation.

We do this by constantly "role playing" self defence scenarios such as:

  1. Single same-side wrist grabs
  2. Single cross-hand wrist grabs
  3. Double wrist grabs
  4. Lapel grabs
  5. Double lapel grabs
  6. Chokes from the front
  7. Chokes from behind
  8. Bear Hugs
  9. Head locks
  10. Punches and strikes
  11. Kicks
  12. Grabbing of hair...and much more

We encourage our students to challenge us and ask questions. Be critical! If you don't think a self-defence technique will work, challenge us! We will find a technique that does work for you and your body size / structure.


Now More Than Ever

Is there a place in modern "civilized" society for martial arts? At York Karate, we believe that the martial arts are as important now as they ever were. Current laws require that citizens use only as much force as is "necessary" to defend themselves from an attacker. This means that extreme forms of self-defence, such as gouging of eyes, can actually come back to haunt a defender in a court of law. This is why technique, training, and the use of pressure points for self-defence are so important now. Pressure points can be manipulated to halt your attacker while leaving no permenant damage to the body. In this way, pressure point manipulation has been referred to as "humane self-defence".

At York Karate, we specialize in pressure point manipulation for self-defence (referred to as Kyusho Jitsu). We are a fully affiliated school with Master Dillman and Dillman Karate International (http://www.dillman.com/). Master Dillman is universally recognized as the pinoeer of pressure point manipulation in the martial arts in North America.

You can read more about using pressure points for self-defense in our section on kyusho-jitsu.
York Karate-Do © 1990 - 2006