Taiho Jitsu – Street dependable, court defendable

Hey everybody,

It’s been awhile since your friendly neighborhood Samurai Super Cop has put his thoughts to page.  I have been getting my ass handed to me by Steve Jimerfield for the last week at One on One Control Tactics Instructor School.  Well I’m back, and I’m excited to share some of the things I learned, and other things I knew that were reinforced.

Previously on Budo Blog…..I was crying that I’m old and my knee hurt.  I don’t like crybabies so I started the “Super Soldier Project”.  Good news, it’s working!  My knee felt great for the entire class and continues to get better.  More specifics and how to create your own super soldier project to follow (both here and on Lise’s blog).

I bring up the project because at pushing 37 I was complaining about getting old.  Steve Jimerfield Sensei is 30 years older than me.  He has an artificial knee in one leg, and partial paralysis in the other.  He doesn’t complain about getting old he just kicks ass.  During the “old man” warm up (never more than 10 of anything) he always outlasted fit young defensive tactics instructors from across the state. 

He told me he really didn’t even get into shape until he was 50.  If he can do it, I can do it.  We all can do it.

I have had the pleasure of training with some of the greatest instructors in the world.  Being the ever competitive alpha male I am, I always think about how / if I could take em’.   I always felt I could hold my own with them.  Meaning in a thunder dome two men enter one man leaves type of thing both of us would end up in the hospital or the morgue or some combo thereof.  Maybe that is arrogance, maybe that is overconfidence, but I truly felt I would do alright.  When rolling with Jimerfield, I felt like he could break me in half, and if he really wanted to there wasn’t much I could do to stop him.  That is equal parts scary and exciting and ties back into the ‘Super Soldier Project”.  Because if he can do it, I can do it – I want 67 year old Kasey to be able to crush 37 year old Kasey with ease.  I will have an advantage Jimerfield never did, being taught by Jimerfield (and MacYoung, and Miller). 

To make yet another comic book reference, Dick Grayson (Robin, Nightwing, and now Batman) has the potential to surpass Bruce Wayne (Batman) because he was trained by Batman.  Like Bruce Wayne, Jimerfield trained in many martial arts and defensive tactics systems.  He field tested them on the streets.  Refining what worked discarding the rest.  That is a long, arduous, and dangerous process, one that very few Instructors have gone through themselves.  That process becomes streamlined when you teach that to the next generation.  Starting with what works on the street and making further revisions to fit the individual as opposed to reinventing the wheel.  Allowing them to become better faster and eventually surpassing the teacher.  The price being that you pass that information on to someone who will eventually surpass you.

I have been going through that process myself.  I have discovered many similar conclusions along the way.  There are many paths to the top, but the view from the peak is the same. 

For me that path has become Taiho Jitsu

Tai: Body - Ho: Law or Control - Jutsu: Technique. Simply defined, Taiho Jutsu means control and restraining techniques.  Taiho Jitsu is built from the ground up to be used by operators to control violent people.  Taiho Jitsu derives primarily from Aikido, Judo, and Karate (with some kung fu, and western wrestling and boxing as well).  Every technique in the system has been tested over 30 years on the street to work for the officer under pressure against a resisting subject, to be non obtrusive to the public, and defendable in court

Taiho Jitsu – Street dependable, Court defendable.

I’m not much of a “joiner”.  When I left my martial arts organization, it was like a weight was lifted from my chest.  I had the freedom to teach what I knew worked, not what was on a syllabus form Tokyo.  I became an independent Dojo because I got sick of jumping through hoops for people in a far off land who have never been in a fight, much less had to control a doped up asshole who didn’t feel pain.  All that organization did for me was collect dues and testing fees from me. 

So you can see I wasn’t looking for an Organization.  But as the old saying goes when the student is ready the teacher will appear.  I came across an organization founded by a man I respect.  Run by operators for operators.  That organization is – Taiho Jutsu Clubs International.

I am pleased to announce that the Keishoukan Dojo is the Honbu Dojo for Taiho Jitsu Minnesota.

Taiho Jitsu / One-on-One Control Tactics (O3CT) Can, but is not meant to replace your current training or defensive tactics system.  O3CT is designed to enhance and supplement your program. Increasing competence and confidence in hand to hand confrontations both standing and on the ground.

So, you maybe asking yourself why haven’t I heard of this???

Jimerfield Sensei relies entirely on word of mouth.  He doesn’t advertise, or make DVD’s.  He doesn’t sell force on force training gear or offer weekend seminars for $1000s of dollars (although he could).  Jimerfield Sensei is dedicated to saving lives.  With just word of mouth he teaches nearly 30 weeks a year all across the world. 

With budget cuts and scheduling conflicts the Instructor course that I had set up for 20 officers got reduced to 6 (with only 1 paying student).  I felt horrible because Jimerfield came to Minnesota at my request and it cost him out of pocket to do so. 

Jimerfield said to me, Kasey if it means saving a life I would come out for one person. I’ll be fine that is why we have the Organization set up the way we do.  In one week Jimerfield Sensei did more for me than other Organizations had in nearly 20 years of martial arts training.

So I am using this blog to help spread the word.  Any law enforcement / corrections officers reading this please contact me or jimerfield.org about setting up an Instructor’s course for your department.  Any civilian martial artist, regardless of style please contact me or taihojitsuclubs.com to set up a seminar.  And those of you in the Washington State area check into training with Jimerfield Sensei when he is home. 

(Rory Miller and Steve Jimerfield live in the same town if the gods of war smile upon me I will have them running a Dojo together J )

Train hard, Train smart, Be safe