Past training

This board has been slowing down lately, so I thought it might be fun to jump start it a little.

Something that has always interested me is what art people studied before DRAJ and how it differed.

For me, I started at 15 in Yoshinkan Aikido and studied that for 3 years before moving on to Karate, then BJJ, muay thai concepts, back to Aikido. Finally I found someone who taught DRAJ and this is something I know I'm going to stick with for a long time to come. Currently I study Hakuho Ryu Aikibudo (DRAJ) and Systema with Vladimir Vasiliev (when I can make the hour and half commute to his studio).

One interesting difference I've found, coming from an Aikido background, is that there seems to be a big difference is body movement. Yoshinkan often relyed on the pivot, whereas in the Hakuho Ryu, we move along a straight line. The other day I was going over some techniques I rememebered from my Yoshinkan days, and found that when I used hitoemi rather than the pivot, they worked for the first time against a friend who grapples.

I have more observations, but I'll save those for latter. I'm interested to hear what others have to say. Especially those from other lines of DRAJ.

Meh, I don't study DTR. Never done it but would like to.

Find DTR here, is like finding treasure island. It just doestn't exist here, which sucks in my opinion. I would love to go and try it out for 6 months or something.

There was a member who was well versed in both Aikido and DTR, the former mod Eyrie. Try pm him, he's very knowledgable and fun to talk to. Being Asian helps though

-Taison out

Ames,
I am very interested in knowing about the hakuho ryu style you study. I have have heard of it before but I can't remember the actual lineage.I also have been in karate for many years now and I also did aikido but mine was mainline and shin shin toitsu. however, I really like the yoshinkan, I have some books from that system and refer to it all the time. I dabbled a little in gracie jiujutsu with Rickson Gracie. The daito ryu that I study is actualy a derivitive style called Taiko ryu. It has everything that Daito ryu has just that the founder added some other things to it. None of the techniques were changed or modified that came form the Daito ryu. Thanks!

Actually there is an interview with the head of Hakuho Ryu on this website and he (Okabayashi Sensei) explains alot better than me a beginner can! But from what I know so far: Okabayashi Sensei began his training in the Takumakai, and was awarded a Kyoju Dairi from Hisa Sensei. Hisa Sensei was old and Okabayashi wanted to continue his studies, so he was referred to Takeda Tokimune Soke, whom he studied with for several years.

After this Okabayashi returned to the Osaka area and taught within the Takumakai, teaching the techniques he learned from Takeda Tokumune Soke. Eventually, what he taught was reffered to as the Hakuhokai. Later he split off into his own Ryu-ha: the Hakuho Ryu.

As I'm still a beginer, I can't get into too much detail as to technique. I will say that there is an emphasis on not twisting hips or pivoting the body. I believe the majority of our waza comes from the Aikibudo of Tokimune.

Body movement has been at the core of my training since I began and techniques that before didn't work on resisting opponents (I work as a bouncer), have begun to. What amazes me is how subtle the changes are that have to be made. And this renforces my belief that learning Aikijujutsu from a tape or dvd is impossible.

From the first technique (Ippon Dori), I've learned that you need to have courage to execute the technique as the proper moment. You move when the sword is about to strike, when the opponent thinks he has won. This mentality seems to be constant in all the waza.

Sempai: I'm interested in knowing about your style--what line of DRAJ does it come from, who is your headmaster etc.?

Ames,
The style of Aikijujutsu I study is called Taiko ryu Aikijujutsu or the art of the waiting tiger. This style was formed by my teacher. His name is Mateo Toribio. Mateo Toribio started his daito ryu training back in 1973 under Katsumi Yonezawa of the kodokai. Mateo and another student Dan were the first ever ro receive black belts in the kodokai organization outside of Japan. I still have the newspaper article on that. In 1976 Dan and Mateo were invited to live in Japan for one year as a personal uchi deshi of master yonezawa. During this time they trained and earned a black belt in muso shinden ryu iaido. They also met and trained with kodo horikawa soke. They have many pictures of this and lots of personal artifacts. Mateo Toribio was promoted to 4th dan in 1982.I first met him in 1981. I trained with Yonezawa as well in two seminars. Mateo was the main teacher here when Yonezawa was not here. Mateo had the permission to teach and promote. However, due to some politics that was going within the organization. Mateo chose to leave. He created his own organization in 1985. He kept all of the orginal techniques and never changed anything, all he did was add other stuff to it, such as, defending against boxing punches, haymaker punches and sucker punches. He also added lots of the ground grappling in it so it can be effective on the ground as well. we have more atemi punches and kyusho techniques added in as well as kicks, knees and elbows. As far as weapons go, we still train in the sword, but we added arnis and knife fighting, bo staff and the jo. We try to stick to wepons that we think you could find or carry on the street. So everything we do still has all of the Japanese techniques and terminology but it is really an american art so to speak. There is still the traditonal Daito ryu kodokai school in my area. I trained there for 3 months and learned absolutley nothing. The students there which were only about 5 were all black belts and they treated me badly. I feel that they had some animosity towards me because of my past experience with the kodokai. Because Yonezawa is not with kodokai anymore either, he founded his own organization as well. But after some investigation I found out that they treated other people like this too that had experience in other arts. I have been training in the aiki jujutsu for 7 years. However, I have done karate for 27 years.

I´m begginer in many arts. (Also in english language.. ) I have done Kick boxing, modern JJ, reality based stuf and finaly found DTR. I´m joining the local systema club next month. Wich is in same dojo than my DTR and many of them are same people.
I´m a bad artist. I´m open minded and thik headed at same time.. And my working hours make it hard to practise on regular basis I drift betwean DTR and reality based stuff
´cos of my work as an LE. I´m not just good anough to use DTR as main tool on my work so I have to try to put those two together. I hope systema will help me in that.
Still I´m not leaving DTR ´cos of systema. DTR is just too.. fun!
Just wish there were more hours in a day.

Just as an aside. I was wondering what happened to Mr. Toribio. I trained with him in 1982 in New Jersey. Could you please give me some contact info on him.

Thank-you,
Jose Garrido

Quote:

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Mateo and another student Dan were the first ever ro receive black belts in the kodokai organization outside of Japan. I still have the newspaper article on that. In 1976 Dan and Mateo were invited to live in Japan for one year as a personal uchi deshi of master yonezawa.

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That wouldn't be Dan Harden would it? TIA for clarifying....