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Bushidokan
(Contributor: Bob Blount - robertb@sound.net)
Bushidokan is an eclectic art of recent origin, founded by Jim
Harrison in the late 1960's. Harrison has studied Judo and Shorin-Ryu
karate extensively. The Bushidokan Art is a combination of Okinawan
karate, judo, and some JJ, with the primary emphasis on karate.
The karate portion of Bushidokan's training is quite similar to
Shotokan - definitely Okinawan in ancestry. Bushidokan is best
suited for those interested in effective street self-defense,
tournament fighting, and fairly rugged physical conditioning.
Beginning students learn seven basic stances, seven basic strikes
(six linear, one circular), seven basic blocks (one of which is
circular) and seven basic kicks. Many of the self-defenses taught
incorporate techniniques not included in the "basic" seven, thus
exposing the student to a greater variety. These include a number
of throws, a few soft (redirecting) blocks, and several wrist/hand
locks. Two basic self-defense strategies - a direct counter and
an indirect counter - are taught for each type of attack. Sparring
is introduced as students progress, but is always optional, and
ranges from "no contact" to "full contact".
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